An engaging, awesome route. Each pitch is progressively better making this one of the best climbs in Black Velvet.
Begin 100' right of the start of Epinephrine. Scramble 50' up 5.0 ledges just left of a huge, hanging left-facing dihedral. Belay on a large ledge with lots of bushes.
P1, P2, P3: Step up easily to a small, low roof, traverse left (into the bushes) to pull the roof, then diagonal back right and up the face. Head up and slightly right to an arete-like feature, then continue up the sparsely protected face. Somewhere in there is a bolted anchor, but it is easy to run the rope all the way out by gradually intercepting the large corner (about at it's midpoint), following this up and left to a gear belay on a ledge. Next, continue up to a bulge and a good bolt with a black hanger. Clip this and traverse low and right, or pull directly up past the bolt and traverse right up higher. Bushwhack all the way right, past a thin crack, and belay off of gear below a groove/crack feature. 400', 5.9.
P4: Follow the groove up and left, taking either a slot or a handcrack, to a gear belay on a good ledge. 150', 5.8.
P5: Climb up through the roof with a few wide-hands moves to a stance, then continue up the spectacular, exposed crack system past 3 bolts to a bolted belay on a big ledge just below the top of Texas Tower. 180', 5.10.
P6: There are two left-trending crack systems above. Begin up the right of the two, then traverse to the left crack about 50' up. Follow this to a bolted belay way left of the line. You can link this into the next pitch but the rope drag through the crux is heinous. 100', 5.9. Alternatively, you can stay in the right-hand crack at awesome 5.12 with one move of aid past a small roof midway up. This variation has several bolts and joins up with the following pitch near the end. 140', 5.12.
P7: Perform a bouldery move off the belay, then climb up an easy corner to a bolt. Hand traverse right to a pumpy clip and stand up on a sloping ledge. Follow this up to a small roof (bolt over the roof) and climb up into the left-facing corner above, clipping a couple bolts along the way to a bolted belay below an obvious V-slot. 100', 5.11c.
P8: Climb the V-slot (two bolts protect) to a cruxy traverse/downclimb at a bolt, then more V-slot action up to a bolted belay at a stance. 100', 5.11b.
P9: I won't spoil it all by giving away the last pitch, but from here the route is obvious. If you're rapping, make sure to fix your tag line to the previous belay or you will be dangling in space. Otherwise, continue on with Lone Star. 140', 5.10.
Rappel the route with two ropes.
Protection
Single 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 Camalots, Double 0.75, #1, #2, and #3 Camalots (the second #2 and #3's are optional for confident Creek climbers). Wires. A dozen draws/slings. Two ropes.
If you rap this route and need to fix the tag line to the 2nd to last belay, does that mean if you are climbing with double you should fix one of them to that belay and have the second follow the last pitch on only one rope?
Black Velvet Wall
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