Another smooth and pretty slab climb.... A great option if Sliding Board (5.7) is looking like a traffic jam.... Though it gets an R rating, most of the harder moves are well protected. The scary part is over right away.... This is a very worth while climb if you like slabs and don't mind running it out a little....
Pitch 0: Not normally listed as a pitch but more of an approach. The route really starts at a two bolt anchor on the left end of Ninth Wave (the steep hard slab in the middle of the right side of the slabs).... Gain the anchor directly from below or the easier way scrambling over from the Launch Pad....
Pitch 1: (5.7) Climb up in to the left-facing corner (pin) a few spooky moves gain easier slab up a groove to an anchor....
Pitch 2: (5.5) Climb over a slab bulge past a bolt (the path of least resistance is not obvious) and make a long run out to an anchor....
Pitch 3: (5.4) Up the slab to the arch joining Standard Route climbing the arch until a weakness allows you to climb cracks up to the Lunch Ledge....
Pitch 4: (5.7) From Lunch Ledge, climb up and right about 20ft up to a left-slanting corner, follow this to a pin.... Step right on to a slick slab and clip a bolt, carefully move right to gain a ramp, follow the ramp back left to a right facing corner, fun moves up the corner past another pin and up to a cramped belay stance (I normally continue left along the over lap and make a steep move right to gain a nice ledge with a fixed rappel sling. A more comfy belay) watch out for rope drag on this pitch, use lots of runners....
Continue up standard route and hike off, or rap with 2 ropes along a series of bolted anchors....
Location
To the right of Standard Route (5.5), look for the left-facing corner (near a small tree) with a bolted anchor below it.... Climb straight up mostly unprotected but moderate slab for 200 feet to the first anchor, or from the launch pad head up and right....
Protection
Standard Whitehorse rack to #3 Camalot, bring some tri cams....
This seems to be the most consistently dry route on the slabs in the spring, at least up to lunch ledge...
The one tricky spot is the 3rd anchor which is blocked by a small river when you are about 120ft above your last draw this can be dealt with a couple of ways... Ive done this route in the early spring the last 2 years... the first time it was a little dryer and my dad (on lead) was able to find a crossing to the anchor... the other day was wetter and i was on lead so with a 60m rope we simulclimbed about 15 feet to a good anchor spot...
so if you are chomping at the bit to get on a slab route, hit this up...
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