BETA PHOTO: An overview of Saint Stephen. The original route ...
Description
St. Stephen follows a wandering line immediately left of the huge left-facing corner system dominating the right side of the wall. Not sustained enough to be classic, it offers some decent moderate climbing in a peaceful high setting. Approach as for Jubilant Song. This following route description is from the first ascent, which was done a few days after Solar Slab.Pitch 1 -- Follow thin cracks up the varnished, pretty slabs at the base of the wall. Belay at a platform on a prominent ramp.Pitch 2 -- Continue up the ramp to belay in the main corner (5.8).Pitch 3 -- Instead of following the corner, climb a tight, left-slanting crack that splits the vertical face above (5.8). This crack is a key feature of the route, visible from below.Pitches 4-8 -- Two easy pitches go out onto the face to the left. Thin face climbing (5.8) bypasses a huge bulge on the left. The final lead goes up obvious rock to the top.Descend via an easy hike.
"A standard selection of nuts" may have worked well for the old masters, but a big cam (#4 Camalot or bigger) is unlikely to go unused in the slanting pitch 3 crack.
Also- the "thin 5.8 face climbing" high on the route is probably optional. I don't recall any tricky moves to access the upper slabs; not even any tricky routefinding.