Old Habits Die Hard  5.10-

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 220 feet Consensus:  5.10- [details] FA:  John Steiger, Brent Manning, Sept. 21, 2008 New Route:  Yes Submitted By:  John Steiger on Oct 5, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Description 

Old Habits is best identified by a striking right-facing, right-leaning dihedral, beginning just above a roof, high on Strone Crag’s northwest face. The route crosses the bolt-line of Mad Calf Disease at the roof, but its cams and nuts all the way unless one of the bolts becomes too much of a temptation. See the photo-topo on the Starstruck page.

The first pitch (5.7) starts in a relatively shallow right-facing corner about 5 feet left of the gully heading to the right-facing corner of Cost of Business. Climb the corner onto the face above, moving right to a buttress/arete that gains a ledge system. Traverse left on the ledge system, staying above bushes, past a corner to a more prominent corner system leading up to a roof (the obvious roof crack is the crux of Cost of Business). Belay from gear at a small foot ledge under the roof (the belay uses at least one 3.5-4 inch cam).

The second pitch begins by moving down and left under the roof past the two-bolt hanging stance of Mad Calf Disease until possible to get established above the roof, near the base of the striking dihedral mentioned above. It’s not advisable to clip the bolts at the hanging stance because of rope drag potential; there is a great nut just above the roof. Climb the dihedral to its end (5.10-), then continue linking features more or less straight-up, keeping Mad Calf’s bolt-line to your right. Belay from the anchors for Mad Calf Disease. The dihedral is a bit “shaley,” but the bad stuff is easily avoided.

Location 

Follow the approach for Starstruck. Once on the ledge system, walk east for about 40 feet, to where the trail begins to slope down. Immediately above is an obvious gully leading a large right-facing corner system with a bush at its base (this is the first pitch of Cost of Business). The first pitch of Old Habits is just to the left.

Protection 

Standard trad rack supplemented by at least one 3.5-4 inch cam for the first pitch belay; microcams may be useful above the crux dihedral. Can make one long rappel (two 60 meter ropes) or two rappels (stopping at the hanging belay for Mad Calf Disease) to get back to the ledge system.