West Face [3rd Flatrion] 

This is an exciting and fun climb. I led this clean yesterday 10/26/02 after hanging on the ceiling a couple of times last week. The ceiling was much easier than last week using a trick move discovered by my partner Luke. I'd say it was hard 5.9. Last week it was definitely hard 5.10 and left the backs of my fingertips shredded due to sliding down the parallel crack.

I disagree with the S rating. There is a very good small horizontal cam (green Alien) as you start the hard moves which last only about 8 feet. There are good feet under the bulge and an undercling which makes the moves pretty reasonable, if you are tall enough to use them. There is a good cam and brass nut immediately after the hard moves to protect the leader and the second. Be careful these don't lift up as you do the roof. There is a good wire above the first tier of the roof. The wires on the underside of the roof are pretty bad. You have to climb up on buckets to get the wire with your good gear about 10 feet to the left, but it's easy to reverse the moves. It may be possible to get a #4/purple Camalot in a rotten pocket under the roof (a #4 Friend was too small and the rock too rotten), but it's not worth it unless roofs really psyche you out. You may want two big cams at the wide crack start. I used a #3 Camalot and a #4 Friend. You second can leave them on the ledge at the start.

The belay is about 15 feet up and right from the crux. Lasso a tower with the rope. There is an ancient ring bolt you can use to keep the rope from riding up. You can also get cams on both sides of a loose block. Downclimb (on the lead) the south side (5.5?) to the Friday's Folly rappel.

My gear list: Several of the bigger brass nuts, #4, #7 DMM Wallnuts, double Aliens green, yellow, red, single cams about that to gold/#2 Camalot, 6+ long runners with biners, 7+ long draws.

From the post:"Protection at the crux is solid .5"-1" cams, but there is some rising traverse leading to this point which is 5.8 or 5.9 and runout. "

From Ivan's Comment:"I disagree with the S rating. ..." - (snip - you can read above)

Ivan, you made it a point to disagree with the S rating, and you state that the crux was well protected. But do you disagree that the rising traverse was not well protected? I'm trying to understand your point of view. Mine was that if you refuse to put distance between your placements that you can not lead this route. There are places, intrinsic to this climb, that will not be well protected in my opinion. I think that there is 'S'evere fall potential.

Do we really disagree or are you saying that if it's not 'S' at the crux, that it's not 'S' at all? (In which case, Paris Girl is no longer S).

Does anyone, other than Tony, do this route? I've now done it 3 times, leading it twice (once very badly) and now following it (scary on the traverse). I think it's really cool. Like an easier version of the West Overhang on the Maiden. Good 8 and 9 climbing leads up to the roof. The traverse right is exciting, but not death. You have to work a bit at the roof to get gear, but there's a no hands ledge to rest on. There's a trick move that makes the crux overhang pretty easy, maybe 10a. Maybe easier! Hard to say. But I'm only going to downrate it a bit, since the first time I did it it sure felt like 10c.