A forgotten but excellent face climb with interesting route finding and a very exciting run out.

South Face

Right Ski Track

The Reach

Chingadera

The Offshoot

Mavericks

Flying Circus

The Heathen

Caper's Caper (Massive Traverse)

The Chauvinist

The Innominate

The Unchaste

Bohemian Rhapsody

Left Ski Track

The Feminist

Sling Swing Traverse

Powell Variation

[Redacted]

This route isnt as classic as Left Ski Track, but it has some interesting sections.  To start, climb up the right crack (5.7) to a belay halfway up.  Pitch 2 goes up a right-leaning jam crack (5.7) to a bolt, then right and down (crux) across a face and up to a steep, left-facing flake.  Struggle up into a chimney position and continue up to a belay on the Left Ski Track route.  Pitch 3 (5.6) goes up Left Ski Track to the top.

Shares pitch one with Black Harlots Layaway.

P1. Take a ramp up and right then back left on a small ledge to one bolt. Thin slab to gain a belay ledge. Books says 10c but might have shed some flakes. Alternatively go up the ramp a bit more and ascent a wide black streak with better holds. Need some bigger cams for a belay, #2 or #3.

P2. Black Harlots Layaway traverses left past two good bolts. The Reach ascends past two old 1/4 bolts to a corner. *I didn't send P2 due to the poor bolts, I would assume the upper bolts for rap are of the same vintage.

A phenomenal test-piece with stellar crack moves, a distinct mantle, and smearage fest/crux one will never ever forget. Incredibly sustained saving it's best for the last!

This is a one pitch face climb, starting half way up the rock.  Climb pitch 1 (easy) of Left Ski Track.  From there, move up and left on exposed, thin face climbing, past two bolts (left of The Chauvinist) and on to the top.

Updated in the Best Of Gaines guide this used to be just a TR that joined New Wave 5.12 R. It had two bolts added and now is a great damn near sport pitch. Little heady between 2nd and third bolt.

Clip first bolt from the ramp and figure out the very sporty start. Tricky clips come thereafter and a perplexing downward left traverse at the 3rd bolt will keep your attention. Rap anchor at the end.

There's a second pitch at 11b (straight left to a bolt is a 11d variation), up and left past three bolts to a bolted anchor and then a third 10dR pitch (Muir Trail), one bolt above the anchor then back down and right to better holds and a runout. Check the guidebook for a topo.

Begin about 30' right of

Green Arch.

A lieback leads to aid climbing with hooks, RURPs, and 2 aid bolts, then face climbing past two bolts up to a two-bolt belay. 2. The infamous '

Muir Trail'

with an unprotected 5.10d move almost 20 feet above the belay to another bolt. Pro: bring copperheads, RURPs, several hooks.

Damn near a sport route this is an excellent climb, I can't believe it hasn't been posted yet.

Start in the short corner directly under Left Ski Track, top that out and move left to the first bolt. Perfect incut holds through four bolts and then start traversing left and up at the fourth bolt. Four more bolts on the traverse, some no hands moves included, brings you to a nice ledge and a two bolt anchor (the two bolt anchor for The Unchaste would be 15ft below you)

P2 Short punchy pitch, from the belay head up and right on jugs to a bolt, then step down and right for a second bolt, then hard moves 11b to clip a third bolt, and up to another 2 bolt belay.

P3 6 bolts with some 11a to another 2 bolt anchor.

A massive traverse, right to left, starting on Left Ski Track and ending on Sahara Terror. Mostly 5.7 to 5.9 but harder pitches can be mixed in.

**There's significant loose rock on the second half and be sure to protect your follower**

P1: First Pitch of Left Ski Track to belay bolts.

P2: Sling Swing Traverse to Green Arch bolted anchor.

P3: Around the corner and down a touch to belay in Open Book alcove.

P4: Do Bookmark pitch, hardest difficulty moves 10b, to belay on Jensen's Jaunt.

P6: Do step around on JJ then step down and past medium bush/tree, then slight downward to belay on Fingertrip.

P7: Straight across the wall under lunch ledge, belay in Angel's Fright.

P8: Do Ubangi Lips pitch of Jonah and keep going left to Pine Tree Ledge on The Trough.

P9: Take Piton Pooper (5.7) or Spiders From Mars (10c) to Upper Royals Arch.

P10: Start off on Upper Royals but when in leaves the crack go straight left across the face all the way to belay just below Price of Fear.

P11: Climb up a bit on to Price of Fear then down climb the starting ramp to nice belay on Super Pooper.

P12: Down climb 10 feet and traverse left over second pitch of The Step to belay on White Maiden.

P13: Go up WM and when it cuts right go straight left to Whodunnit to belay.

P14: Traverse left on blocks to Sahara Terror.

