Mountain Project: Climbing The Gunks

This is a great route just left of The Yellow Wall. I think it serves as a good stepping stone to Carbs and Caffeine (and is probably easier despite its rating. Carbs and Caffeine is in turn a good stepping stone to The Yellow Wall.

With a 70-meter cord you can lower to the ground from the bolted anchor, and you could easily do it in one pitch, but I recommend 4th-classing it up to a ledge with a tree and belaying there. 5.0, 40'.

Climb up past a large block just above the belay, and then continue up corners (the path is obvious once you embark). Eventually you will step left and do a 5.10 move to get established below the big roof. Fingertip traverse right (sew the horizontal up with 0 TCU's and other small gear) and pull the roof at a thin crack. This is the crux and can be spooky as it is a bit right from your gear. I've heard that a red ballnut will slot in the crack in the roof, and small wires could be placed as well, but it's very pumpy here. Pull the roof on some crimps, and continue up sustained 5.10 climbing (and better gear) to the bolted anchor.

Comments on No Man's Land

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By blah blah
Sep 18, 2006

By bolted anchor do you mean 3 rusty pins, and some fixed wires? Or was I off route?

I thought this climb was pretty tough (tougher than yellow wall), probably due to the sustained nature of the climbing and poor rests... not to mention the gear being somewhat small and difficult to place... not to mention that i am weak...

By bheller
From: SL UT
Oct 2, 2010
rating: 5.11c/d PG13

This route does have a belay anchor of wires/pins in the orange open book up high, above the second crux. If you have a 70m rope, and you are not topping out, then climb and lower from and to the ground. I too feel this climb is tough, harder than Carbs and Caffeine by a few letter grades. I didn't think it was at all sustained, good and easy down low and two back to back difficult and bouldery cruxes. Crux one pulls the roof with the seam and is powerful and commiting- V3, and crux 2 comes after a marginal shake, and is nails hard if your fingers are too big for locks in blue metolius sizes. Again V3 without the key finger lock. For me, 11c/d.

By Monomaniac
Administrator
From: Morrison, CO
Oct 19, 2010

I concur with the comments above. I don't really understand how grades are assigned at this crag, but with good beta, this is harder than Carbs & Caffeine, and easier than Yellow Wall, so I guess that makes it "11b".

By Evan Stevens
Oct 15, 2011
rating: 5.11b/c PG13

I agree with the last comments...Mid 5.11 for sure, restful jugs enroute. I climbed from the ground and lowered and TR'd it with a 60m rope with a few meters of extra rope. Once you pull the last lip there is no 'sustained' 5.10 climbing to the anchor, once your feet are over you are just about done.

By Joe Vitti
Oct 29, 2011

I found this to be less scary but harder than Yellow Wall. We climbed with a 70m cord that had a few feet cut off and the belayer had to come out of his device for me to untie after lower; I do not see how a 60m could possibly reach.

Well named, you feel like you are in No Man's Land as you work for rest between multiple tiers of roofs. Beautiful climb!

By msdubs007
Aug 24, 2012

Grade seemed fair to me at 11a/b. Slightly more sustained than yellow wall, however single moves not as hard and way less airy. Then again nothing is really sustained in the gunks.

No Man's Land

5.11b

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