Anonymous Coward

[Hide Comment] The hardest .10a I've ever climbed, but this little route is wonderful. The rating has got to be a sandbag. Jul 7, 2003

Bertrand

[Hide Comment] went here for the first time yesterday. delicious. since my footwork wasn't great, I ended up pulling myself through a lot of moves and strained my right bicep. be careful! *climbers before me left a yellow daisy chain. if that's you, go back there & you'll see it hanging from the fencepost next to the outhouse. May 31, 2005

Ben Broche San Francisco, CA

[Hide Comment] such a wonderful climb for a LITERAL backyard crag - bummer its not bolted. VERY sandbagged for .10a though Jun 7, 2011

Dan Gonzales

[Hide Comment] All you need to setup on this is 4 locking beeners and a single 2-3 foot sling and you can connect to the two anchor bolts up top. I think 10a is fair. The first half is maybe a 5.9 if you go the left along the crack (or go straight up the face and its a 10a the whole way. The last part going into and coming out of the little "cave" above the ledge can be a bit of a challenge, a 5.10a+. I've climbed here a number of times, I don't think the girls have never made it passed the first half (even when heading to the left). I've made it all the way up a few times, but if its the end of the day the second half, into and out of the cave, is tough for me. Jun 14, 2012

R Rod   5.10b/c PG13

[Hide Comment] There are 3 bolts now, whoever placed them could have placed one more bolt and done a little bit better on the placement. There are 3 glue-ins and the first hanger on the 11b is highly recommended as a first, even then don't fall between the 1st and 2nd bolt, hanger and glue-in, it will not be pleasant. As far as grade, sandbagged is safe to say. 5.9 maybe 5.10a to the cave, but getting past the cave maybe 5.10a+ but topping out is definitely not 5.10a, more like 5.10b or perhaps 5.10c. Jul 5, 2012

Ryan Crochiere Fairfax, CA

[Hide Comment] Jim Thornberg recently decided that he should bolt this, very unnecessary. The locations of the bolts are poor and its likely that a fall would result in injury. It's long been a toprope, I have no idea why this was bolted and I imagine that they will soon be removed.. Aug 25, 2012

Turner Anderson   5.10b

[Hide Comment] The bolts are in pretty bad places so that you'll hit the ledge if you fall from pretty much anywhere before the last bolt. Also, they were a really weird kind of bolts that I had never seen before. There was no actual bolt, just one piece of steel that went into the rock and acted as the bolt and the hangar. I would not recommend leading this route. It was a really fun TR though. Aug 19, 2013

R Rod   5.10b/c PG13

[Hide Comment] One more bolt has been added to the face below the ledge, kinda changing the dynamic of the route. The bolts used are wave bolts, they're glue-ins and pretty bomber stainless steal bolts, I've used them elsewhere. Unless someone wants to go through the arduous effort of sawing off all four bolts, I doubt they will be removed. Personally I have nothing against making it possible to lead, I don't value top-rope climbs that much, just think the bolts could have been placed better. If you do the moves on the face avoiding the lie-back to the left below the ledge , I'd say it goes at 10d if you're less than 6' tall along with topping-out the anchors. Sep 3, 2013

soz Zhong

[Hide Comment] as a 5 foot 4 inches person i had always had a hard time going over the face of the flake and would always revert to liebacking the left, but i finally discovered it IS possible (at least for me) with a foot switch and small dyno when you are on the undercling and flailing for the top of the flake. May 11, 2015

Scatlas Chattanooga, TN

[Hide Comment] I thought the route was great. It has a lot of different interesting holds/features for such a short one. Bolt placement was..okay. Glue in wave bolts are very strong and sustainable glad to see them used and set properly. I think 10b or 10c is fair - Definitely the best route at the crag and a fun lead! May 8, 2016

Nick Andrew Las Vegas, NV   5.10b/c

[Hide Comment] Really fun route with a hard finish! It's pretty cool have a lead climb like this so close to home here in Berkeley. May 20, 2018

rafael Berkeley, CA

[Hide Comment] careful of dusty dirt on the topout.. I took I surprising fall while trying to grab what would have been sweet slopers. If you are really worried one could sweep off the top Aug 26, 2018

Lorenzo Riano San Francisco   5.10d

[Hide Comment] Fun and really hard, the rating is totally sandbagged Mar 24, 2019

Evan Wisheropp   5.10b/c

[Hide Comment] The bolts are in fine locations, just seek out your clipping stances and have a conscious belayer. Yes, they are glue-ins and more bomber than the wedge bolts used around. The first bolt (I believe placed later) was placed poorly, they did not use enough glue to fill the hole. I’ve placed a few hundred of those bolts, and know they take more glue than the average glue-in. Probably fine, but still... use proper glue technique... Jun 20, 2019

Dan B California

[Hide Comment] If you're a local getting into outdoor climbing this is a great route to kick your ass. Everything is there but the climb requires a lot of interesting technique from heel hooks to stemming with even a finger lock at the top. Sick! Aug 26, 2019

Elgin Phelps

[Hide Comment] I climbed it in 1987with Chuck Ostin as my belayer. I greased off halfway up. Chuck told me to go again. I realized speed was the key. I shot up the second time no problem. Aug 11, 2020

Eli Delventhal San Francisco, CA   5.10c

[Hide Comment] I really enjoyed this route, although it tore up my hands. At the crux above the cave, I tried to hand jam with my left and that was a really bad idea for my skin, haha. Better to undercling inside the cave and stem up with your feet. Fun route! Feb 15, 2021

Arief Nagara Oakland, CA

[Hide Comment] Short climber beta (use high feet, heel hooks and underclings mentioned above): youtu.be/kup1c02wMVM Feb 22, 2021

jackson smith   5.10c

[Hide Comment] Favorite Climb in the Berkeley hills. Feb 1, 2022

Henry Barton San Francisco, CA   5.11c/d

[Hide Comment] Definitely sandbagged, rating should be raised to at least 11c in my opinion Sep 28, 2022

Stephen Gant   5.10c

[Hide Comment] Great climb. It took a few tries to figure out the right sequence at the top. Definitely feels sandbagged. Jan 30, 2023