Sidetrack with Direct Start

This is also known as Sidetrack Direct.

This is a fun route that is pretty challenging for the grade. Per 2026 ACE application: the three lead bolts and one bolt anchor were relocated to better accommodate the “Original Free Variation” which climbs the weakness 5 feet right of the original 1st bolt location.

Start on pitch one of Anthill Direct.

P1. Climb pitch one of Anthill Direct past the bolt and past the P1 crux (old piton) and up almost to the roof system. Now diverge from Anthill right on a huge, hollow-sounding jug to a bolt just below a roof. Climb straight up through the weakness in the roof, and face climb past two more bolts to gain the chimney system and a two bolt anchor (5.8+).

P2. Step back left into the crack system, and follow the crack through a roof and upward to join the SidetrackThe Sidetrack just below the wide chimney, and continue up the chimney system to the Sidetrack Junction (5.6).

A rappel from the top of pitch one can be done with a single 70m rope. It’s also possible to lead pitch one and lower with a 70m, but the wandering nature of the first pitch will consume some rope - lowering is just barely possible. Knot your rope ends.

Protection: a standard rack. Once diverged from Anthill Direct, there are three lead bolts and a two bolt anchor atop the first pitch.

History:

The “Sidetrack with Direct Start” aka “Sidetrack Direct” has caused some confusion over the years. The route was first documented in the 1970 High Over Boulder and named “Sidetrack (with direct start)”. Later guidebooks incorrectly called it “The Sidetrack”. (“The Sidetrack” begins at the lower meadow and follows the 5.6 weakness to the Sidetrack Junction.) The Levin guidebook got it correct by listing both “The Sidetrack” and “The Sidetrack with Direct Start” as different routes, as well as describing both free versions to “The Sidetrack with Direct Start”; however, the Culp and Erickson free versions are likely not as different as depicted in the Levin guidebook.

When asked about his free ascent Erickson stated: “the two variations are not quite the same but are very close to each other. Bob did the FFA in 1968 by climbing a runout but more aesthetic line of this obscure route. The bolts were from the previous aid ascent. In '73, I thought that climbing directly up the aid bolts might provide a more difficult problem. Alas, it seemed to only be a contrived mini-alteration barely worth noting”, insignificant enough that this minor version was not included in his “Rocky Heights” (1980) or in other modern guidebooks preceding the Levin guidebook.

Though Bob Culp doesn’t recall the details of route, it’s likely that he avoided only the first bolt - as it was difficult to see and even more difficult to clip - and used the upper two bolts as they would have been right in front of him while climbing the natural line as described in the 1970 High Over Boulder. Even with the second and third bolts clipped, the route was R/X prior to the 2026 rebolting.

Bear in mind that the route was not fully retrobolted to sport status; the route is much safer with the repositioning of the bolts, but some minor runouts still exist.

Climb pitch one of Anthill Direct which is just left of Genesis.

A standard rack plus some bolts and fixed pins.