P15-16: Finish on Sahara Terror.

Originally we down climbed The Uneventful from Sahara to the big ledge then finished on North Buttress but North Buttress gully is pretty sketchy.

The Chauvinist has a hard start for 5.8.

P1 - starts below Left Ski Track in a short dihedral.  Climb straight up a steep and flared crack to easy face climbing just left of Left Ski Track to Left Ski Track 2 bolt belay.

P2 - Climb up to a pin, then open to face climbing with 3 bolts to a easy crack that lead to the top.

This short climb has strenuous and awkward jamming in a deep corner.  The first pitch starts with an easy traverse, then a 5.8+ finger jam, and easy hand jamming up to an awkward belay on top of a block.  The crux second pitch goes over an overhang via hand jamming, liebacking, and stemming.

Another gem on this wall. Ascend the juggy right leaning ramp left of Left Ski Track. Plug a finger piece and step up on jugs to clip a bolt. Pull the bouldery crux, clipping a second bolt mid crux if you wish, to a sweet mantle, one more piece and then send a left leaning seam to a final bolt and then more left to a two bolt anchor. There's another two bolt anchor above that for The Heathen.

P2 traverses up and left past two bolts, 5.6, to the two bolt anchor for Green Arch. Two single rope raps to the ground from there. *Don't rap over Green Arch! There is not another rap anchor there.

Sustained, technical and sequential climbing on mostly vertical terrain. The climb takes a direct line up dark rock and goes over two slightly overhanging bulges.  The first bulge is where most people will find the crux but there is plenty of hard climbing above it.

Left Ski Track is location 200 right and around from the Open Book.  2 parallel right curving cracks in the middle of the South Face.  It has a series of variation from 5.6 to 5.9.

P1 - From the tree there is a sloping platform, walk out on to it next to the large block.  If you keep going that will take you to the Chauvinist.  Move up and over (can be hard to protect)then move left to a crack leading to the face between the "ski tracks".  Move up and stay to the left on great jugs to a 2 bolt belay.

P2 - Climb the left 'ski track' crack to its end at a small ledge with a fixed pin.  Then take the classic "Step Around" move that take you to around the corner to the right to a series of ledges.  Belay on the first good ledge.

P3 - climbs the crack system up and right pass a series of ledges.  At the 3rd ledge move left and up to a vertical wall with double cracks.  Move left on to a 4th class ledge to take you to the top.

Variation 1 -  during the 2nd pitch at the end of the crack on the small ledge climb up and left past a bolt (5.9) to a crack system that leads to the top.

V2 - From the second belay, climb straight up the arete/crack that blanks into a slab with a bolt that lead to the 4th class ledge.  Then move tot he top.

V3 - On the 3rd ptich from the last ledge move out right up a 5.6 crack until it ends and traverse right across the slab and up to the top.

V4 *** - and the Best finish (5.8)  At the begining of the leftward traverse at the 4th class ledge, climb directly over a bulge to a pin then delicate friction moves to the top.

Pitch 1: 5.11a R

From the fourth bolt of The Heathen, head staright up through steep "moguls" to the bolt belay on Ski Tracks. (pro can be placed in the Chauanist, but it's pretty far away).

Pitch 2: 5.11b

Up the slab past 4 bolts, then angle left to the 6th (and last ) bolt on the third pitch of The Heathen, then up a little right-facing corner to the 2-bolt anchor on The Heathen.

An obscure route, mostly a slab traverse.

From the anchors atop the first pitch of

Left Ski Track

move left over easy ground past another set of double anchors and continue left and slightly down (the bolt up and left of the second set of double anchors is a different route) past two more bolts. Mostly easy climbing with a short crux on near non-existent hand holds. Consider protecting after the crux for your second. Afterwards head up to an obvious chimney (4th/5.0) that leads up to a set of anchors on your right.

Its about a 90 foot rap straight down to the second set of anchors that you past at the start. I do not believe that you can rap from these with a 60m, unless you know otherwise traverse right to the Ski Track anchors to rap.

Alternative finish to The Unchaste. From the bolted anchor go directly left to a flake, place a small cam and do a funky move onto the slab, clip one bolt then continue left to a second bolt and then a bolted rap.

Tip: From the final bolted rap you can TR the second part of Mavericks (P2 of The Flying Circus and the Muir Trail). Hard 10 climbing for those and pretty fun.

Shares P1 with The Reach.

P1 Ascend a ramp and then left past a bolt (10c) to a belay ledge or up a wide black streak further up the ramp 10a R.

P2 Traverse left past an old 1/4 bolt (The Reach). Past two good bolts (11a), there's a small finger crack to place a piece in here, then two more bolts going low at 11d (clip one bolt) or high (clip a second bolt) 11c.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in South Face - Left Side