Avg: 3.5 from 153
votes
This is a super high quality 3 pitch route around the corner to the right of Spooky. We rapped into this route from the gully between the Charlatan and the Sorcerer. Sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon.
Pitch 1- Climb slippery slab to a slightly right leaning crack, then straight up to a bolted belay on a small ledge. 5.9
Pitch 2- Crux. Beautiful layback/finger crack. Perfect pro. Move left into the crack via a couple of face moves and launch off on a perfect layback/finger crack. This pitch is short but pumpy. 5.10
Pitch 3- You can continue to the top of the Charlatan or bail off left onto the second Spooky anchors. 5.9
Standerd rack
Continue with onX Maps
Sign in with Facebook
Los Angeles, CA
Also, not to quibble on ratings, but this felt more like .10c to me. Earlier that summer I'd climbed some Valley standards like Cramming, Catchy, New Dimensions, etc., and the .10c just seemed right for me. A great route, and well worth doing if someone's on Airy Interlude, Thin Ice, etc. Feb 5, 2009
Bend, OR
P1 - Thoughtful, and at times awkward, climbing up the right trending crack system. The start was wet in late May. The gear is good on this pitch, but I wouldn't send up a noobie 5.9 leader. We belayed at the large flake system just below the crux hand crack. Not a super comfy belay.
P2 - Money pitch. Felt 10b to me. You could throw as many fingers to tight hand cams at this pitch as you wanted, but a standard rack (2 x all cams) sewed it up. You might want to save a 0.5 camalot for the final moves. Although there are chains up and left from the end of the pitch, it is much easy to belay on the grassy ledge.
P3 - Really fun 5.8 climbing to the top, including a spectacular top out! The pitch goes from fingers, to an easy chimney, back to fingers, then hands, and finally a cool roof finish.
Gear: Standard rack is fine, and I only placed one #3 camalot. Jun 1, 2009
Santa Rosa Valley, CA
Agreed, there's no bolted belay atop P1, but you can belay from bolts atop P2, if you forgo the ledge. Jul 5, 2009
Ridgway, CO
On my second outing, however, I was VERY tempted to explore a rumored variation for the last pitch which (I think) climbs the sick-looking, right-facing corner to the right of the original P3.
This corner looks clean and thin and steep at the start, and then the angle eases off rapidly near the top. It looks like it tops out 20-30 ft to the right of the standard finish.
Supposedly this alternate final pitch goes at 10b. To get to this alternate final pitch, it looks like you'd wanna do a very short intermediate pitch (50-60 ft total?) trending up and right from the bolt anchor atop P2 in order to set up your belay behind the huge blocks at its base.
Can anybody comment on the quality of this rumored 10b variation based on personal exprience? Sep 11, 2009
the second pitch is straight forward, although i was kind of surprised when i rounded over the steep part and saw the corner continue for a ways (and decreasing size). great feet on the right wall to make straight in jamming pretty comfortable. this pitch just wants to eat .5 camalots, so be prepared to budget.
third pitch is good also, in its own way. more like a good alpine pitch. Jul 12, 2011
London (sort of)
Sacramento, CA
On the third pitch, go up a short finger crack and then straight up a chimney system. At the top of the chimney, on a block, you will run into the hidden-from-below, right leaning crack that will shuttle you to the anchors. (I had some friends traverse out right instead of finishing at the anchors.)
The climbing seemed very reasonably graded at 5.10b. As sort of a lame comparison (since I only did the first pitch of it) the first pitch of Atlantis felt much harder at 5.10c to me. If that's Needles 5.10+, Fancy Free doesn't qualify. On my almost-certainly flawed list, anyway ;).
I found the 5.9 pitches adventurous and very enjoyable as well, which is good since they are the bulk of the climb. Jul 21, 2012
Hailey, ID
Las Vegas
The bottom part of p1 is still wet and seeping as of 1st August. No big deal though, plenty of other dry spots to use, just be careful where you put your feet!
Super fun climb, really diverse. The 5.9 with some hands and lie backing, P2 the splitter fingers money pitch (yellow and blue metolius/master cams super useful!) and P3 was fun with a chimney and a right leaning crack/flake to a short splitter hand crack at the top. Aug 8, 2013
San Diego, CA
Bishop
Ocean Beach, CA
Can walk off or rap down spooky and link for a lovely moderate day. Jul 7, 2019
Gunks NY