Sky Lab (incomplete)  5.9 A3 R

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Type:  Trad, Aid, 1 pitch, 80 feet, Grade II Consensus:  5.9 A3 [details] FA:  Bradley White and Joel O'Connell was the belayer, 1987 New Route:  Yes Submitted By:  bradley white on Aug 18, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Description 

Above Space Shuttle move left to crack in the middle of slab and aid crack(A-3). At crack ends move left and enter alcove (left edge of alcove is Beat Junkie). Then move right to rotten crack in right facing steep corner (A-2) and nail it carefully. At top of corner aid crack and move left to stance (5-9) and 2 bolt belay. Move up very rough face (5-9)that I started to climb and then down climbed because Joel decided to stay on the ground. The climb after the rough face would enter 5-4 left facing corners to the top 100ft up. I lowered leaving a large tri-cam in the alcove. I came back with a friend and screwed up the crack in the middle of the slab because I didn't nail it, instead was using stoppers on both ascents. Therefore I took a 20ft fall to the base of Space Shuttle after ripping out all gear above Space Shuttle lay back end section. The new rope I was using was trashed and I had a bruised hip.

This climb if nailed creating pin scars for finger holds in the crack and the loose rock of the crack in the steep right facing corner was removed and bolted should go at a high grade of free climbing difficulty. That's how some of the old aid climbs became free climbs in the past from pin scaring chipping. Anyway it's dangerous, that's for sure on pitons and stoppers only.

Walk off or rappel to bolt belay. The bolts are not stainless steel and twenty two years old.

Protection 

Smallest to medium Stoppers, pitons, large tri-cams, and being lucky is needed to ascend this route.