Romancing the Stone

This fun outing ascends a series of ramps, cracks, jug hauls, and faces up the wall, linking the Via Feratta Wall and the Lizard Slabs up a prominent natural line. Each pitch progresses in difficulty, 5.5, 5.7 and 5.9. The most challenging portion of the climb is the final slab headwall on Pitch 3, topping out the cliff. All the belay stances are on comfortable ledges.

P1 (5.5)
A prominent low angle ramp leads up and left from Frying Pan Ledge. Pass five bolts on a dirty slab to reach a ring anchor, and continue across the dirty ledge to a second anchor at the start of Pitch 2, the large face. 5 bolts.

P2 (5.7)
Pitch 2 starts with an off-width slot in a face. Following good holds in and just right of a crack, up a blunt arête to a final slab leading up to a series of small ledges, known as the Lady-in-the-Lake ledge. 8 bolts.

P3 (5.9) (Sword-in-the-Stone pitch)
The third pitch starts in a dihedral. Climb large features up the wall, following bolts past a series of stances finely reaching the top of a pillar. Step up and ascend the final headwall on interesting moves reaching for the Sword in the Stone to overcome the crux. A final seam and face leads up to the anchor. 14 bolts.

Descent

Rappel the route (three raps with 70 m rope) or walk off. At the top there is a second anchor with grey-hangered bolts about 15 feet above the chains for belaying from the top. For the walk off, follow a faint trail through the salal to the left, then winding down to the base of the wall at Nomad Buttress.

The route starts at the base of Illuminated Crack ascending an obvious low angle ramp past four bolts. Pitches 2 and 3 ascent a single prominent slab arête all the way up the wall. Each pitch is of increasing difficulty, and gradually increasing angle of incline. There are ledges at each belay.

14 quick draws and extra slings for belays.