Perin Blanchard breathing easier after surmounting...
Description
An exciting route with stimulating exposure throughout, a roof that’ll get your heart pumping, and a rousing, slightly runout finish over a roof with broken, thought-provoking rock. The protection is good, but with the exposure and all the slack in the rope from the beginning traverse the urge to not fall is strong.
Start from one of two belay locations: a single bolt if you climbed the 5.7 2nd pitch route, or a double-bolt belay if you climbed the 5.8 2nd pitch route. While on belay, walk across to the base of the upper wall, praying that you don’t do something stupid like trip over your shoelaces and pitch down the gully to your right.
Climb over to, or up to, the first bolt (depending on your start). Clip it and traverse right and slightly up to the second bolt. At this point climbing up from the second bolt would put you on Lord of the Slings, 5.9. Continue traversing right and slightly up to the third bolt. From this point head up to the fourth bolt, then bear right and up for a weakness in the roof above you (following the left bolt line that goes to the left side of the roof puts you on Frodo Lives, 5.9).
Climbing through the roof is well protected, yet plenty stimulating. There is a bolt directly below the roof, and another above, but the bolt above the roof is out-of-reach from below. You’ve got to commit to getting over the roof before clipping it.
After the main roof there is another bulgy section, and finally, above the last bolt is another small roof that gets your attention. After topping out there is a single bolt on top of a flat-ish rock, and to the east and down there is a spot that will take a medium size cam for backup.
Location
On the upper wall of Trilogy Buttress the lowest bolt protects the start of all of the routes. For Shadow and Flame traverse right after the first bolt for two bolts, then up one more bolt, then bear right a bit and up. The sixth bolt hanger is brown (the bolt prior to the bolt directly under the roof).
Protection
15 bolts, 1-bolt anchor with supplemental gear. Sling the first few bolts with double runners, the next few with single runners, and the bolt directly under the roof with a double runner.
If you chose to, you could reach the midpoint belay anchor on Frodo Lives by traversing left at the ledge and then break the route into two pitches.
I don't know if it was because I was so gripped or because I was climbing with a pack on, but pulling over the first roof felt pretty stout to me. The holds right over the roof are pretty big, but the exposure increases the pucker factor. There is pretty loose rock on this route still. I pulled off some fairly large rocks pulling over the last roof. Fun climbing and great exposure.
Thanks for the compliments on the route. And thanks for the additional cleaning. I tried to get as much big loose stuff removed as possible while building the route but it really cleans up with traffic. Yes, there's some exposure up there! I spent a lot of time hanging from 7mm ropes making sure bolts were relevant and sound and the route a safe but committing line. That was as thrilling as climbing but way more work.
As with the rest of the Trilogy wall, you can supplement your courage for the roof of S&F with a cam. It's easy to get distracted by the exposure or your next available bolt hanger and miss the occasional gear placements the wall provides. I placed the bare minimum of bolts so as to take advantage of the places for pro.
Trilogy Buttress
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