Mexican Crack 

What a great varied route. It starts off with a tricky dihedral (use your head), some nice vertical grooves, and then the finale. Pick your stances and place your pro in the diagonalling crack smartly. There are many resting stances. This route epitomizes a classic route. It has length, varied climbing, exposure, good rock, and consistent difficulty.

The diagnaling crack up top is quite sensational. Most definitely a worthwhile outing.

I did this route yet again, and my partner brought up a good point that I would tend to agree with: If the route is a 5.10a and the crux is on the diagonalling crack, yet arguably the hardest move, in reality, is the dihedral, is the climb really a 5.10a? What I am getting at is that the 5.9 move feels a lot harder. I know, I know, quit my whining, but I have watched more people struggle on the start than anywhere else. That is my 2 cents on this one.

I feel the same way as Nathan about the start of this climb. For me, the dihedral is much more difficult than anything else on the entire climb. However, in my case, I can definitely attribute this to two things: (1) height, it is a long reach for my short legs, and (2) flexibilty, in that I don't have any. Other people I know have little to no problem with the start, many of them much smaller than me (which is how I know that it isn't just height).

Can't wait to climb it again!

That's a classic LCC 5.10a! like most of the routes in the canyon...things rated 9+, tend to be harder than things rated10a. Gotta love those old school grades...you can can just hear the old dogs standing around scratching their heads in 1975..."I dunno man...that was pretty hard, but not the hardest ever (5.10 at the time being pretty high end)...better rate it 5.9 so people don't think we're wusses!"

Anyone else notice this? if you can climb 10a gear in LCC you will climbe alot harder elsewhere. As for another route like this, I think of Bloody fingers in the city. 10a with a soild 10b bouldery start? Still 10a? I guess???............

I have found that a sweet palming move with the right hand in the bottom dihedral makes things a bit easier. The move is a little insecure, but there is good pro at your waist. I noticed the ring pin just above the dihedral is deformed! I always clipped the sucker but never wanted to test it out. That thing is older than I am!

I didn't find the dihedral to be too difficult , though it probably is 5.10. My trouble came about eight feet from the top when I got near the chicken head. I grabbed it as a hand hold and was so pumped that I lost it while making my move. Had a nice sized fall from that one! Guess I should have just stuck with the jams! Nothing like falling two moves from the top.

this was my nemesis when i first started climbing. took me 3 or 4 tries to get it clean, and many more to do w/grace

Ahhh, tried to onsight it today, and got spanked by that corner. Fell twice onto a blue metolius right before the hard part was over. Then it started to rain, and we had to bail. So frustrating, I'm going to be feeling like a chump the rest of the day.

In 2002 I belayed a friend who used some sort of a head smoosh bringing his legs left and up making his body horizontal. I stood there mouth open thinking his neck would snap.

I agree with Bobby, this start is just something you have to push through, but the dihedral is the hardest part!

Gotta say, of all the "classics" in LCC, I really don't consider this one.

Onsight on this required me pulling a Lynn hill ala "the nose". I literally had to turn around and face out of the corner, and stem/shuffle up it. Made for an interesting climb, but one I didn't find all that enjoyable.

Beautiful route. Top-roped laps on it today. The dihedral is indeed tricky. I can't say if it's 5.9 or 5.10-...it just seems to be one of those challenges that granite throws at you now and again. The middle section a little tenuous...especially in warm, direct sun. The angling crack is positive and sensational. There are such good fingerlocks and thin hands in it! Quickly moving my feet from blob to blob, and occasionally using the crack for my right foot, was key for it not being too pumpy. Can't wait to do it again.

Did this route again yesterday. I can say with no shame, I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing in that dihedral. I flailed, eventually got past it. The diagonalling crack was Easy, compared to both the dihedral and the tenuous face/seam middle section, at least for me. The crux is short, and the feet aren't really that bad, I had right foot in the crack most of the way too.

