Pine Tree is somewhat of a nemesis at the grade for many and a favorite to others. Though it is a crack climb, it is not very straightforward, and you might do well to keep an eye out for some foot holds on the face. Lots of jamming and some odd undercling jams will get you to my favorite jug at Cathedral at about halfway. Continue up some much more straightforward climbing to a root that leads to the top. At that point you can decide your ethics on grabbing the root or avoiding it.
Pine Tree is highly recommended for its interesting moves and awesome exposed positioning.
Location
Right above the route Thin Air (5.6), there is a face with a few cracks that look like they need to be climbed. The one on the right, the wider one, is Pine Tree Eliminate.
Protection
Standard rack. Pine Tree is well protected all the way. Belay from trees at the top.
I've seen it done with lots of cams, and I've done it with only nuts.
This is a sweet route, if all the moves are done right it is 5.8, but if you start doing moves wrong, or miss key holds, it gets harder; take your time. A good finish if you've just done Thin Air.
By Jay Knower Administrator From: Plymouth, NH Feb 20, 2007 rating: 5.8+
I don't think this is as well protected as the route description implies. The crack flares inward making it difficult the get the right sized cams into the crack in the first place. I always end up spending more time than I want to fiddling with gear on this thing. Maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time protecting this one.
I've climbed this crack 10 or more times, that might be why I feel it is so well protected but...I know where everything goes.... Nuts are totaly key.... Climb it slow and find the gear, I've seen people sew it up....
I agree with Jay, while climbing Play Misty with a UNH outdoor ed. teacher during a trad. leading workshop we saw a fellow student deck after her second piece popped out. She dropped the class but was physicaly unhurt. Take your time and place good gear near the bottom, the flaring nature of the crack means that it takes experience to place good pro.
since my last post on this route i've climbed it about 3 more times and i always place 1 cam in the bottom to keep from zippering then all nuts to the top, i never even think about cams on route anymore as they are way trickier to place for the most part... While i agree that this is not a good lead for a beginner there is no reason to fear if you know how to place solid nuts...
By GMBurns From: Boston, MA Jul 15, 2008 rating: 5.9 PG13
Doesn't climb like a crack, and all the holds are definitely there. I emptied my rack on this thing my first time. I think I'll be able to get it clean the next time.
I found the first two or so placements to be a bit tenuous but after that found the protection to be closely spaced and quite solid. As to the moves, I think it is more intimidating than hard since there are good jugs and jams where you need them. A lot of the best holds, though, can be hidden or seem to come right after hard or thin moves.
I have also seen someone deck from this route ... be careful to protect ledge-fall (and zippering!), the ground is closer than you think.
This route can be 5.8. Unless you climb it like the crack that it is (ie, minimize your use of feet on the face), and find the good stances, it can seem much harder, very quickly, and more so than other routes. The pro does sometimes take a moment to get right, but it's 100% G.
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