PRINT: Rock Climb Backstage Pass, Seneca Rocks

Backstage Pass

5.6, Trad, 150 ft (45 m), 2 pitches,

Avg: 1.7 from 7 votes
FA: Tom Cecil and Matt McGovern
W Virginia > Seneca Rocks > S Peak - E Face > Southeast Corner

Description

P1: Climb the face on easy holds passing a couple of small trees you can sling for pro. Move up to a steeper face past 2 bolts and a gear placement or two. Some questionable rock but the moves are fun.

P2: Move up and right from P1's top-out on the ledge and begin beneath the obvious open face. Make a few tricky moves down low to get to the first bolt then continue up passing the 2nd bolt, a possible gear placement and the 3rd bolt. You'll top out right where Worrell's Thicket tops out on Lower Broadway Ledge. There's a tree at the ledge you can use for an anchor.

Overall it's a decent route when everything else is busy and you want to quickly get up to Lower Broadway. A little dirty but not unexpectedly so.

Location

Take the Southeast Corner Trail as for Skyline Traverse and Worrell's Thicket. At the top of the steps look right and up the hill for a small cleared out area about 25' or so uphill from the Worrell's Thicket corner. You'll be on the 'social trail' that runs along the base of the East Face. The first bolt is visible about 35' feet up or so.

Walkoff Lower Broadway or head to other routes.

Protection

standard rack

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Backstage Pass, start of the first pitch. With permission from JH.

Backstage Pass, start of second pitch. With permission from JH.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Chad Silva
Napanoch, NY

5.5

This description doesn't quite match up with my understanding for P1/P2.

To start, I walked past the bottom of Worrell's thicket ramp along the base, over top some interesting leaning rocks on a somewhat narrow ledge, anchored my second to a tree, and started climbing. No bolts, and ends on a bit of a dirty ramp. Walk up the ramp 15ft to a flat area below a bolt line. A 5.3 pitch at best.

P2 is as described, but there is a more sturdy (but probably will still kill you) piton on the way to the (quite high) first bolt. 3-4 bolts and some slung trees get you to lower broadway - a great pitch for a new leader who isn't confident placing gear. Probably a Seneca 5.5. Apr 21, 2019

Matthew

Really watch out for all the ready-to-break rock in the middle of P1. Lots of bits that are ready to come off in that section, especially if anyone sticks a cam behind them. Great passive placements between the bolts. These pitches can be linked if you're cognizant of rope drag when clipping the bolts (i.e., don't use short draws).

First bolt may seem intimidatingly high, but climbing to it is fairly relaxed and there are a few small placements if you're nervous.

This flet like a modern 5.7 grade, easier than Candy Corner, though with some great moves and more challenging protection. Appears to be seldom climbed and is a great climb for busy weekends. May 20, 2019

Andy Weinmann
Campton, NH/Warmington, UK

5.7

Chad, you were on part of a new route that's recently gone up there called General Admission. Jun 26, 2019

Conway Yao
Oakland, CA

5.6

Caveat that I have no idea if our group actually did this route or if we were totally in the wrong place.
If we WERE on the right route, anyone know the name of the bolted pitch about 15 feet to the left of this climb's P2? It's got about 6 shiny bolts before another ~30 feet of runout to the Lower Broadway Ledge.

Edit: never mind. What we thought was P2 was actually Touch and Go. Aug 1, 2019