Diagonal

A fun climb that starts steep and moves left with a few funky (and sandy) moves with good gear. A gear anchor will enable you to top-rope it (with directionals). I rapped on the Cro-Mag piton anchor. Oct 18, 2008

Rack your cams on the left side, since most of the will be placed when you are hanging on a right hand jam.

The start is quite a bit harder than 5.8 due to the rock being so polished by now. Not really a good lead for 5.8 climbers. May 3, 2013

A very fun, bouldery climb. But calling this 5.8+ is pretty sandbagged. Easily 5.9, and the start moves perhaps even more. Then gets easier and easier, with good holds and jams. Aug 30, 2014

Sorry to hear of the polishing of the opening moves, but I guess it's nice to know the climb is popular!

When the climb was first led, the use of the "+" sign was virtually non-existent (except, of course, for the notorious mountain-grade of "5.9+ / A2").

There is a no-hands rest about 1/3 of the way up the crack, where you can slot the wrists of both hands into a constriction and lean back on "bone", resting both forearms and fingers. Certainly if you miss this "rest" (as Kevin did leading the FA), it's 5.8+ or 5.9 (especially driving and removing pitons). Kevin thought it definitely easier than "Bonnie's Roof" (5.9, Gunks) but harder than "Hans' Puss" (5.7, Gunks), and we gave it a 5.8. Oct 28, 2014

This is a really wonderful route that has lots to offer and lots to teach in terms of learning to be a better climber. I had 4 laps total, 1 desperate pumped out onsight attempt, a clean follow, a clean pink point, and one more clean follow after my partners pink point. Each go at it I found better and better beta that made it feel more and more like the suggested grade.

Key elements being an incredibly secure, no-hands(!), and quite relaxed kneebar rest at the top of the first large pod, the double fist jam rest (as mentioned above), and a final rest at the top, using the large protruding block inside the last large pod, just before the sequence up to the tree and not using the obvious "horn" block/jug feature, up and left of the pod, to rest on since that hold is surprisingly pumpy.

Also, the start felt a little easier to me when I prioritized using the right side crack up to a juggy face hold, instead of the seemingly obvious, chunky bits on the left of the start.

That said, this is absolutely the hardest "5.8" I've ever been on. For perspective, I'm fit enough that I repeated Romancing The Stone, a 5.10c at Rumney that is notorious for being quite pumpy, the day before I did this route and Romancing felt very casual to me. This was much more technically demanding!

It's fun! Go climb it! Oct 16, 2017

So Jason, believe I saw you do your last lap on Diagonal. Thanks for sharing your enjoyment of the climb. I have followed it a number of times and led it several times. I have also aided it and cleaned it on aid. As you know if it was you I spoke to.

I will be at Crow Hill on Sunday, and I am psyched to led it once more. My motivation is to enjoy the knee block rest mentioned by you and Mr. Hall. Despite all the times I have been up it, I have never discovered it.

If it was you guys, make that big wall thing happen! Oct 18, 2017

Hey "losbill"...it's not a kneebar rest, it's a slot for wrists; thus allowing fingers and forearms to relax (a bit) while leaning back on "bone". Hope you found it! Oct 27, 2018