[Hide Comment] Fun climb, on mostly good rock, with a mossy bit down low.

As the book says, you'll need two nuts to put on hangerless bolts at start.

I found the crux somewhat committing in that you don't really have much to aim for once you go for it, and it's hard to back off. A hold may have broken off there as there is a big pocket where an embedded rock came out.

There's one runout higher up, maybe 15-20', on 8+ ish climbing. Didn't feel any harder than the climbing on Lava Falls or Shake n Bake, but it was early in the morning and the closer bolts down low make it seem far.

Overall worth the trip, long 5.10 and few crowds out there. Felt harder to me than the crux on Power Tools Aug 24, 2014

[Hide Comment] One of the best pitches in the Pinns. Stout for 10c. Dec 30, 2014

[Hide Comment] Totally awesome climb. Nothing came off while climbing although I was planning on it, and this made the lead quite engaging. Rating felt accurate, although it would have been much easier having the confidence to match hands or feet on some holds. Rating PG13 as one difficult sections for me could have used an additional bolt protecting the action. No rappel links at first anchor. I left two quick links for rappelling. May 22, 2016

[Hide Comment] Hangerless first bolt so the actual first bolt is super high. Free climbable to it but need to be very careful (PG!!!). Free climbing from left is easier than from the right. The crux is at the third bolt (at least for me). Need to find and hold on a three finger thin crimp (left hand) with good feet placement to clip in (right hand) the third bolt (I'm 160cm). It becomes easier after the third bolt. SUPER FUN!!! Bring two quick links to rap down. Apr 14, 2019

[Hide Comment] Solid route overall. Crux for me was also around bolt 3. This route was crumbly when I climbed it in 2019, it showers rocks, so belayer make sure you wear a helmet! Jan 17, 2020

[Hide Comment] One of the best routes in Pinnacles! Sustained, slightly overhung and cool moves throughout. Great exposure up top! Rock was pretty solid. Only one hold broke when I accidentally tried an off-route variation after the last bolt. I was able to rappel with a single 70m to the first bolt, then easy downclimb left of it.
I hear all bolts have hangers as of early April. Thanks Brad! May 18, 2021

[Hide Comment] ^^^

I replaced the first eight bolts on Mission Impossible over the course of the last month, while Gavin and I were establishing a new route, Get Smart, that shares its first bolt and then diverges up and left (Get Smart is consensus 5.10a, 120 feet, and as good in quality as Mission Impossible - go to the Mudn'Crud web site's New Routes thread for details).

All of the replacements are 1/2 inch stainless steel. All gear was provided by the A.S.C.A.

But, as I said about Mission Impossible on that forum: "Alas, I may however have created a problem. With my tongue only partway into my cheek, I wonder if a climber will get on the route, love the big, solid and new-looking first eight bolts and then look at those above and bail? I hope not, it's a fine, fine climb." May 18, 2021

[Hide Comment] Also, by way of semi-humorous explanation, Gavin hikes to the West Side from his house on the East Side. This meant that it was easy for me to get to the base of Whitetail Rock an hour or an hour and half before him.

Casting about for some meaningful way to use that time, I decided that I'd replace the two then-hangerless bolts on Mission Impossible so that the new book won't need that detested sentence: "the first and third bolts are hangerless." So I got them done.

Then a climber noticed that the eighth bolt had come unscrewed and fallen out. So I used more of that time (it took us four days to put up Get Smart) to replace that.

Not liking the asymmetric nature of the rebolting, I then cleaned up by doing the rest of the bolts up through bolt eight.

And now that we're done with Get Smart, I'm likely done with rebolting on this climb. But hey, at least it is partially done. May 18, 2021

[Hide Comment] Brad, you are a gentleman and scholar (and connoisseur of the madness we know as climbing at the Pinnacles), and there are damn few of us left! Thanks for the re-bolting efforts. Jan 21, 2022

[Hide Comment] ^^^

Thanks, Tom. The word "connoisseur" sure sounds better than "addict." So I'll take it.

I've taken again this season to driving down on Fridays to I don't have to leave at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday. That's given me a fair number of shorter days/afternoons to split between guidebook work and occasional rebolting.

So a few weeks ago I replaced two out of Mission Impossible's three first pitch top anchor bolts (I deliberately left the third anchor bolt - which has one of Richard's odd but well-crafted homemade angle-iron hangers - as a relic of history). I also replaced the last lead bolt. If memory serves, that leaves five "relic" lead bolts on the route that are still not replaced.

Again, all the replacements are A.S.C.A., 1/2 inch stainless steel. Jan 22, 2022

[Hide Comment] Fun route! I also found crux pulling overhang at 3rd bolt and up high had trouble using a big pocket for sidepull/undercling to reach up for another right hand cobble. Climbed it to the 2-bolt anchor which is just slightly lower than anchor of Get Smart. It has hangers but no rings or chains and we could top rope from there with a 70m rope. Our last climber traversed left to the Get Smart hangers to descend. I believe we stopped around the 11th bolt and higher up is the true 3-bolt anchor, which requires two ropes to rappel off. Mar 14, 2022

[Hide Comment] The five remaining relic bolts Brad refers to have been replaced. Entire route and anchors have been updated.
Thanks Brad and thanks to ASCA for the hardware! Sep 29, 2022