This climb is a punishing example of "real" 5.11d. Begins with a reach move and a mantle to a bolt, followed by a slab with a bit of grain on it. A nice crack then leads up and right. The climbing past the next two bolts provides a fairly difficult thin crux followed by a committing and somewhat scary traverse to join The Chameleon. Run it out a bit more, then finally place some funky but decent cams in a flaring seam and continue up The Chameleon. Better gear soon becomes more abundant, but it must be placed carefully. The flared, grainy crack that guards the end of The Chameleon provides another burly and somewhat heady crux, especially due to it being towards the end, but the fall is pretty clean and there is good if finicky protection. Consensus seems to suggest that this section might actually be the crux, at least when compared to the rest of Centipede. Finish up via the crux of Illusion Dweller.

The Centipede

Some Like It Hot

Flared Bear

Desert Song

The Chameleon

Not for Loan

Where Janitors Dare

Great White Buffalo

The Butt Buttress

The Rubberfat Syndrome

Where Eagles Dare

Illusion Dweller

Worms in Your Brain

Climb the obvious right-slanting crack using jams and lieback moves until encountering a roof high on the route. A good rest is found here, so plug in some gear and pull the cruxy roof before topping out onto a nice ledge with anchors.

Rap off or downclimb easy slabs on the south face.

This fantastic route is right of the route

Where Eagles Dare

(5.11+). The first pitch follows a bolt protected right traversing 5.12- crack/seam which eventually swings up to a bolted belay (shared with Desert Song). Pitch two exits from the belay right a few feet then heads up the former aid route now rated 5.12c, to the top for another bolted anchor.

This right arching, flaring squeeze with a fist crack in the back starts straight up and eventually curves all the way over to horizontal traversing before it ends at a giant horn feature at the edge of the squeeze chimney of Where Janitors Dare. The crux comes at about the 30' level just before the traversing starts, transitioning from sort of chimneying to a few lieback moves.  The initial section of rock is pretty good, especially inside the flare itself, but where it starts traversing the rock turns extremely rotten. The route was rated 5.8 in older guides, which would be a pretty good sandbag.

A better way to finish this route is to climb to the beginning of the traverse where

Great White Buffalo

crosses through (bolt just above) and finish on the Buffalo. This gives you the best (and crux) section of Flared Bear, skips the choss, and ups the difficulty a bit. Done this way the overall crux would be the first 8' after leaving Flared Bear, on a tenuous steep lieback to mantle and would weigh in around 10+. The remainder is slightly easier standard Josh slab paddling on very good rock.

Located on the awesome West face of the Sentinel lies this classic route which is located just right of center on the wall. It is visible as a vertical crack/seam which leads up to the right end of an impressive roof.

P1, 5.10 A0 or 5.11

​​​​

PG

)

Start right at some yucca plants and climb the steep crack/seam past three bolts and three fixed heads until possible to traverse left to a bolted anchor. It is possible to rap from here (60 meter rope works best), but there is more fun ahead...

P2, 5.11b R

​​​​

)

​​​​ From the belay make some hard moves with so-so pro up and slightly right then back left to reach a hand crack perched at the lip of the previously mentioned roof. Once in the crack traverse left along the lip and up until you reach a vertical crack which leads to the top. Walk off to climber's right down slabs.

This is a true Josh classic that should be done by those comfortable at this grade, but be aware that the second pitch is heads-up. The first pitch (5.10 with aid or 5.11 free) is popular and often done without committing to the imposing second pitch.

This amazing line takes the second line of bolts off the ground to the right of

Illusion Dweller

. Tricky and engaging face climbing past four bolts constitutes what might be the technical crux, but the final traverse left to join Illusion Dweller is a dicey, burly flared crack that provides a nasty surprise that might be just as hard. I recall that someone sandbagged me badly by telling me that the final crack was .10+ before I led it, so it's at least harder than that. Shares the Illusion Dweller rappel anchor. Someone must follow the climb to clean it. Descend as for Illusion Dweller with at least a 60m rope, 70m is probably better.

Scramble up a ramp just right of the start of "Where Eagles Dare" until you reach a crack system beginning over a roof. The rock is a little chossy here but greatly improves once you pull over the roof and start angling up the crack. After about twenty-five feet of crack climbing comparable in steepness and difficulty to that on "Illusion Dweller," you reach a 'V' in the crack system. The original line takes the right crack and makes a long traverse to the same belay as for "Desert Song." Another option is to take the left crack straight up to a ledge, traverse right about six feet to a bolt, and make one or two face moves (.10a) in order to reach a set of anchors on "Where Eagles Dare."

A decent alternative to "Illusion Dweller" if that route is busy.

The crux is near the top at the final chimney section.  Some of the rock is loose and you will pour pebbles out of the chimney on your way up.  Also, there is a large flake in the chimney about 2/3 of the way up that is expanding and could get ripped out.  Watch out for that.  It's near the section where everything sounds hollow and you pray you don't fall on your gear.

This end of Sentinel is a bit chossy.  Illusion Dweller end is by far much better.

Climb face past two bolts (5.12-), cross the wide crack of

Flared Bear,

which arcs right, and then continue up the steep and improbable face above (5.11) to the end of the difficulties where the route joins

The Butt Buttress

at it's second bolt; the route finishes with the upper portion of that route and shares it's bolted anchor.

Incredibly sustained and technical, this route is a testament to the vision and slab mastery of the first ascent party. Seldom done, but worth a go if hard slab climbing is your bag.

Scramble up blocks and ledges to reach the base of the actual climbing up a smooth expanse of rock that sweeps gently upwards.

Easy climbing to begin, that slowly increases in difficulty as the angle steepens near the top and you become aware of the exposure afforded by it's position.

This route is a neglected gem.  The line is a straight up shallow crack/trough/groove system with cryptic movement in the first half followed by straightforward but not necessarily easy offwidth and squeeze in the top half. The wide stuff up top thankfully features a handcrack in the back for a good bit of it. The crux is probably the entire first 30' of puzzling moves ending with a lieback on tenuous feet to gain a thank god horn/fin on the edge of the crack. Be extremely careful with the see-through flake/thread at the 10' level, outward force would liberate it from the wall. While next door there will be a 3 deep que for Illusion Dweller, you won't be waiting in line for this one.

Located on the West face of the Sentinel, this is near the left side of the face and 10' right of a right leaning chimney system.

P1) Boulder up a thin crack/lieback (crux) to start (it may be easier to climb high and skip the pro on this section) which widens and starts to curve right. Near the top of this crack it peters out and difficult face moves past a bolt lead to a bolted anchor in a dish. It is possible to rap off here, but the climb continues.

P2) From the belay climb right then up past three bolts until under a large roof. Pull the roof and continue up the crack as it eases in difficulty and ends on the top.

A walk off is located to the climber's right, down slabs until one reaches the edge of the rock, after which one can go left (east) around the entire formation or right (west) downclimbing through a corridor past the climb Bikini Whale.

This is yet another excellent route on an excellent formation. The first pitch alone is worth doing with some nice moves straight away and a surprise for the finish, but the second pitch is also worthy and together they make another route that should not be missed.

Is it better to lead or follow traversing routes?

This route starts far past Illusion Dweller across from Bikini-Whale.

Make an approach through a thicket to a left arching flake with a hand crack, mantle a cool block and go left past 3 closely spaced bolts.  Gain a fantastic horizontal rail and traverse left past a couple more bolts to a bolted belay/rap anchor.

This is the first pitch of the six pitch route New Latitude 5.12a by the same hard man team.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Sentinel - West Face