Hair Lip

This climb is great for a little thrill. I did not find the climbing that difficult. It is a head crux for sure. Once you are out of the cracks and onto the face/lip its clissic Tahquitz/Suicide slab climbing. The bolts are well spaced. Belay at the tree. It is 2 80ft rap to the ground. Move right along the ledge to a 2 bolts anchor. Then there is another 2 bolt anchor in the middle of the slab. Feb 28, 2006

Solid moves on this, but make sure your head's in the right spot before leading this one - this ain't no sport climb! A fall in the wrong spot will most likely result in the rope grinding along the lip, the consequences of which could be disastrous. Mar 7, 2006

I was in Hot Buttered Rump one day when I got a visit from someone seconding Hair Lip. Also in classic Chris Owen scared witless mode I once forgot to clip a bolt.... Mar 11, 2006

That might have been us. We had a toprope set up doing laps on HBR in prep for a Yosemite trip. (Thought some of them could use some flared chiminey practice.)

Dave reached over the lip and grabed someone by the ankle. Neither one knew the other was there and they both about came off. We were laughing are Azzes off once we realized no one was going to peel. Aug 4, 2006

Great route... excellent position and relatively easy climbing for the grade. I felt biggest fall would have come when leaving the crack and crimping out onto the face before reaching the easy terrain that leads to the first bolt. I felt the moves there were 5.9-ish and the moves after the first bolt more like 5.8 (the opposite of Vogel's guide). The 10a move is well protected by the third bolt, but you really don't want to fall on the easy terrain heading up to the anchor.

The rap from the tree had two tatty slings on them. I left a piece of 7mil cord, but didn't have any rings. If anyone is headed up there to do this, it would be great to add a decent sling and a couple of rap rings. Aug 6, 2006

While possible to rap from the tree, a better alternative is to climb down slightly left (if looking down from above) to some hard to see bolts. From here make either a 165' rap to the ground or make 2 single rope raps by rapping down to the anchors on Ours (5.10b) and then again to the deck. Aug 29, 2006

Did it again today (5/22/09) a great and quite terrifying route, not for the faint hearted, especially considering the condition of the bolts - these really do need to be replaced. I'm more than happy to provide funding for the hardware if someone more skilled than myself wants to do it.

A 60 metre rope from the rap anchors will get you just to a ledge about 20' off the ground. From here traverse the ledge left (facing out) towards and under Tiny Pillars and hence off. May 22, 2009

I lead this fantastic route for the third time yesterday and I learned something important: the initial path from the crack to the first bolt is WAY easier (and safer) if you leave the crack at its mid point and take more of a direct line straight up using face holds and the arete on the right.

If you stay in the initial crack til it ends, you will indeed be looking at a sketchy 5.9 traverse to the first bolt which is just as bad for the follower as it is for the leader.

I have also fallen at the crux, btw, and I can say with certainty that the fall is clean (albeit heart stopping) and the risk of cutting your rope on the lip is really not that great (the lip is actually not very sharp in that section). Just make sure your belayer can see you as you as you work through the crux and you should be fine.

I agree with those who say the scariest part of the whole thing is the manky old bolts. At this point they represent an unnecessary risk. I too will gladly pitch in some $$ if somebody with rebolting experience is willing to replace them with modern hardware.

Any ASCA folks up for a trip to Suicide? (I'll belay you all day) Aug 10, 2009

About a million years ago I recommended this route to a pretty solid 5.10 leader (pretty & solid). Having tremendous confidence in her and wishing to endear myself, I suggested she use my new lead line (brand new). You can guess what happened at the crux. Scrapped the hell out of her shin bones and sliced half way through the core.

For all my effort that day I lost about 5ft of 11mm rope and she never returned my calls.

Don't you hate it when they blame the belayer ?

Fun lead though. Apr 13, 2012

I have whipped off this--making the traverse straight out of the crack as someone up thread mentioned. It was reachy and I more or less fell backward, landed on my back in the Hot Buttered Rump dihedral (shirtless of course) and slid down several more feet thanks to a inattentive belay. My rope was fine though I was scraped up. So, yes, the fall isn't pretty but certainly not as dire as has been suggested. Jan 29, 2013

Whoa, if you fall at the first bolt you're gonna deck from a long way up. And the 20' of "5.8" getting off the ground is stout, awkward 5.9 (ref. Adam Kimmerly comment) with mediocre pro behind a crumbly flake. I was unsure of routefinding leaving the start flake (ref. Jeff Dunbar comment), so I backed off. There are better climbs nearby that are a lot safer--maybe I'll come back for this one when it's farther below my grade. May 31, 2013

With all the horror-speak I thought this would be a shit-show. The bolts are fine but a whip from the crux would definitely be awkward. You can rap this with one 70m from a tree up top. Oct 28, 2014

SCARY!! This route sports some of the coolest footwork anywhere, and the step-through stuff with balance on the hinge is more like bouldering. When I first tried this in '73 the fixed pin I needed to clip at about 25 feet (my only pro to there) lifted right out of the crack. Lacking a hammer (I was really trying to get off the piton thing like everyone else) I had to reverse the moves all the way back to the deck...I was twitten shinkies in those borrowed klettershoes! Eighteen years later I finally did it with Pat Dennis and Brad. Mar 25, 2015

This has claimed yet another ankle. My partner took a whip from the crux and slammed the slab pretty good. Not broke but tweaked for sure. Watch out! May 29, 2016

Weekend Whipper. Jun 5, 2017

Yea a little run out and spooky at the crux but lots of stuff to hold on too and good feet to stand on. Definitely a fun and worth doing. You can rap from the tree or bolts to the sideshow slab which has a ledge and can walk off from there. Sep 8, 2018