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Mardi Gras

5.10b, Sport, 60 ft (18 m),  Avg: 2.9 from 46 votes
FA: Chris Miller & Lisa Guindon, June 2005
California > San Bernardino… > Big Bear Lake Area > Big Bear North > Big Bear City Area > Holcomb Valley… > Pinnacles North > Voodoo Garden > Katrina Wall

Description

Mardi Gras starts on the right side of the wall, next to a wide, right-slanting crack. Head straight up to the bulging overlap. Pull the bulge and continue up and right on solid holds, sometimes jugs, sometimes thin. Balance and footwork is the key. At the smooth patina face, find a few key holds and crank through. Finish up and left over soft knobs and dishes (what I considered to be the crux) to reach the anchor. Rappel to descend.

Location

East face, next to last bolt line on the right.

Protection

6 bolts, bolted anchor

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Near the anchors on Mardi Gras (5.10b), Holcomb Valley Pinnacles
[Hide Photo] Near the anchors on Mardi Gras (5.10b), Holcomb Valley Pinnacles
Mike rapping off Mardi Gras.
[Hide Photo] Mike rapping off Mardi Gras.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Bill Olszewski
Colorado Springs, CO
  5.10b
[Hide Comment] Chris – I’ve climbed a lot of your routes over the years. Good stuff. Mardi Gras is by far my favorite and the best easy .10 in Holcomb, imho. Thanks man!

Edit: I was telling Mike that day that you would take away a star and downgrade the route - I knew it! ha ha but really, 5.9? I was thinking .10a ... Jun 23, 2009
C Miller
CA
  5.9
[Hide Comment] The three routes on the main face were originally rated 5.9 since they all felt about the same.

Pistol Pete, Ricochet and Vertical Epic seem better as they're longer and more continuous in nature. Jun 26, 2009
Dave Daly
Kernville, CA
  5.10a/b
[Hide Comment] Chris....seriously, 5.9?? The obvious crux is passing the 3rd bolt while pulling moves into the .10a/b range. Been on Richochet and a few others of yours. I'll stick with .10a/b on this one.

Nice route dood! Jul 28, 2009
Chris Owen
Big Bear Lake
  5.10b
[Hide Comment] I like this climb. The crux is moving up to and through the 3rd bolt, and if you're shorter the crux will be more committing. In the middle it eases quite a bit, but Chris M had the good taste to add a longer runout, which spices things up, especially if you're pumped from the crux. The finishing moves, stepping right and hauling up big jugs is a blast - don't relax though, as the final slabby bit will really grab your attention, and make you switch gears. Oct 11, 2010
[Hide Comment] A bit of a reachy one-move wonder; worth doing but not as engaging as Bourbon St. Jun 16, 2014
Jeff Scofield
Yorba Linda, CA
  5.10b
[Hide Comment] The original out of print guidebook gives it a 10b and the consensus among my party of 5 today was also 10B. although only clipping 3rd to 4th bolt was 10b rest was easy but still stiff moves approacing 3rd bolt to midway to 4th bolt was 10b Jun 11, 2016
susan peplow
Joshua Tree
 
[Hide Comment] The entire wall is pretty fun but this route is the cleanest and best of the lot. Jul 10, 2017
phylp phylp
Upland
  5.9+
[Hide Comment] I think the rating depends on how you approach the third bolt, and how you exit at the top. I went the way that looked easiest to me at the low crux (traversing under the third bolt and then re-approaching with a pop left from the right), and it felt like 5.9. My climbing partner approached from straight under, a way I had disregarded, and it definitely looked harder that way. Jul 21, 2017