Twentyfive years ago there were two challenging problems up the bulge to the left of the finishing scoop of "Nat's Traverse" - "Pinky Paralysis" and "Pinky Direct".  They were named for the effects created by vigorously pinching a fist size chunk of stone pasted under the upper bulge.  After a year or two of effort during my undergraduate daze in Berkeley, I mastered these problems, then proceeded to run laps and sandbag my colleagues with them.  During one such session, I demonstrated "Pinky Direct" for the crew, then stood back and admired the struggle.  Taking sympathy on their plight, I then proceeded to demonstrate the easier "Pinky Paralysis".  With body torqued horizontal, feet level with shoulders, reaching over the top, the famous pinky hold snapped and I rocketed off backwards.  With lightning fast, cat-like reflexes I did a quick half spin and landed on hands and knees.  Unfortunately, I caught the heel of my hand just long enough to shatter the ends of both bones in my forearm.  So much for climbing El Cap over spring break.

Someone collected the chalk-caked hold for a souvenir, for that was all that remained of the "Pinky" problems.  Many tried the line in the following months, but absent the hold it defeated all comers.  Many months later, after recovery and rehab, I received a letter with a mysterious substance from one of my oldest climbing partners.  Whatever it was, it made me feel strong and full of confidence.  I ran up the hill, and after a brief warmup on Bench Wall I jumped on the bulge.  The problem went down with a new sequence like rain falling from the sky.  I tried to repeat it and failed.  I failed for seven more months before finally recapturing the magic.  The resurrected problem was christend "Red's Revenge".

Beta: Start under the bulge left of the finishing scoop to "Nat's Traverse".  Left hand to a sidepull over the bulge. Left foot to a divot on the lip.  Gaston the right hand above the left and rock onto the left toe.  Left hand to a horizontal edge on the upper bulge.  Right hand way up and right to a patch of cheese grater.  Match and mantle over the top.

Since this was done before the V-scale, consider the rating a humongous sandbag.

Red's Revenge

Yellow Thumbs

Stan's Traverse

Left Arete

Black Plague

The Odyssey

Bench Wall Corner

[Redacted]

Over the Bulge

The Odyssey Sit

Low Stans

Black Shine

Pipeline Traverse

Snatural

Don't Worry, Be Snappy

The Girls' Problem (sit)

Bench Wall

Stans Sunshine

Rimshot

Moonshine

Mandarins

White Plague

Smale Frye Traverse

The Impossible Traverse

Egypt Air

Inspector Gadget

Egypt Air Sit

Baby Nat's

New Wave

Edges

Nats + Stan Mega Traverse

Mission Impossible

Lychees

Patient Zero

Sunny Side

Influenza

Chinese Connection

Sun Plague

Kiwis

Outbreak

Impossible Wall

The Girls' Problem (stand)

Full Fever

The Hand Traverse (Warmup)

Bench Wall Crack

Yellow Thumbs SDS

Go Go Gadget

Sunshine Elluminati

Sunshine Eliminate

Sun Breathing

The Kraken

Nat's Traverse

Sunshine (sit)

The Ramp

Cherries

Sit start matched on the right side of the boulder near the exposed section of pipe. Traverse from right to left using small crimps on the face (the top lip of the boulder is off). Climb into the sit start of Girl's Problem and either finish straight up on Girl's Problem for full value (V6) or continue traversing to the left arete of the boulder (V5).

This is called the pipeline traverse because there’s a pipe near the starting holds.

Doing the route in reverse is also a popular option which is supposed to be somewhat harder at V7.

Start on the holds for Fever, move left to a left gaston on the ramp rather than moving up to the peanut hold area. Finish to the right.

staN  Nat's

Stan's treverse (not traverse get it harhar oh boy) is the same as Nat's but right to left. sickness moves! just as classic as Nat's, fshiz, yo.

A quick warmup with one biggish move at the beginning to an edge

Climb the line left of The Ramp. Several eliminants.

This is a good problem with the full crux at the first move. The climbing will become more casual the higher up... if you know where the holds are. UPDATE (12/29/18): The original rail associated with the crux moves broke off during the fall of 2018. The rail is now a 1 inch side crimp. Re-sends after the broken hold is unknown. The line looks like V11-12 moves through the crux even with the stand start.

