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Tecate Crunch

5.9, Trad, Sport, 200 ft (61 m), 2 pitches,  Avg: 2.3 from 7 votes
FA: Swiggum, Newsom
California > Sierra Eastside > Eastern Hills > Sagehen Summit… > Granite Basin > E Tower

Description

A great attractive line but as the name implies there is some questionable rock on this route, as with most of the routes in this area. But it does seem to be cleaning up and deserves more than the one star found in the Lewis guide. The first pitch has great climbing and if not for a bit of hollow loosness here and there would be 3 stars. I found the crux was getting to the kinda high first bolt. Getting to the scond bolt was easy but a little run considering the rock but nothing broke on me. The third bolt came rather soon considering the previous 2. I climbed past it then clipped below my waste. A couple more bolts and fun climbing get you 2 a nice 2 bolt chain anchor. I can't speak for the second pitch, my partner wanted to continue on Grape Nuts to the left, but it looked cool above the anchor. Looked a bit run but easy to the first bolt and above the climbing looked a bit thiner than the first pitch but good.

2 raps from chain anchors with a 60. Rapping to the first from the second just made it, watch your ends.

I have to add that there are some poorly placed bolts on this pitch. The location is ok but boy are they crooked.

Location

Right of Grape Nuts, below the right hand side of the obvious roof.

Protection

P1 5 bolts, P2 4 bolts and light rack to a .75 C4

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Bill Lundeen
Fort Bragg, CA
 
[Hide Comment] Good first pitch, but crunchy AND runout. 5 bolts (new) over 100 feet. Second pitch has 3 bolts to start (only the first visible), then some small gear after a hefty runout Sep 19, 2017
BruceB
Reno, NV
  5.9 PG13
[Hide Comment] The first pitch has 5 bolts and is fairly mellow.

The second pitch has 4 bolts and is quite runout. The 1st to 2nd bolt is 20+ feet and the crux comes about 12-15' above the first bolt. There is a great 0.5 (or maybe 0.75) BD cam placement in a horizontal just before the crux, and I really wish I'd had a piece there!. Kinda R without it as you'd deck on the belayer's ledge.

The 2nd bolt is just over a bulge out of sight from the belay. The 3rd is another 20 feet above that. Then there is a long runout passed a cave/roof (I went right around it) and then the 4th bolt 10 feet before the anchors on a final slab. Oct 9, 2017
Bill Lundeen
Fort Bragg, CA
 
[Hide Comment] It's a bit of a stretch to call this route "sport". Yes, it's bolted; but a bolted route does NOT equate to a sport route! You can easily place gear on the quite runout second pitch--but why would you have gear along when it's called a sport route? "Sport" implies rap-bolted and no R rating because the bolts are close together! Nov 20, 2017