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The 5.6 Crack

5.6, Trad, TR, 70 ft (21 m),  Avg: 2.2 from 32 votes
FA: unknown
California > Lake Tahoe > I-80 Corridor > Donner Summit > Grouse Slab > E Face

Description

Thin crack right off the ground (crux) leads to a second crack to the right with good jams and gear. Follow the crack to its end and head up to a short right facing corner. You can either set up a top rope off of two new bolts or walk off down and right.

The protection on the starting crack is a bit tricky. I used small brass offset to protect the crux move.

Location

20ft right of Caifura, left of the slab route with a single bolt and open shuts (Rocco's Demise, 5.10b)

Protection

Small nuts for the start, standard rack.  Two new bolts with bolt hangers at the top beneath the tree.  No rap rings on the bolts.  

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

the two fresh bolts at the top of 'the 5.6 crack' just beneath the tree at the ledge. walking off this route is possible.
[Hide Photo] the two fresh bolts at the top of 'the 5.6 crack' just beneath the tree at the ledge. walking off this route is possible.
entering the corner before the top out
[Hide Photo] entering the corner before the top out

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Adam Baron
San Francisco, Saratoga Spr…
[Hide Comment] Don't let the start scare you! It's a bouldery series of moves, but actually not so bad, and you can get an iffy-but-solid-ish nut from halfway through the hard moves. Gets a little run out in the middle, but super easy climbing, and the top has some easy lie-backing and thought provoking rightwards traverse moves, but again, well within the capacities of a 5.5 climber. Nice romp! May 25, 2020
p zoobs
Costa Mesa, CA
 
[Hide Comment] This was way easier than insidious crack and would be a good first lead. I also think this would be a good candidate to practice multipitch systems as there is a large, comfortable sloping ledge halfway up where you can get a bunch of gear in for an anchor. Aug 1, 2021
Danielle D
[Hide Comment] Went with an experienced lead climber and neither of us felt this was 5.6 at the start. Lack of gear placement until higher up past the small flared crack section. We ended up going much further right to the ledge that angles up and to the left then into this route higher up, then finished the route (that way felt much more 5.6ish). We set up the anchor (good bolts) up top and used TR for this route. Jun 18, 2022
Kevin Herron
Folsom, CA
[Hide Comment] There are chain/quick links on the hangers that we used to rap instead of walk off. Sep 17, 2023