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Phasers On Stun

5.11a PG13, Trad, 120 ft (36 m),  Avg: 3.5 from 2 votes
FA: Bruce Burgess, Andy Kluge, and Lea Crandall
N Carolina > 2. Northern Mou… > Linville Gorge > Hawksbill Mtn > Main Wall
Warning Access Issue: 2023 seasonal raptor closure (January 15th-August 15th) DetailsDrop down

Description

Phasers On Stun is a long, wild ride up the main wall. The route was originally done in two pitches, but with adequate pro extension it easily goes in one. Start on a ledge by a tree below a horizontal hand crack. Traverse up and left from the ledge and work towards the cream colored, clean rock. The climbing is easy but dirty. Make face moves up interesting, in cut holds, followed by a traverse left on sharp jugs. Take care to find pro, which is spaced but adequate. Make a challenging pull up to a horizontal on the left side of a one foot roof, and pull the roof with crimps onto a grungy slab. My understanding is you could belay in a horizontal crack here, but I extended my piece out (four foot sling) and reached up to the juggy, thuggy rising crack on left. The crack takes #3s and a #4 and hits a bucket hold in the middle of the face. Another big move to horizontal holds leads to a short traverse left onto a well-deserved ledge. Pull back right onto the face, and enjoy a few final 5.10 moves at the top of the main wall to a belay with medium size cams. 

To get off the wall, we traversed 30 feet climbers' left on an easy ledge to the top of Lost In Space.

Location

Getting to the base of this route is fairly terrible. We left the main trail at a big flat boulder about 100 feet below Lost In Space. Quest up the dirty, 3rd class jungle and work left up a ram. Bushwhack through the vertical jungle to a ledge and traverse hard right to a sizable pine tree. Belay here below a horizontal hand crack. 

Protection

Doubles and a #4.

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The route
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