Tierd? No! After 15 pitches today at the gunks, I ...
Description
Another super-classic route in the Yellow Wall area. This begins just right of The Yellow Wall itself and shares a belay with Airy Aria.
P1: Begin on the arete just right of the OW corner of Airy Aria, and climb a left-diagonalling finger crack to a nice belay ledge out left. Belay here at two bolts. 5.9, 60'.
P2: Climb up and right off of the belay through a wild system of roofs. There are frequent places to rest -- including a no-hands knee bar immediately below the crux. Reach up and clip a bolt, then pull a difficult move (11a -- but I thought it was harder) to a tenuous stance on tiny holds. There's a second bolt here but it's a really difficult clip and the bolt is total mank anyway -- you may consider skipping it. A few more desperate moves up and right will get you to a thank-God stance and #2 Camalot placement in a horizontal. Climb up more roofs (successively pumpier), to a final ass-kicking, cramped, hand traverse right to a belay stance. This feels almost as hard as the crux move, but shorter folks may be able to cruise it.
Protection
Standard Rack, two bolts, some pins, and a crucial #2 Camalot above the first crux.
By Tony Bubb From: Boulder, CO Feb 21, 2006 rating: 5.11a/b R
The thing I recall the most was accidentally kicking out my gear down and left below me while I was staring at that crappy bolt. It should be replaced. Other than that, great route!
The thing I remember most is falling off the final crux roof following Rich Gottlieb and shredding his new rope.
The first crux (on P2) was done on the FFA by traversing left then up and back right. Easier, but scary.
By Jay Knower Administrator Jan 30, 2008 rating: 5.11a
After I eeked through the crux on pitch two, I was convinced that it was necessary to belay below the final roof (I may have read this in the guidebook or maybe I just made it up, I don't know). I would not recommend belaying here as the rock isn't that solid and the stance is less-than-comfortable. It would have been better to continue to the top of the cliff, as Josh's description suggests. The final roof, though intimidating, wasn't as hard as the lower crux. It was more awkward than hard.
P1 is a bit soft for 5.9 (new Williams' guide downrates to 5.8) and is a better option to start Airy Aria - a much nicer pitch than than that sometimes wet, slick, offwidth on P1 of Airy Aria.
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