Sit start in front of a tree on the far right side of the wall, climb up the left-leaning dihedral and link up with the top of the classic Bench Wall climb.

Crux is the slight traverse where the dihedral fades.

this is the straight up problem that starts below the finish of nats traverse. but the holds on nats (the good holds) are off, therefore you move through small bad "peanut" holds up and right.

Climb up the bulge 10 feet to the left of the Ramp.  Climbing is straightforward, with the crux topping out.

This is really overhung, but so is just about everything else on mortar rock!  Moves are reachy, but all the hand holds are excellent.

Serious rating is because of the landing being in the base of a large tree (that's really slippery when wet) and a not so nice rock just beneath it.

This is the sit start to the Odyssey. Do a large move first move from the jug at the bottom of the wall to gain the bottom of the flake with the right. From here you can climb in to the original Odyssey start for the crux move (originally done this way by Randy) or you can use holds on the arete for a milder version.

(Update : March 2021) This goes at a general consensus of lower end V12 , after the rail broke off in 2018. From the start jugs, match the crimps on the base of what remains of the rail, then go straight to the arete and back out left through the stand start.

Several variations to this problem exist including a variation and more direct start to The Odyssey Sit (see video below) however the holds are probably going break soon on this one. See video:

https://youtu.be/deqaabmY5dw

Start Stans from the Ramp grips, traverse left not using the huge grips overhead (three downpulling jugs up until Sunshine, and the smile grip on Sunshine). It's quite the style change: from lose and dangly doing regular Stans, to this line, that is smearing, tension-y, and relatively technical.

After the large, middle-route undercling is established, just keeps going as per classic Stans.

Start on the undercling as for Black Plague/The Ramp, cross up to the first left hold of Black Plague, make your way over to Sunshine and finish up Sunshine. Mildly contrived, tons of ways to do it, but pretty fun variant.

Start as in Fever, traverse left past the bulge. Everything is on, top out at the corner.

Located right of the ramp and new wave, this is an independent line starting at THE obvious jug, to a crimp, to an upside down sloper undercling gnarliness, and on up and over.

Sit start with awkward feet on a recessed crimp (right hand) and a sloping crimp (left hand), then work your way up vertically through some slippery pinches and sloping crimps to the top.

Climb the route by the bench on the right side of the main rock. There are probably 50 eliminates on this wall.

Start Stan's from the Fever holds but finish up Sunshine Eliminate instead of reaching the undercling and continuing to the corner.

You can also start from the top of the ramp

Sit start on a chalked flake, then move up and right through a crimp and maybe a sloping pinch to the top. Just a few moves.

There is an excellent (though far) right foot slightly detached from the main boulder. Using this makes the climb much easier, perhaps it's V2 with that foot and V3 without.

Right eliminate of sunshine. The left pinch and smiley are off, go up right with a heel on the start jug

Start on Mark's traverse (big jug that is also used for Go Go Gadget) and traverse into Black Plague direct exit.

Sit start to Black Plague on low right hand pinch and left hand crimp. Move up and left from the face riddled with chalk and rubber. A left hand pinch and delicate feet set up a right hand snatch to the good arete hold and then top 'er out!

Start around the corner on Nat's, climb through the bulge (staying off of the jug rail) then transition & finish on Black Plague (again, avoiding all jugs). Top out direct (i.e. avoid the big jug horn).

Though an eliminate, this climb combines the best part of Nat's with the super fun compression of BP. V9 seems generous, but it's definitely harder than Original Nat's

youtu.be/XwW7JDxMYJk

Start as for marks traverse and traverse right to end on the impossible wall.

Beta Video:

https://vimeo.com/21701627

Sit start to Egypt Air (V9). Start as for Chinese Connection.

Second half of Nat's Traverse. Starting on the big jug after the tree. Good climb to get the second half dialed and later project Nat's!

Right of the ramp, start on a high left undercling and either a sloper or a pocket and go up right into the chalky sloper V-corner then straight up. Sit start called the Kraken makes it V11, iirc.

Warmup climb up the big edgy holds on at an easy slabby angle.

Climb through Nat's traverse and then when u reach the finishing jug at the top of the ramp go back and complete Stan (Nat's reverse). V10?? Not sure about the grade. Try it, let me know.