D.Shiembob, if you really want to know...try climbing the dihedral like a chimney (i.e. put your whole body/butt into the wall on the right, use both feet on the face holds out left, and voila...you can get no hands rests for most of the hard section! Then simply use the bomber face holds on the left up high and lunge for the horn...
Once you get it down pat, don't even bother putting gear in until you get that horn...it makes for a much smoother rope run...

Listen to Glen. When in this positions, there is also a really nice wrist lock/fist jam where the crack widens out.

I love this route and its three distinct sections. Its nice to get the hard part over early and then be able to enjoy the rest! I do the chimney technique too, but must be using my shoulder more than my head cause I always end up with a rasberry there regardless of how many shirts I have on! Talked to someone who said they face climbed around the right to the horn but can't remember how hard they thought that was. I also like the old rating cause 9+ is always harder than 10a!

I'd say I onsighted this today, but after devouring the previous comments prior to climbing it, I can only claim a redpoint (if I claimed a flash, my partner would likely expose me as a fraud, as she timed the ascent with a calendar).

I did garnish my shoulder with the raspberry that Stan is familiar with, and feel like my future ascents should be less anxiety provoking through the start. It's the middle that proved mentally challenging. I'll take strenuous over tenuous most any day, thus I enoyed the business in the signature diagonal much more than the balancey midsection.

Pro is generally good as noted and never bigger than a #2 BD. I'd tell you how many pieces I actually placed, but I'm not giving out free laughs today. You can use relatively few draws/runners, however, mostly needing length only when you turn the two "corners".

A note on the approach. The trail from the UTA parking lot has been improved and seen some traffic. It adds minimal length and gets your vehicle off the road. Just don't be tempted by any premature left turns and the braided bouldering paths.

Wow. What a lead. What an awesome climb.
Is it just me, or does the horn you go to at the start feel loose?

So so so so good!

To prevent rope drag, I didn't protect until I'd pulled out of the dihedral. It gets up there, but I was sure happy not to have the drag as I was getting close to the top. Superb line.

Gotta say that if the start is 5.9+ then the diagnaling crack is 5.6/5.7ish!!! I laughed my ass off when I saw it was rated 5.10a and the start 5.9+.

It's funny when people say that a climb is easy if you have the moves dialed. 5.12's are pretty easy when you have them totally dialed. My thoughts are that our F.A. forfathers were just a-holes.

Make sure you pull the rope from below the anchors rather than from below the dihedral -- we got ours stuck today behind the horn and it required some creativity to retrieve...

anybody know anything about the direct start?

Did this climb the other day and got the onsight. the trick to the beginning is to stem. I stemmed through that whole beginning part and it wasn't too bad. It protects really well too. I placed a number 3 down low with no runner and didn't have any rope drag. For me the crux was the vertical part after the dihedral. The slanting crack was amazing and hard because i was so tired by then. I didn't place anything bigger than a .75 BD other than the number 3 down low.

I followed Glen's chimney advice, and sent it bottom to top. Love the old piton.

@Steve Santora - THe Direct slab start goes somewhere in the 10a/b ballpark I believe. I've only tr'd it though, but it wasn't that bad. Some dime edging, and crystal pinching. There's an old chopped bolt hole you can see if you stand on some of the rocks just underneath it.

This climb is worth every star it gets...absolutely fantastic. I've heard this climbed talked up a lot but in my opinion it is a very doable 5-10a if you can handle slab and crack moves and an awkward dihedral start...it's not as hard as some of the other old school ratings in the canyon. I brought a single rack with doubles in BD .4, .5, .75, and 1. That seemed to be more than adequate. Climb this route!!

This climb is fantastic! Definitely a must do if you are in the area. Don't be scared, JUST DO IT! This 10a is probably easier than some other 5.9s in the canyon.

Work the dihedral with a combination of stemming, chimney, and a throw to the jug. Double cracks go easier then they first appear but take small pro (TCU's 2 and 3's)... That being said, the diagonal handcrack is the bee's knees. Best route on the buttress! GET it!