Catenary Crack 

I finally spanked this crack today, after 3 years of trying. Maybe it's because it was finally dry.

Good for you, Tom! Wanna hear a pain in the ass? A friend of mine, who I'm teaching to lead and has only been climbing since late last year did it in three tries. Doesn't that just tick you off? I'm having problems (as always) with DL 5.7's and here he is taking on 5.9's and even managed Cheetah! Little bugger!

Great job, Tom!

I climbed this on Sunday. Very exhausting start and harder by many opinions that the 5.11a Cop Out next to it. Compare this to Upper D -- Catenary is much harder. Venture afield from the main East Bluff popular climbs and fear the 5.9s. Many were rated when 5.9 was the hardest rating...

Catenary is one of the traditional sandbags in the park, along with The Pooper, Hammer Crack, and many others. No way this is 5.9.

A friend of mine, she had a friend with her who never climbed before, he onsight it, in a pair of slip on deck shoes, it was his 3rd climb of the day, then he tried Cop Out, my other friend, said if does it, he's going to quit climbing, he did not get vary far,
he was a gymnast,
I think Cop Out is easier, then Catecary,

It has changed, from the 1st time I did it, a hold broke off, if was still challenging, with the hold, but easier.

Kasrten and I did this route yesterday. I kind of cheated in the beginning with Karsten's help, who is taller than I am and so who was able to sink a good piece (a Wide Country friend, red) into a left-side finger pocket to the attached flake as a protection for the crux. I then used the layback move, shown by Henning on his photos. That was darn difficult due to lack of footholds (and that portion of wall is virtually waxed). Took a couple falls. Then I gave up the left-facing-layback strategy and instead managed to layback left-facing in the beginning but turned right-facing in order to reach a good hand pocket on the left wall. I don't know whether that pocket is off route, but it helped me stand on the flake, and, then, viola! another perfect pocket for a #2 Camalot just behind the upper, bigger flake that cannot be seen from the ground. After that, the move became easier, and yet the protection en route still posed challenge. I don't know much of the rating at the Lake, but this route, its combined mental and physical demand and uncertainties, surely makes this 5.9 puzzling.

This route is hard. It was finally dry for us yesterday. I fell the first go and sent a few minutes later. Puzzling...I flashed Cop-out 5.11a but I fall on a 5.9.... ya, cause this no 5.9 Like Ta-Chi said, this thing is beyond polished, more like waxed...feet and hands.

This is a tough route but I managed to climb it on a few occasions. The slippery feet on the first tough move is what makes this so difficult. Damn it was hard to keep those feet on the wall! I'm not quite ready to lead this...it was enough of a challenge on toprope.