The low start to Impossible wall. Start on a right hand undercling and left hand sidepull feature. Make a left move up to a meathook and then a jump to the RH start of impossible wall. Finish up impossible wall and don’t die on the top out.

Sit start on White Plague, climb right into Snappy start jug. Drop off after matching it. Not an eliminate.

Start in the big undercling in the middle of Nats Traverse, finish up yellow thumbs right.

Start from the big undercling in the middle of Nat's Traverse. Go up on the left side of Sunshine, using the smile hold and the crimps above. The crack is off. It's a good idea to protect the tree with a pad. (see

video

).

Start on Nat's traverse and go into Patient Zero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev0el99_8ug

Starts on Sunshine (sit) and climbs up the prow till reaching the "smiley hold" and the "rose move jug." But instead of topping out on the upcoming jugs, traverse right doing the last crux portion of Nat's Traverse. From there do Black Plague with "all holds on" to top the rock. Stout, mini endurance, pump-fest with great movements that falls in the V6 range. Doing the same start and topping The Ramp falls in the V5 realm.

Start on Mark's traverse (big jug that is also used for Go Go Gadget) and traverse into Sunshine Eliminate.

The climb is named after the fruit, not the nickname for New Zealanders or the flightless birds.

Start on Nat's Traverse and climb a little less that halfway up The Ramp and then transition into Fever (formerly known as Jungle Fever)

Pure bouldering, straight forward big pulls between OK holds. Used to have a tree below it that you could start standing on, now you need to stack pads for the original start or the low standing start is solid V9.

Start with the left on a sidepull with a good thumb at the top and the right on an edge. Make a long move up right to a small edge then hand foot match, you have to pull your thumb off and put youor foot where it was, and pull through to an OK pocket in the back of a depression. Top out slightly right, not as easy as you want it to be.

The lower start (often called Mission Impossible) involves a sidepull and undercling move to get to the high start and is rated V9.

Stand start that's listed in the Bay Area Rock guide book. Personally felt it was easier than the V4 grade it's given in the guide book.

Traverse the boulder to the left of the stairs. Start low on the right, you can even use the pipe sticking out as a foot to start lower. Once you figure out where the good holds are, and what feet you want to use, you can run laps to warm up. Top out once you hit the juggy crest, or continue left around the corner before topping out.

Stand start at the base of the crack. Work your way up, hand-jamming as necessary, then top-out. The crux is unfortunately the very end when you're quite high and above a rocky landing.

Same sit start as Full Fever and go into Yellow Thumbs.

Start from the jug, make a big span move to a left hand crimp, and finish on New Wave.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vXI8hOxfhU

A sit start, beginning on Da Funk, goes at v12

Another linkup on Mortar Rock. Climb Sunshine Eliminate (V8) and traverse left through the last half of Stan's Treverse (V8). The Eliminate is the hardest part of the climb, but rounding the corner is a fun redpoint crux.

Eliminate problem that removes all of the good right side holds from sunshine as well as the big crack on the left. Pretty fun problem, once you learn how to ignore the tree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC7n0Y6AAI4

Start on Sunshine Eliminate and traverse right finishing on Fever.

Video:

youtu.be/u-gmgt3DYtA

The best problem in the Bay Area hands down!  I can't believe it wasn't listed yet.  The obvious line starting from the corner as you come up the stairs...pulling the corner is the first crux...(the top rail is off)...then the bulge right after the tree is the next crux...it ends on the ramp and is about 30 feet long..

Sit start left hand low on huge vertical jug and right just below the left hand on another jug. Make a tough move to pocket and slap up the bulging arete. Top out straight up or traverse right along the lip. Has a nice variety of holds.

Climb the finish of Nat's Traverse, which is an overhangingsection of rock with near vertical feet just to the right ofthe low tree, and just to the left of the sparsly grippedoverhung section of Mortar Rock.  This also has tons ofchalk on it.

This route has about five different ways to be done, butbasically you climb up the overhang using pockeys, slopersand crimps to a shitty grip about 9 feet off the ground, andthen reach up and left to a cheesegrater for a hold, andfinish by grabbing onto a large jug over the roof.

This climb has been my nemesis since I've moved here, so Iguess it's time for me to find something harder to work on!

Combination climb - Sunshine eliminate into black plaque via Nat's traverse.

Description

Protection

Routes in Mortar Rock