Josh Graham nearing the top on a beautiful fall af...
Description
A really enjoyable jug haul with a remarkably airy lower-off or rappel. The Edge of Chaos has some exciting, hard moves interspersed with good rests.
Get past the initial two bolts by classic AF pocket pulling over the starting overhang. The start is a bit tricky because the feet are thin, and after the first obvious ones, the correct pockets/jugs are a bit hard to find.
Continue up and right on less-than-vertical terrain to the third bolt, and then things get steeper. There are some fun liebacking moves, and as you start back left again, a confidence-building, off-balance, double sidepull move that is pretty cool. The left-trending top bit is pretty fun because your mind is telling you that you really don't want to go that way and follow the bolt line...it's just not natural to dangle your corpus over a bunch of air.
Cleaning the route while lowering or rappelling would be challenging, to say the least. Do yourself a favor and run up it on toprope to clean it.
Location
The first bolt is above an overhang on the west side of White Wave, to the right of a large, obvious pocket. The second and third bolts are up and right from the first one.
By Bad Sock Puppet From: With the climbing Gods May 31, 2009 rating: 5.11b/c
What an awesome route! This one starts out with a funky but easy start and then moves through wonderfully moderate climbing for 50 feet. The crux it seems is right at the point where you begin your left traverse toward the chains at the small roof. Serious exposure, awesome view, and unique long traverse along the edge of the roof. Don't try cleaning on rappel or even while being lowered is still hard; clean on TR. This one is probably closer to an .11c now since lots of holds have broken, and it feels harder than other .11b's on that side of the canyon. Also I'm pretty sure it's 11 bolts + chains.
By John Ross From: Spanish Fork, UT Oct 7, 2009 rating: 5.11b
What I loved about this route is how you get your feet up and commit to a move to be rewarded by good pockets and edges. 10 bolts and chains for sure. Climbed it twice in a row and it felt 5.11b both times. A bit tricky following the wandering bolt line. Way fun none the less! Love this White Wave formation.
By Jeff Jones From: Elk Ridge, UT Oct 20, 2009 rating: 5.11b
I thought the exposure was intense on Winds of Fire. WOW! I am not going to lie...I was scared and did not want to traverse to the left at the top. But you have to. I took forever clipping the last two bolts as I was hanging out on one of the many good size and shape holds trying to recover something in my right arm to finish the climb. Thanks to the encouragement of my belayer, I was able to send this bad boy.
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