Weibo Paparazzi

Pitch 1: Start up the small Y-shaped crack to the right of the lowest point of the scree field (which ends in another huge retaining wall). When you hit the first ledge, do a short hand traverse until you are in a blocky corner. Follow the short corner up to a broad, flat belay ledge beneath a thin crack. (5.8, 15m)

Pitch 1 variation: Ascend the corner and crack up to the short corner described above. The crack will finish with fist+ size (more OW up high), so protection gets sparse, but only for a short stretch at the end. This variation would allow for pitches 1 and 2 to be linked). (5.9+, R, 15 or 30m)

Pitch 2: Crux pitch. From the platform, Follow the crack that runs straight up from the ledge. There is a jug to start, and your feet will be just out of view. The crux moves are early on, though the pitch is sustained. Jam your way up the crack until some face holds appear as you approach a short corner. Reach the next ledge and build your anchor in the obvious alcove. (5.9+, 15m)

Pitch 3: Climb straight up from the belay alcove following another obvious crack. Mellow, blocky climbing will lead you to the crack’s end, at which point trend up and left across an exposed face (nice exposure!) to a small ledge featuring a short, right facing corner with a finger crack (short crux). Climb up it until you can continue trending up and left across various arêtes and gullies. Toward the top of the spire, you will be faced with 2 prominent gullies to the top. The right is a more direct line with the pitch, but a bit dirty. The left will allow you to avoid groveling more by climbing on the arête more. Reach the top and enjoy the 360º panorama. There is some rock at the top to build an anchor, though you might want to belay off your harness/body to avoid directly loading the eroded rock. (5.7, 30m).

Approach: If you’re staying in Nanping village, hike the road uphill from town towards the cliffs. This is also the same approach to get to D section crag. Follow the switchbacks up the road until you are beneath the pinnacle. It is impossible to miss, since it is the only pinnacle that sits immediately next to the road. Hop the little retaining wall and scramble across the talus to the base of the spire.

Descent: From the top, locate a big, sturdy, 2-trunk pine tree 15 ft. down a scrambly, dirty gully on the roadcut side of the pillar. Rap from there (we left a rap anchor on the bigger trunk as of Fall 2012). One 60m rope will push it, so you might want a double rope rappel for this one. However, because of the position of the tree, you might have to do a short rap to get to the tree (we did a short lower off a boulder atop the spire (you’ll find a purple cordelette and 2 lockers as of Fall 2012). You could rap directly from the top, but that would certainly require a double rope rappel and a nice backup on the boulder anchor (sparse because the trees directly atop the pillar are more akin to bushes…). Also: be careful when you rap. Any loose rock encountered will get spit out onto the road, so be aware of buses and pedestrians passing nearby!