This is the free version of Playing Hooky with an additional challenge: no hanging belays.

Dean And Steph originally freed Playing Hooky in 2001 using the aid line belays. Two years later they freed it again, linking pitches 2 and 3 with a 70 meter rope to avoid a hanging belay.

P1: 5.10+.

P2: 5.13. Climb to and up the dihedral.

P3: 5.12-. Loose and runout. Open book to the summit.

Descent: 3 options. 1)Walk down the trail (best). 2) Rap. 3) BASE jump.

Epitaph

I Dream of Jeannie

Deep Voodoo

Playing Hooky

For Desert Rats Only

Corner Route

This route goes up the middle of the center tombstone. It is a super aesthetic climb (esp. P3) and has some great exposure. It can be a little noisy when all the jeeps and dirt bikes are crusin' around. This route has gone free, and there is a lot of chalk up there.

Pitch 1 (5.7 or 5.10d): Two ways to go. A goofy 5.7 chimney pitch starts far to the climbers left of the P1 anchor. Begin up a sandy slot, a couple very easy stem moves puts you on a ledge, traverse a few feet right and climb up the 5.7 crack/slot to a ledge, passing a drilled angle. Once on the ledge, walk/scramble to your right for a long way, it's kinda funky. Watch for loose rocks, I almost killed my dog on this pitch. Rope drag can suck. All of this can be avoided by a 5.10d direct start, which begins directly below the pitch one anchors.

Pitch 2 (C2): Easy traverse up and right to the crack. Begin with C1,pass some bolt holes for an old anchor after about 60 feet and continue up steep C2 to a three bolt sling belay below a tiny roof. Airy belay spot.

Pitch 3(C2): Begin up the beautiful,airy,thin right facing diherdral. At the top of the corner,the crack goes from really thin to wide. Continue up the wide crack to a bolted belay.

Pitch 4 (C2):Follow and open book to the top, steep.

p1, start in right facing shallow corner and nail kb's up to the rotten band. A bigger poor pin (2") is needed to step up to the free section and past a huge hollow flake. A hook move or two puts you more toward the center of wall and past a couple drilled angles. continue up to the left crack system until you can pendgy to the hanging belay (140').

p2, swing to right system and hook moves to kb placments. Gain the right crack and continue to hanging belay (120')

p3, work left to sandy crack up to drilled angle. one more angle leads to the dead end. A 12' diameter hollow plate keeps upward ascent. If you can get past this, 60' of KB's exist above the plate in what appears to be good rock.

hole count p1 = 2, p2 = 0, p3 = 2, belays 5, total = 9

side of first tombstone.

I'm sure i might not be the only one, but i have done this route clean at C2 in November 2001.Recently I have seen chalk and tick marks on the aid pitch...sick!

a.k.a. Stairway to heaven.  a.k.a. Jimmy's Chimney

An epic will ensue.  The first pitch can be climbed on the left or right side of a bulge in the cliff.  We climbed the right side b/c you approach that side first on the trail, but i would recommend climbing the left side.  We rapped the left side and the rock looked better.  Either way the first pitch is 5.9 to easy 5.10 and not the reason you are there. The second pitch follows the left side of the bulge up a great left facing corner (5.10) with a finger crack that fades away.  Make an exciting exit move from the corner to the face on the right.  Finish the pitch on some fun face climbing (also 5.10). Two pins for pro along the way (small stuff needed for the corner). I believe we linked this and the next easy pitch (5.7) to a small alcove below the beckoning chimney.  Let the work begin.  From here you look up into a bombay chimney.  You can get gear in the first 50' but after that it's 100' of (5.11) squirming.  It took me 3 hours to lead the the 150' chimney pitch - I think i cried a little. After the chimney there is a short (50') layback crack to the anchors (5.10).

The line follows the right facing dihedral to the notch between the first and second tombstones.Start below and to the right of the dihedral in a 3 inch wide horizontal crack. A 5.8 traverse to a drilled 2 pin, chain anchor. (Pitch 2) Continue up the dihedral in a 4 inch wide 5.7 low angle crack to a four bolt belay. (Pitch 3) Excellent fingers and tricky stemming to a drilled pin belay make this  the best 5.10+ pitch in the canyon. (Pitch 4) More fun wide crack (5.9) to a three pin belay. (Pitch 5) Splitter 5.12 fingers and tough stemming to bolts in the notch.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Cirque of the Climbables