Moby Dick 

Nice route with a bouldery start to widening crack with another cruxy section of wider crack up high.

It's nice to have at least two #4 Camalots (or equivalent) unless you feel super solid on the wider bit, or wish to slide your single big piece up the crack with you.

The upper section of this pitch is totally sandbagged unless you like off-width climbing -- I found it to be much harder than the bottom. Definitely bring two #4s, or run it out at your own peril.

Did this yesterday. Just to clarify, the upper half of the crack is mostly fists to off-fist, i.e. old style camalot #3.5/new style #4. Doubles in this size should be plenty. There are a few fixed pins on the right in a seam through the wide section, but they've seen better days. Pro: nuts, singles to #2 Camalot, doubles to #3.5. Maybe save the #2 for the small roof/overlap just below the anchor.

Agree with the post above: didn't find any off-width on this one. The crack takes fists and really good feet all the way up, and for me didn't require the heinous struggle that comes with true OW. If it were 1" wider...

Done this in the spring time 2006. The start was hard, but blst right through it. the O/W was a little tough. Slide my #4 cam up until I couldn't anymore. Would like to return again to climb this. Now that my O/W technique has improved.

I have huge hands, so I never really considered the upper part as part of the crux, for me it was just getting off the ground. I fell on a #2 metolius cam, right about where the crack opens up enough to jam. I believe two ropes for the rap off the other side, nice and airy. Left side of Moby DIck looks Heinous for the grade.

P.S. I don't remember there being huge boulders stacked at the base of the route! But that was 10 years ago.

My memory is that Mody Dick is not 5.10 but was
always 5.9. The Left Side, however, is probably
minimal 5.10 because it is an endurance problem. There
is no single 5.10 move anywhere, but it (the left side)
goes on and on, with a variety of chimneys and flares,
etc.. The middle route, described here, is 5.9 at
its hardest. Over on the right side is the off-width/
chimney leading to a long handjam, called Ahab,
which is 5.10, led originally by Frank Sacherer.

Pat - Thanks for your talk about ratings. I can see how this climb could be considered a hard 5.9.

I didn't see anyone mention the second pitch though. Its a wonderful continuation with great handjams on perfect granite at a moderate grade. If you take this option rap with two ropes from chains.

If your just climbing pitch one you can rap with only one 70m rope. Do this by first rapping to the blocks at the base of Ahab. Then one more short rap off slings to the ground. Just make sure the slings are there first. Enjoy!!!

Thought I was going to puke at the top, although no comparison to Ahab I'm sure

Great finger locks will get you past the .10a section at the start. The real business however is the ever widening fist to offwidth crack on the last 3/4 of the route. If you bring only two #4's be conservative with your placements, consider walking them or just bring a few extra.

This may be my favorite pitch of crack climbing I've done to date. The technical finger crack start is way fun and well protected, and then the fun just keeps going. The wider part up top isn't that bad, just trust those foot jams and walk right up! Pulling the roof on nice jugs was a nice way to finish the climb too . . .

This is super fun line but make sure you bring the right pro! I estimated hand sizes from the bottom. In reality, you should rack up to big fist (BD #4). There are a couple of pitons in a pin scar to the right of the widening crack on the second half of the route. I'm sure someone found the oval beaner I left on one of the pitons when I realized my #2's weren't going to cut it.

Enjoy!

I remember leading this with 1 #4 and it was BOLD! My partner lead this after me with 4 #4s and a #5 using all the 4s but the 5 was useless (too big)

After walking by this route in the morning and feeling like the start looked quite hard, I got on it in the afternoon without any trouble. Truly a fantastic pitch, the kind that will stay etched in my mind.

Managed to climb it with a single rack from .4 through #4 and a set of large nuts. If you only have a single #4, be confident in your skills at the grade and the size. I set my #3 and #4 below the second lieback section and when looking ahead regretted it. But decided to press on and run out the last 40-50' below the roof.

I can't imagine where a #5 would be set on this route but doubling up on the #4's and singles for everything else would be my recommendation for the confident 10a leader.