Ten Percent Direct (En Passant)

Blake Herrington originally pointed me to the undone direct start of Ten Percent Meteorological Vinculation. “Ten Percent” is a 5 pitch climb in the center of Index’s Lower Town Wall, first aided in 1972 by aid climbing legends, Bruce Carson and Dave Anderson (Carson and Yvon Chouinard were the first to climb the Nose clean, without a hammer). The first 50 feet of true start still had not been freed and was one of the most obvious remaining challenges at Index.

When I got on it for the first time, I couldn’t do all the moves but I could see that it would go, and was surprised that no one had done it yet. The holds and the sequences are quite beautiful...pure Index, but on another level from what I had been on before.

It took about a year of getting on it here and there till I saw how it went and could link large sections. After an easy intro, the main part of the climb is only 25 moves, but 25 moves of tricky and hard vertical granite bouldering, with some classic Index funk and consistent bad feet. I linked the crux 3-move boulder for the first time this winter and knew then that it could go at any point.

I decided to add 2 bolts to be consistent with how the rest of Ten Percent is bolted, and started to make attempts on lead. After 15 or so attempts over a few months, including a couple falls above the crux, I sent on a cool and dry spring evening, likely one of the last good days before the summer heat.

This route could go gear only, but it seemed way more fun to not have to wiggle in stoppers, take massive, awkward, and possibly dangerous falls on them, and then wiggle them out to make another “clean” attempt. Somebody could surely do it...they will be way more badass than me. But now people can go free ground up safely and focus on enjoying the moves on one of Index’s best routes.

After a few difficult boulders, the route breaks hard right on a line of crimps with bad feet to the ledge below the low anchors on Japanese Gardens. You could probably go straight up and avoid the ledge, but this seemed contrived. And instead of continuing up the 5.11+ climbing on Ten Percent I decided to end it short. It didn’t seem to fit the nature of the free variation to lengthen the pitch.

I’m suggesting another name for the direct free variation, “En Passant,” French for “In Passing,” because it resonates with “Ten Percent,” and because I think the reintegration of the direct start deserves a more interesting name than “10% Direct.” The crux clocks in around V10/11, and you can fall in other places as well. I think it’s a solid step up from Amandla (5.13+) in difficulty and is likely Index’s first 5.14.

Between Sagittarius and Japanese Gardens. 

Start as for Sagittarius and break right at the finger crack (place a yellow C3) and up to the rooflet (#2 BD) below the dual thin cracks. I climbed the rest of the route with just the two bolts I put in, skipping the aid bolt (the third/last bolt). Finish at the low fixed anchors of Japanese Gardens.