This route makes the drive, the hike and the risk of being struck by a large falling rock in the Shooting Gallery...WORTH IT! Continuously difficult for the rating, vertical with technical and commiting movement, complete with an airy finish and a view to remember. The limestone is golden colored and not as compact as other routes. There are still a few loose rocks on this route.
Location
Climb up the Shooting Gallery (the gully between Towers 2 and 3). The talus is loose here and gives way to a ramp. Social Realism is the furthest route to the left on Tower 2. The belay ledge is not very large.
Protection
8 bolts to a 3 bolt anchor with multiple slings and 2 rings (shared with The Big Chill). There is a bit of a runout between the last bolt and the anchor. WEAR HELMETS! I would also recommend a yellow Metolius in a 4 inch slot for a belay anchor, just in case the leader falls before making the first clip.
I did this again on thursday and it really is a great climb. I felt the rock quality was better than most up there (outside the cave). Also, the last bolt was gone (as of 7/20/06) so you have to run it out just a little to the anchors. You can see where a rock might have hit it and knocked the hanger off. The rock around it was flaked around the face of the hole but remains solid. The anchor part of the powerbolt was in place but the actual bolt and hanger were gone. That part of the climb is not any harder than the rest of the route and eases up a couple of feet past the bolt to maybe 5.8 for the last 10 feet of the route. If you've done everything else on it climbing those finish jugs should not be a problem at all.
oh - and an orange metolius might fit well in that crack too.
the book has social realism on the left, I'm pretty sure. Pretty hard for .10a limestone, but a good route. There are a couple of hand sized holds just waiting for someone to pull them off near the top.
Well I climbed Social Realism several times before the route to the left of it showed up. I have the old Wasatch North guide that only shows the Social Realism route and Ruckman's description surely is for what now is the 2nd route from the left. If the newer guide, shows Social Realism on the left its a rare mistake...
Ruckmans' 1998 edition shows Social Realism as the furthest left bolted route, but it seems obvious from their route description that Social Realism is in fact the second bolted route from the left. Their description says to use cams or nuts to reach the first bolt; no gear is necessary -- or likely possible -- to get to the first bolt on the farthest left line, which must be The Big Chill.
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