Just passing the very high first bolt. April 2009.
Description
In my opinion, the best of the 12a's at BTONP. Not as long as some, but by far the most sustained. It's on from the first bolt to the anchor.
Scramble up the ledge to begin. You may want a piece of gear to start, or haul your stick clip up to the ledge to clip the first bolt, or solo up the crack 2 moves to clip the bolt. Head straight up on awesome sculpted pockets and thin crimps. Long sequential reaches on incut but small holds lead up the ever steepening wall. Near the top the holds dwindle and the movement becomes more desparate. Stay left until its possible to snag the top edge of the cliff, then traverse right two feet to the chain anchor.
Obviously the dihedral crack is 'off', but I used it to get to the first bolt, and it seems, based on the chalk, that everyone else does the same.
The proximity to the classic crack to the left makes this climb a bit contrived and detracts at least one-star. Can't argue with the quality of the climbing though.
An interesting and challenging climb. After clambering onto the starting shelf, you get 3 bolts of excellent sustained 5.11-. Sequency, but mostly sinker holds with a couple of decent shakes. From there it's a bolt and a half of difficult climbing that is essentially one long boulder problem with a clip in the middle - long reaches between small pockets and edges, technical feet, and a couple of big or desperately thin moves off crappy holds. By the time you latch the finishing ledge, you almost want to throw a heel up and mantle a top-out, rather than reaching right to clip the chains. Felt like solid 5.12 up top to me, at least if you follow the bolt line. Took some serious head-scratching and thrutching before I came up with a sequence that worked, and even then just barely. The crack and arete were not in the logical progression (or at least not past the 1st bolt, which isn't the crux), so I wouldn't call the line contrived. I'd certainly do it again.
A green or purple camalot would probably protect against a fall going for the first bolt (not likely, but you wouldn't want to tumble down off the starting platform).
It is not question of if the route is contrived because as a face it is not. However, I think it significantly decreases the aesthetic of the classic crack and protection problems under and through the roof. "Do I need a long runner on my piece below? Reach out left under the roof to protect the traverse? Or clip the anchor of this route?"........When in doubt run it out.
I don't remember a roof or a traverse on Ralph's Revenge, which is the crack that makes up the left border of Adam Ant. And Adam Ant's anchors are way off route for RR as well... Are you thinking of Ralph's Dilemma, Ken?
Really fun route, I don't feel that the it detracts from Ralph's Revenge as the bolts are far off to the right, and Adam Ant certainly doesn't feel contrived as a face climb.
Could use its own anchors instead of the three chain mess it currently shares with Wailing Banshees.
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