[Hide Comment] AUG. 2013 2) 1/2" SS bolts and Fixe hangers with chain at 100' top out of PBR.

I have heard from a few folks that climbed this that think it is harder than 10b. If you climb this, rate it here and maybe the consensus will clear this up. The start is strenuous layback, green/yellow Alien, flaring hand, tricky few moves to gain good hold, hands to fingers around bulge ( face holds for high foot) stump/dirt, then groove to stem over bulge, large crack out right, more stemming till easy upper corner to anchor Aug 20, 2013

[Hide Comment] Fantastic addition to the mid wall! The upper third (from the tree stump up) isn't as clean as the start but once it is polished up with a bit more traffic and scrubbing this line is sure to become classic. Sep 14, 2013

[Hide Comment] Thanks for cleaning Geoff et al!! Feels 10b to me. Aug 27, 2014

[Hide Comment] Awesome route. I thought it felt slightly harder than Folsom Blues (or at least more sustained), so I give it at .10c. Fantastic climbing the whole way! Sep 15, 2014

[Hide Comment] taking advantage of the spring weather in February to complete cleaning PBR. Used a cordless sawsall to remove the stump and roots, yikes that is hard work. Hammer and chisel too. Climbed it 3 times, really great however very wet. Feb 18, 2015

[Hide Comment] This route is fantastic! Perfect and varied climbing all the way, would be swarmed if it were on the lower wall. I hope there is enough traffic to keep this route clean! Jun 7, 2015

[Hide Comment] Climbed this several times recently, both on top rope and lead. Rakkup Index Guide has this as 5.10a. I think it's at least 10b, possibly 10c depending on finger size. I can't fit my fingers into .3 Camalot cracks, that's a very tenuous size for me. Fortunately, most of the tiny stuff is .4 Camalot. Still, rather strenuous at the initial start. Folsom Blues was harder, but certainly not as sustained. Aug 26, 2015

[Hide Comment] Great climb. When accounting for the more sustained nature of the route I found it to be more difficult than Folsom. Thanks for the gardening work. May 7, 2016

[Hide Comment] thought this was easier than tatoosh, definatley less pumped. Might have a height dependant move or 2 that would adjust the grade? Jul 17, 2016

[Hide Comment] I climbed this again, maybe just because it is now clean it seems easier. This was the first time i lead it without the tree stump and crack around it clean of dirt. It seemed more like 10a to me now. Sep 8, 2017

[Hide Comment] PBR is to the Middle Wall what Japanese Gardens is to the LTW, DHLA is to the UTW, Kite Flying Blind is to The Country. It’s simply the best climb of the sector.

I think this climb demonstrates the beauty and frustration of climbing at Index. It takes gear bottom to top, requires fingers to hands crack technique, and even some quality stemming here and there. It gets climbed enough to keep it clean so the efforts of those removing moss and trees early on have their efforts sustained (Thanks JT and GG).

As for the grade, my personal opinion is 5.10b/c or even d, depending on finger size in the first 20 feet. Honestly, I could name at least 4 legit 5.10d’s at Index that I find easier than this climb. Hell, there’s 2 - 5.11a’s within 60 feet that I find easier than this climb. I still don’t know what it’s like to climb this route without blood dripping from my knuckles.

4 Stars. Lots of finger size cams Jun 11, 2018

[Hide Comment] I would agree with Douglas in that this climb seemed to be the best between itself, Plum Pudd, and Folsom Blues. Such great pitch! There is no move quite as strenuous as the opening of FB, but PBR is nice and sustained all the way up—more so than FB. Jun 4, 2019

[Hide Comment] One of my favorite 5.10s at Index, probably because of the variety (pumpy lieback at start, fun stemming, different sized crack). I approached from Rhythm Cliffs with the new bridge bypass. Jul 7, 2023

[Hide Comment] 3-4 .4s probably wouldn't go unused on this climb. Aug 11, 2025