Zipper starts about 40ft. right of Screw. Midway up the climb, you will a group of 3 parallel cracks. You can use this feature to help you find the start.
P1 - go up pretty easy ground(20ft)and then enter the off-width. In my opinion, entering the off-width is the crux. Grunt your way up to a ledge (another 20ft) and belay.
P2 - there are 3 variations to P2, each given a its own name in Harper's guidebook. Zipper follows the right-most crack (more off-width). The Snap variation which we took goes up the middle crack/slot. It begins with a couple of thinner parallel cracks in the slot and then continues into some moderate off-width. The Button variation is the leftmost hand crack. Harper's book decribes it as sustained and hard to protect, but I don't know since we didn't climb it. Belay at huge platform.
P3 - Smile as you cruise up a straight-forward, but interesting hand crack. Place everything from nuts to that 4.5 camalot you hauled up. This pitch has consistent foot jamming, but it's not all hand jams all the way up.
Walk off to the Northeast following the path of least resistance
Protection
stanard rack, plus some made-for-Vedauwoo big gear, including a couple #4 camalots, a #4.5 camalot and/or a #3(green) big bro. You might want to bring a couple extra hand size pieces for the last pitch, but it isn't completely necessary.
The Snap variation (second pitch, middle crack) has a nasty loose flake about the size of a large pillow -- but MUCH HARDER, HEAVIER, AND SHARPER. I cleaned a chuck from it larger than a grapefruit... but the main portion remains.
I had a tough time trying not to torque it sideways as I crawled past it. BE CAREFUL HERE.
The 1st pitch crux is fun as long as you have big gear. My wife lead the 2nd pitch as a squeeze, tunneling into the rock above the 1st belay. I tried to do this on lead but had to back down and set up a belay as my chest and hips were too big to fit through the squeeze (I have a 36 inch waist and she has like a 19 inch waist). I followed the 2nd pitch via the snap variation.
Save some gear for the 3rd pitch top. There are 20+ feet of climbing beyond what you can see from the belay ledge. Use one or two of your largest cams for the top section, or put hand size pieces in at the back of the crack. There is a chockstone pretty high that would be great to sling.
Just did the last pitch but it was fantastic, perfect hand jams and a couple wide sections. Watch the rap with a 60m rope (won't make it with anything less) we just barely made it to the ledge with stretch - still need to down climb a little to get all the way down off the wall.
Valley Massif
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