The name says it all. (Although it originally had no name.)
Start below a small triangular roof, pull up to a solid-looking 1/4" bolt. Face climb up to a roof (pro in crack) and traverse right on solid flakes, or take a more direct line with more funky pro, to a roof below a piton. Turn the roof which is suprisingly easy and protects well with a nut. From the piton to the next bolt up and right is the technical, but well-protected, crux with off-balance moves (AIRY!). Up from here past a 2nd piton leads to a series of knobs that lead to a deadend up and right, and the realization that what you need to do is leave the good knobs and take off on a slab traverse to the left with hands on a down-slanting "rail" about 10-15' above the pin (5.10R, SCARY!). My guess is you're looking at 30' fall if you came off on this section. Don't do that. Join the finish of Zig Zag Man through big plates/chickenheads to the top. Build a belay where convenient. Scramble right to get to the rappel anchors.
Excellent fun climbing, with intriguing moves at the cruxes and interesting route finding, but in my opinion a little bit scarier than most other climbs at the 5.11- grade at TP.
Location
Airy Scary is near the left side of the south face of South Rock. You can pick out the first bolt... above a triangular roof near the ground. Descent: 1 rappel from the top down the south side, near Eagle's Nest, with a single 60m rope.
Protection
Cams to 2", nuts. You pass 2 bolts and 2 pitons on the way.
I bet Bruce thinks you're mad climbing above that old mank. Those 1/4"ers and pins were as good as they were ever going to be on that day he placed 'em around thirty years ago. You hang big sack long time.
"Airy Scary"...not his name for it he reminded me, he never named those routes. But he laughed hard and full when I read it to him..."that's good", he chortled. I could see the clarity of the first ascent in that pin sized pupil through his squinted eyes. I knew he meant that crux move was all that when he sent it more than thirty years ago. That is what this is all about. The unknown of a ground up first ascent and that sliver of success now, forever vanquished in the grade we read in advance in a guide. The moot-point. 11-, PG13. Risky, but do-able. No one knew then. The man's still got moxie at 60.
By George Perkins Administrator From: Los Alamos, NM May 27, 2008
Thanks, Mike... I really appreciate you sharing this story.. It's fun to hear of an oldtimer like Bruce who's happy when a (fitting) new name gets put on one of his climbs. This was among the best climbs I've done at TP... had me glowing for the next week.. I'd recommend it more but it's too scary to be truly classic. Too bad I can't touch Bruce's harder routes! And Bruce thinks WE're mad? "Holthouse in a Haulsack" scares me more just looking at it.
[I feel a little guilty for posting beta like this and reducing the next person's adventure.. but I figure people who want that don't visit websites designed to share beta. Stop reading!]
Fixed gear description: 1st- 1/4" bolt. Looks in good shape about 20' up. Protects 5.10- climbing-- no harder than Better Red Than Dead... If you're falling here, it's best if you stop now instead of going higher...
2nd- angle piton in horizontal just below technical crux (11-). This appears bomber as of May '08, and I tested it when I fell on it when my foothold broke (thus removing the last piece of loose rock on this climb). If you fall on this crux, it's not a big deal. It's about 8' farther to the next big bolt.
3rd- big bolt. Just after technical crux. This is probably not a 1970s original. To whoever replaced the original with this one, THANKS! because this one will definitely keep you from hitting anything if you fall anywhere above this.
4th- crappy upward-driven knifeblade piton. "Protects" the psychological crux. You need to make 5.10+ slab moves about 10 or 15' above this, and I was not confident that it will hold a fall (but I couldn't pull it out by hand). I don't there there are any other options for gear on this section. You're looking at about 20 to 30' fall (if it holds), and 10-15' more if it doesn't.. but the bolt below it is big. I looked at this slab for a long time before going for it.
Both me and my partner fell once at the 5.11- crux, but got the slab at the top without coming off. Both of us usually fall on TP 5.11a.
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