Gatekeeper

I often tell folks that the routes at the Guest are so good because the boulders are amazing. Gatekeeper might be the premier example of this, featuring an incredibly powerful and nuanced sequence in the roof. Jesse joked during the FA that he did about 10 hand moves on just 4 grips, with probably double that many foot moves. Time will tell if this one holds at 9a but, if it does, this route is one of about 10 routes 9a or harder on the east coast. Pretty cool.

Gatekeeper climbs First Steps to the low anchors before continuing out the roof. A taxing traverse sequence past the low anchors leads directly into a V-Hard boulder in the roof. Finally, it wouldn’t be the Guest without a tasteful redpoint crux stacked on top of all that. Victory whip highly recommended (mostly due to bad rope scrub if you lower off the anchors. But hey, it’s your rope. Live your life.).

I orginally pointed Jesse towards this project because I thought the roof was impossible. I hoped it would keep him occupied long enough for me to send my projects. I guess the joke’s on me because, as it turns out, this route goes. And its cool. And hard. Hats off to ya, Jesse.

Climbs out the huge V shaped cutout on the right side of the big roof. Extension to “First Steps”.

6 bolts and 4 permas to anchors