[Hide Comment] Difficult start up to the ledge and difficult finish up to the chains. Many people get off this climb annoyed because of the relative difficulty of this climb compared to 5.9s everywhere else on the Green Belt. I think it might be closer to a 5.10a just because it's not intuitive. Nov 17, 2010

[Hide Comment] Mike's comments are accurate. There is always a lot of discussion about this climb's grade. I don't want to waste too much energy talking about it since I'm not very fond of the climb, but it certainly was "surprisingly difficult" to me. Although I flashed it (on top rope) successfully, the top of the climb made me upset. Sep 29, 2011

[Hide Comment] Yeah, the chains of set back on the slab, often-chossy top-out. Some feel safer clipping the chains of 'Ventre and topping-out there, clipping the chains on route, and then down-climbing and unclipping from the chains out right. It can be a throw to the slabby ledge you might not be able to see. Take note of the crazy grooves ropes have dug through the years where the rope comes over the top-out from the chains above it. Feb 20, 2014

[Hide Comment] Also agree with the above comments. It was one of my earlier outdoor climbs that other shorties with more experience found troubling too (5'0" & 5'4"). And screw that top out - definitely gave me the heebie-jeebies. May 1, 2017

[Hide Comment] Backstory: This was the first bolted 5.9 on the whole Greenbelt and I always wondered if it wasn't under-graded when I did it. Originally done in 1984, it's no wonder the holds are polished as altar marble. If you onsight this rig in current conditions you have my congratulations for being so focused. And we topped out everything back then hence the heinous top-out mantle. The loss of a large chert foothold made the first clip a good deal less secure. Can't blame me for that. :) FA had a pin by the chert foothold and a bolt at the top. Used a sling draped on the horn midway. and swam through a sea of ferns (also long gone.) Jun 4, 2018

[Hide Comment] This was a sustained 5.9 for me (6'6") and a damn sight trickier for shorter folks, none of it helped by a lot of polish. The 4th bolt (last one below the chains) in bad need of replacing (rusty and spinning). 30 m rope is just long enough if you clean on descent. Feb 9, 2021

[Hide Comment] Pretty dirty after the snowpacalypse a few weeks back, we cleaned it up as best we could but I'd still expect you to throw some pebbles down at your belayer. Mar 5, 2021