Crow's Landing

Just above the West Ridge Amphitheater (as for Allosaur) and just below the Unsaid area there lies a set of less-often-climbed routes. This is the High Anxiety area. 'High Anxiety' and 'Varieties Of Religious Experience' are two of the better routes here. Most of the routes here are 5.10 to 5.11 and almost all of them are runout at least a little. Crow's Landing is another area climb that is worthy of an ascent. Crow's Landing gets high marks more for the adventurous nature of the climb and for its uniqueness than for the singularity of the line or the rock quality.

The route described here is as I have done it (followed by Chris Parks). As I could not resolve the Topo and text of a guidebook, I improvised and took what appeared to be the best line. Along the way we did find evidence of travel such as chalk under the huge overhang, so we believe that we did the route correctly, but we might be wrong. BE WARNED!!! This section of cliff is best suited to climbers who don't mind hard runouts, and if you end up off-route, that's most likely what you will get.

To find 'Crow's Landing' (as we did it), first locate the big clean slab 100' down and 30' left of the hanging slab of Verschneidung, where a lone pine tree holds a rap station. A right-facing, right-leaning corner borders the left edge of this lower slab, which is Verschneidung Indirect Start. About 60 feet to the left of V.I.S., a left-facing low angle corner lies at the right-hand-edge of the slab. Scramble or climb up this dihedral past a large pine tree and onto a ledge, just beside a second tree, that is much smaller.

P1 Option #1: (5.10a, PG, *) From just beside the small tree, climb up the right side of a blunt arete. After a few meters you will pass a bulge, after which you angle up and left toward a thin crack. And to the bottom of a cove formed by a right-facing wall between a slab and an overhang. Climb up past a few stopper placements and onto the slab, belaying at the back of the slab or continuing on Pitch #2.

P1 Option #2: (5.10, PG, **) From just beside the small tree, climb up the blunt arete. After a few meters you will move sharply left under a bulge, almost as for High Anxiety, but after a few feet you will encounter a small right-facing feature. Climb up this and to the thin crack above, aiming for a blunt corner higher on the wall. Continue past a few stopper placements (small or RP needed?) to a crux perhaps 50' up. Angle right to the bottom of a cove formed by a right-facing wall between a slab and an overhang, which is just out of sight. You can not see into it, but you can see where the rock is missing here. Pull yourself out around onto the slab, then up to the bulge, belaying at the back of the slab or continuing on Pitch #2.

P2: (5.10, S, **) The adrenaline pitch! Move out and left from the back of the cove through under-clings and pinches on the wall to your left. There is plenty of chalk on a few of the holds. The rock here overhangs to the left and outwards. The rock is chunky here and is primarily done on under-clings and pinches, while climbing up and left. There are a few loose holds in the area, but they can be avoided. The crux moves are protected on questionable tricams or TCU's behind flakes from .5-1.5 inches. There is no good rest on this committing and powerful section, so it is best to run for it outright. After 15 feet of such climbing (crux) you will tackle the last bit of overhang and then climb up the face above. I recall setting a belay nearby the top of the roof (perhaps a small tree + gear) to keep an eye on my partner. This is an "exciting" follow as well, as the swing out over space would be a zinger if gear pulled.

P3, Option 1: (5.10, S, *) The "where to now?" pitch. The pitch could be easier or harder. I wandered only a bit and it felt like 5.10. Climb up the face above and two the right hand edge of a tower and onto a slab which forms a right-facing low angle corner where it intersects the tower. Climb this to the top and belay.

P3, Option 2: (5.8, s-) If the previously described top-out looks unsavory (runout) it appears to be possible to traverse right up above the overhang on P2 to the base of the third pitch of High Anxiety. Climb up and left on a band of rock for perhaps 30 feet above a small dihedral. If drag is bad, set a belay here as the finish to P2 of Crow's Landing and then finish up to the crack above with reasonable difficulty (5.8?) and reasonable gear. I have not personally run Crow's Landing to this pitch, but it does not look difficult to achieve.

To descend, find one of several lines of rap stations on trees in the area, or scramble NW up the back side of the West Ridge for perhaps 100 feet and descend as for Verschneidung.

A set of RPs a set of stoppers and Cams from small to hand-sized. No matter your exact route, you will likely find this a little runout.