King Cobra climbs up the line of draws in the cent...
Description
King Cobra is perhaps the most vertical, and therefore the most technical of the 5.13s at Rumney. A common start which includes a hard 5.12 crux leads to a beautiful white face. Expect technical crimping and weight on your feet climbing. There have been rumors lately that a key hold has broken here.
The white face gives way to a left facing dihedral where the angle gets steeper and the holds get bigger. One of these holds, a two finger pocket way too perfect to be natural, can easily be skipped by the ethically pure.
A good route, King Cobra doesn't get the attention it deserves. Maybe it's the pocket. Maybe it's the reputation it has for technical climbing. Maybe it gets overshadowed by its famous neighbor, Predator. At any rate, King Cobra is worth a look.
For the record, I had nothing to do with any possible chipping of this route. It was bolted and attempted by others before I freed it. As it turned out, the unfortunately questionable holds are off to the side of at least how I climb it, so it shouldn't effect the aesthetics of the climb too much. Otherwise it is an excellent technically challenging route.
A small flake has recently broken, making the crux a bit stiffer.
Orange Crush
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