Jay Knower making it look easy on Flesh for Lulu (...
Description
Such a perfect piece of rock. The kind of route that you walk up to and just have to climb.
Starting with low-angle climbing typical of the easier Meadows climbs, you overcome a bulge at no harder than 5.10 gaining a ledge. Rest up then embark upon the cruxy second half of the route taking the path of least resistance up the slightly overhanging orangeish rock. From the rest ledge, move up and right to a bolt a super crimpy crux will test your fingers as you start, but the true crux for most lies at the end. After 5.11ish climbing past crimps and jugs, you clip the last bolt and traverse right. A few crimpy, pumpy holds guard a hidden jug which marks the end of your struggle and the beginning of your celebration. You have climbed one of THE classic 5.12s at Rumney.
This route was originally done with only 2 bolts, when the guide book was published it had 9 and now there are eleven. Don't come up short on draws or it will be scary at the top.
Location
Flesh for Lulu is the first wall you come to on the main Meadows trail coming from the big parking lot. Can't miss it.
Great route with a bit of sad history: Jerry Handren never wanted this route to be retro-bolted. He placed the two bolts on rappel pre-sport climbing era. With no top-rope rehearsal, he sent the thing after 4 days of effort and some serious fear.
The bolts were chopped by Ken Nichols when he came and chopped all of Rumney's bolts. Then the route was retro-bolted, though Jerry thought it should have remained as a mental/physical testpiece.
According to a post Jerry made on supertopo, the original locations of the bolts were as follows: "One just above the ledge, the second could be clipped when you were standing on that little shelf about 2/3 of the way up."
RSS Feed
Slideshow
