The second of the long route 'Trifecta' at Newhalem. Start on .12c For a Day. Above the anchors, do a ridiculous awkward mantle and pull onto the hanging slab. Trend right up the ramp/slab as for Callisto, but before the anchor for Cinnamon Groove break up and left through the headwall above. Steep, continuous climbing with a couple of harder moves thrown in for good measure brings one to a no-hands rest at a flake. Pull through a few harder moves above the rest and battle through the redpoint crux pulling into the upper groove to the anchor. This somewhat awkward and desperate boulder problem is a bit contrived as it can be avoided simply by reaching left to the giant jug on Hurt Locker and clipping the anchor for that climb. This provides a slightly easier and in my opinion, better variation.

Meridian

Gainfully Unemployed

I Take the Blame

Cold Beer in the River

Hull Yeah

Get in The Van

Manfully Endowed

Prometheus

Despicable You

Golden Khan

Paradigm Shift

Luna Park

Van Halem

Pocket Cyclops

Domestic Bliss

Business Before Pleasure

Cinnamon Groove

12c for a day

The Hurt Locker

Steeple Chase

Breaking the Law

Lockjaw

No Reimer Reason

Cherche La Femme

Kate Moss

Serendipity

Despicable Me

Highway 99

Misha's Route

Cherche La Femme Extension

Paradigm Drift

Callisto

Shoe Phone

From the starting holds of Cold Beer and Domestic Bliss, hand traverse R on an evil rail until you can  kick a leg up and mantle. Then it gets harder.

12b to the first anchors.  Andrew Philbin redpointed a short 12d(???) extension (actually, Benjit's original full project) in the spring of 2015.

Route begins on thin holds and trends right and over a bulge about 10 feet up (the crux) and continues up and right to the anchor on a nice ledge

Follow the left-curving cracks and flake, past a crux at the bottom, and into a short L-Facing corner to the chains. This is a pretty blatantly bolted crack, but I guess all the other climbs are fully bolted. Still fun!

There are supposedly 3 pitches total, as well as a slightly harder variation that moves right about 1/2way up. The description here is for P1.

Climb Serendipity until the 2nd-to-last bolt before its anchor. Then trend left. Ends near Callisto anchors.

What used to be the ending of the original line is now a short extension to Gainfully Unemployed that adds a powerful granite mantle troublem. The lower anchor was added to create a nice .12b that's quite distinct from the top section. Benjit told me I could/should name this extension: caveat emptor on that one, Benjit! He also told me I was wrong about it being .12c/d, so I guess it gets the mighty 7c+. It's not the hardest 7c+, but the funky nature of the boulder problem makes it kind of hard to grade. The hardest or at least the most technical moves on the route are probably still at the very bottom accessing the sloping ramp.

An overlooked gem that deserves more traffic. Climb Business Before Pleasure and continue past the anchors through a thin crux to steeper jugs.  A 1/4" bolt can be used for dogging through the crux but expect to skip it when you're actually redpointing.

You can also approach via Serendipity, but it's not really worth the shenanigans.  80m rope suggested, although a single 70m rope will probably get you down as well.

Variation to Despicable Me that avoids the bouldery start.  Some really fun movement, but less satisfying and more contrived than the original.  Unfortunately the best 12a routes at Ryan's Wall are all 12b.

Extension to Highway 99, trending left. An intricate sequence leads to a mediocre rest then a long move brings you to the chains.

This route is stout, and pound per pound probably has more punch than other routes of similar grade at Newhalem.  Stick the first bolt.  Cruxy small clings at the beginning... redpoint gaston crux up high.  Savage!

Moving past the first and last bolts are the cruxes, although the route stays fairly sustained. A fun climb, with many bolts and a variety of moves.

This is an extension to an older route called Cherche La Femme, 10b, that climbs past two anchors in 50 feet. After the second anchor, climb up and left through an excellent granite boulder problem that provides the crux. Easier climbing to a rest then leads to a steeper section and another crux at the very end of the route.

Easier climbing leads to a fun pull through the roof. Great warmup.

Start immediately to the right of Serendipity and cope with a thin and nasty crux right off the ground before enjoying much more pleasant climbing to the anchors just above and right of the Serendipity chains.

Because the crux is so low and the landing so rocky, I recommend stick clipping the second bolt.

Easily one of the best routes of its grade in the area, if not anywhere. The climbing is varied on perfect burnished, golden rock. A low angle but difficult start in a dihedral leads to steep, sequential and powerful cruxes in the middle and at the end. The final reward on the upper hanging slab is interesting, enjoyable edging.

