As soon as you step off the ground the fun starts on this one. The crux comes in the first 15', reaching to get established in the corner proper after which it's steep, fun jamming/laybacking to the top where a quick step left gains a ledge with bolted anchors.

Yet another classic crack climb of the Hidden Valley Area - 4 stars out of five.

Spider Line

Church Bazaar

Bearded Cabbage

Buttered Croissant

Geronimo

Dynamic Panic

Deviate

Toe Jam

Judas

Spider

Hinterstoisser Traverse, The

Tabby Litter

This is a fun and interesting route!

Approach as for ToeJam or Judas and look up and to the right.  You will see a upward and left-rising "near-horizontal flake" coming into from the far right side of the East Face slab of the Old Woman.  Above this feature there is a single bolt in the relatively short and blank section of rock between the horizontal and a vertical jam crack.  Only the vertical handcrack system is visible in the attached photo.

To climb this route, scramble up and to the right onto a group of boulders, as for Spider Line.  This is approximately half way between Geranimo and Toe Jam.  Traverse out left to reach the good horizontal/flake, and continue on that flake, placing a cam in it if you so desire.  The pro is not textbook, but the climbing here is only 5.8. (but pumpy if you hang out much)  Climb to the left hand end of the horizontal and clip a good bolt.  This will be your pro for the crux and it seems to be quite trust-worthy.  Make a big 5.10c move into the handcrack to the left.  This can be done one of a few ways- dyno into a handjam, or pull a balancy lay-back type move. Both felt somewhat difficult.  After getting a good jam (better for wide hands), make one more move to establish a good position from which to place gear.  From there go up the crack a way (5.8) and when it peters out, move over just a few feet left to a second crack.  Climb this to a set of rap anchors on top (Shared with Chongo Bolt Route).

Begin from the ledge at the top of Tabby Litter/Dynamic Panic and climb the steep face past 3 bolts to the top. The third bolt is shared with Hinterstoisser Traverse.

Start up Judas, climbing to the first bolt on that route and then break out right in an improbable right-arcing line past three bolts to finish at the anchors for

Spider Line

.

The crux is classic Josh face and involves trusting your feet to the delicate smears while looking at a swinging fall. One star (maybe) out of five, but only for the sheer novelty of the climb, not the actual quality.

This climb has also been called the Chongo Bolt Route as well as Dummy's Triangle in the past.

I'm sure there are many ways to get to this route. I have never approached it from the east side, but I know you can get to a set of anchors just below the top on the east side by downclimbing a short chute off the top of the Old Woman. From those anchors, traverse across right to the base of the crack splitting the overhanging roof. Get the #4 in the bottom of the crack, kneebar, schooch up, get some more pro, and you can make a loooong reach up and inside to the inside edge at the top. Then move out and do some serious jungle-gym moves (caution: burly) to get up and over the top of the crack. Although short, this is a very cool route!!!

Begin 25 feet down and right from Deviate. Climb a pin-scarred thin crack (crux) up to a flake that ends at the big ledge at the start of Church Bazaar.

Best as a toprope, led by Tony Yaniro with fixed pins and copperheads. (R-rated lead).

Clip a low first bolt, crank over a short overhang (harder for shorties), then work your way right and up past one more bolt (crux) on some of the greasiest, most slippery smears found in the campground. Easier terrain and and a few pieces of gear lead to a scrunchy low angle chimney and the bolted belay. Rap from here or use long slings and link it up with the fun roof of Geronimo above.

Not particulary memorable except for the section of seemingly frictionless smears. 1 star out of 5.

From the bulletin board at Hidden Valley Campground, turn around and walk approximately 50' west to the base of the route.

Jam up hand crack for 10', then angle diagonally up and right.  About two-thirds of the way up the route, step left and continue up vertical finger crack (crux) to top.

Belay on gear, NOT the bolted anchor to the right.

Descent:  Single rope rappel from 2-bolt anchor 20' right of the top of the climb.

Safety Note: I have witnessed multiple parties attempting to toprope the route off of the rap anchors which lie 20' to the right of the route. Really bad idea, as a fall would result in a phenomenal swing to the right.

Approach the East Face of the Old Woman and look for a line of bolts on the south end of the south slab. After one bolt, two lines diverge, one straight up, and the other wandering to the right. Judas goes straight up past two bolts total, to reach a right leaning ramp, from which you can either move a few feet right and continue on Toe Jam (5.7, and recommended, but likely crowded) or continue up and onward to the rap anchors above Chongo Bolt Route and Bearded Cabbage (harder).

The crux of this route for me was right off of the ground, getting into position where I could comfortable place gear. I saw a team of climbers just before we were there standing on each other's shoulders to get established on the line. I guess that should have been a clue that the start was difficult. There was one additional friction move up higher that I found difficult. In the attached picture, the line is essentially where the climber is rapping off.

I did not find this climb as fun as many of its nearby neighbors.

Approach as for Toe Jam.

Start as for Toe Jam, but two-thirds of the way up the route where Toe Jam cuts straight up, instead continue right along tricky diagonal crack (crux) to 2-bolt anchor/rap (same as rappel anchor for Toe Jam).

This is a superb, strenuous hand traverse with good protection.  Rappel off.

An excellent short hand crack in a shaded location.  Scramble off from the top.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Old Woman - East Face