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Dragon Cracks

5.8, Trad, 70 ft (21 m),  Avg: 3.1 from 7 votes
FA: unknown
Virginia > Shenandoah & NW… > Shenandoah NP > Central District > Little Stony Ma… > Dragon Area

Description

There are two start options. First, start with Dragon's Back. Second, more sporty, head to the right of the bulge at the ground and boulder out a 5.9 start. Protection may be poor without some tricks. Head up the buttress to the thin triple cracks to the right of the Dragon's Back crack. Most people use some combination of all three cracks to get up.

Protection

Protects with standard gear.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Triple crack feature at top. Start was around to the left.
[Hide Photo] Triple crack feature at top. Start was around to the left.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Andy Weinmann
Campton, NH/Warmington, UK
  5.8
[Hide Comment] Most direct line is starting below the slightly overhung wall...and you have 3 different options. The leftmost goes at about 5.9, pulling some V2 moves to get to a gear placement (.5 BD cam or so) and then moving up from there.

Option two is just to the right and is pretty much unprotected 5.10 climbing unless you can get in a small cam (purple C3...not sure if the purple master cam would go). After that placement, it's a big reach to some bomber holds.

Option three is the furthest right and is about 5.8ish, bouldering up past the block with the horn...careful with that block, it just doesn't seem like you really wanna yard on it. You can get some thin wires once at the stance above the block or just keep climbing to better gear. Oct 1, 2012
Josh S
[Hide Comment] Climbed this for the first time yesterday. Not really a crack climb, as I was expecting. Anyway... there’s a big loose block at the base of the three cracks. You can stand on it, but I wouldn’t pull on it. Good .75 BD cam placement in the middle crack about halfway up. You can get a nut in instead of the sketchy pin at the top of the middle crack. Nov 3, 2019