The first (from left to right as you look at the crag) of a 'Trifecta' of long (40m) routes at Newhalem. This is an athletic climb up a steep chimney feature. Thug through blocky climbing in a steep hanging slot. A crux lies in wait somewhere at the end, slapping up a blunt feature on opposing sidepulls. The only drawback to Hurt Locker if it can be described as such is that it's way more intuitive to climb to the right and onto Meridian at the top instead of tackling the blunt arete more directly. However, it's also possible and more intuitive to end Meridian at the jug atop Hurt Locker, so the climbs provide some slight variations to one another. If you really must contrive greater difficulty, skip the move right to the Meridian rest and move straight into the crux feature.

Hard boulder problem through roof.  The rest of the climb is kind of hard too.

Start just left of Kate Moss on easier terrain, leading to a powerful bouldery section with some sloper-slapping.

Finish by pulling over a small ledge onto a few technical moves on slab to the anchors.

Climb the long, prominent rust streak above the Business Before Pleasure anchors. Pumpy climbing up at times brittle, crystalline rock (which may have cleaned up since I last climbed this).

Lockjaw can be done as a second pitch above Business Before Pleasure or as a single 140 foot megapitch, which I hereby dub Business Before Lockjaw. Or maybe Tetanus Shot. I don't know, you guys decide.

For a more mellow approach, it's possible to climb Serendipity and adventure your way over to the start of Lockjaw.

Powerful crux near the middle of the route leads to technical climbing above.

Aka the shortest version of Van Halem. Good holds on a slab to the first set of chains. Could this be the only pitch at Newhalem where you do not need to pull a single roof?

A climb with two distinct characters.  The first half follows an arete/rib feature with somewhat techy lieback moves to a bulge.  After the bulge, the second half turns to pumpy jugs up a headwall.  First half + second half = fun!

The first line that Andrew and I bolted at Ryan's Wall, established in 2001 as I recall.

Do a few moves to reach the start of a shallow right-facing corner. Follow this corner system with interesting moves to the anchors of Zloi and continue upwards to a ledge. Leave the ledge with difficulty and continue up the overhanging face with long, cool pulls between good holds. Varied and fun!

Stick clip the first or second bolt, and do a hard boulder problem on somewhat sharp holds to reach the first stance.  Continue on bolts, avoiding holds on Cold Beer in the River except when it's just silly not too.  The line is not uncontrived but nonetheless offers great movement all the way to the anchors.

If the desperate start shuts you down, either get stronger or traverse in from the bottom of Cold Beer for a very enjoyable 12a.

Thin crimps and a dramatic move in a shallow corner.

Easy face climbing with some layback moves in a corner. The route starts on the left face of a corner, works up to a ledge, and then traverses right and goes up the inside of the corner to the anchors.

After Passing the first set of anchors, work your way into the thin dihedral. Fun moves on small holds leads to a jug to clip the chains.

This climb takes Paradigm Shift and makes it even better.  The "drift" extension yield several excellent and sequential boulder problems.  The hardest route on Ryan's Wall.

The third of the 'Trifecta' of 40m routes. Start on .12c for a day, then head right and all the way up the fun and technical slabby to vertical hanging ramp. At the very top, a crux bulge with a boulder problem guards the anchor. Following the bolts directly seems possible but perhaps hasn't actually been done; I think originally some of us did this by climbing a couple feet to the left of the final two bolts, which was easier but still a challenge. By a couple of feet I mean that you can easily reach holds between the two options if you're just hanging there checking out moves. I recently tried 'directly' following the bolt line and found it to be pretty dang hard, enough so that I couldn't recall doing moves that difficult the first time I climbed this, but memory is of course fallible. It's also worth noting that this time around the left version was so dirty that I also couldn't imagine ever having climbed it that way, but I'm reasonably certain that's how it was done back in the day. It's hard to say which set of holds is the more intuitive. While fun and challenging, both variations of the boulder problem will be a huge and jarring slap in the face after the easier climbing on the long ramp, especially with 35m of rope weighing you down. In the end, it's really easy to A0 through the very top so hopefully it shouldn't deter folks from enjoying the other climbing.

It's also possible and, in my opinion, better to climb this via Cinnamon Groove. It's a straighter line and though it's pumpier, doesn't alter the grade at all because of the more restful, technical climbing on the lower angle ramp. Unfortunately rope drag and the weight of the rope are still an issue at the top.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Ryan's Wall