This route starts up a small grassy gully before reaching blocky overlaps. Surmount the top of the last overlap and head up a left to right leaning ramp-like slab (good gear at the paralleling crack above). Continue out right until a crack that leads back left and up is reached. Clip a bolt before moving up and left into the crack. Tip toe along the crack and clip 2 more bolts before reaching the shared anchor with

'Well, It Looked Easy'.

Due to the zig zag nature of the route, it's best to bring 2' slings and bring up a second to clean gear.

The Odds Are In Your Favor

Hotdog Water

Well it Looked Easy!

Lagers With Laeger

Hop Matter

Sight Unseen

The Lieback

Profit

Chouinard Special

Branscum-Martin Route

Friction Slab

Friction Brewing

Top Out

Dirty Dishes

This Buds For You

Bugging Around

IP Yay!

Wort Nuthin'

Fine Line Direct

The Growler

Just for Kicks

Claustrophobia Crack

Cornflakes

Claustrophobia Direct Start

Old Dog, New Tricks

Initiation Crack

Fine Line

Climb up the seam to a series of horizontal breaks. The crux is at the fourth bolt and involves delicate moves on very thin edges. Continue following the bolts to a two bolt rap station.

Crux is between 1st and 2nd bolt, climbing through bad smears on lichen covered stone. A lot more cleaning needs to be done.

At the very bottom of the slab begins the start of this route (located 20' right of 'This Buds For You'). The crux is passing the 6th to the anchor. Fun friction and edges! This route ends at the original anchors of 'IP Yay!'

**NOTE**

:

When lowering off, be sure to lower or rap off to the left side upslope of the plumb line. A 70 meter rope BARELY makes it! Be sure to tie your ends before descending.

This route initially starts by going up a brown streak then trends out slightly right onto a small seam. A little more runout than the others but its all there! Passing the 5th bolt and onto thin edges to the anchor is the crux. Please be aware that this route is fairly new and is still cleaning up a bit. With a bit more traffic, this route will be a fun addition to the Beer Wall.

A loong way to the first bolt. The crux is height dependent, the roof can be tough for those under 5'10".

Follow the left-facing dihedral

P1-Finger sized crack up past small bush/tree

Belay at the notch with the perpendicular crack (there is a lot of debris from old gear and such)

P2-Continue up dihedral to ledge

Climb straight up past a single bolt (5.8 PG) to a bolted belay or go left past an undercling (protectable, but its hard to see the gear).  At the end of the undercling, head up through an intermittent crack in a groove. There is a bolted belay above on the left.

Continuously strenuous moves from the ground to the chains in an overhanging dihedral, yet to see a clean ascent. Easiest way to get there is to climb both pitches of "Old Dog, New Tricks". A worth while project for those who want push the grade.

Start off in the dihedral with the hand sized crack (15 feet left of the start of the Lieback). Jam this to a ledge (5.7), then clip the first bolt. The ledge has an anchor on it but keep climbing. Climb up the slab on whatever micro edges you can find to the next bolt. There are 5 bolts on the face to a ledge with a bolted anchor.

Admin's Note

: there is also a second pitch of runout face climbing that leads to a higher bolted belay anchor.

As with all the climbs on the K-slab, stout and heady. Crux is after the first bolt. Not a climb for 5.9 climbers!

Awesome face climbing on clean, white granite.  Reasonably protected.

Start at the same place as the Lieback and traverse right onto the face.  Climb this face until reaching the "bathtub ledge" which marks the top of the Lieback's first pitch.  Continue in a hand-sized crack up and right--40 feet higher, and about 25 feet to the right, is a two bolt anchor.  Rappel from here or follow the last pitch of Claustrophobia Crack to the top.

If rappelling with one rope, there is an intermediate rappel station on the face below (it will take you two raps to get down).

This climb starts at the first obvious gold streak, staying left and eventually surmounts the roof at the obvious sharp right facing corner, passing 8 bolts along the way. Above the roof, head left to the ‘IP Yay!' anchor. An enjoyable yet technical slab route. 150 feet to the anchors. Make a short rap to IP Yah!'s anchors. Then rap from IP Yah!'s anchors.

Looking at the Beta Photo, this is a continuation of climbs 16,17 up a left facing corner.

Start on a section of lower angle rock with some flakes to place stoppers on. Climb to a ledge where the first bolt is, about 25 feet off the ground. Climb past 12 bolts (sport-ish) on the slab to a bolted anchor over 170 feet high.  The sixth bolt is doubled for the rappel back down.

This seven bolt route leads to a chained anchor just below an overlapping roof. The start is located 15 feet right of 'Hop Matter' at a right trending crack/ramp. Passing the 6th bolt, one will encounter an exciting step-across, while tip-toeing past a mossy section. This is the crux of the route. Lead up to the 7th bolt and continue trending up and right to the chained anchor. These anchors are also shared by 'Lagers With Laeger'. A 70 meter rope BARELY makes it when lowering off.

Bugging Around

Over the many decades since this old school route was established by Matta and McGee, most climbers hardly knew of it's existence. Perhaps this was due to its ground fall potential and bold runouts from the lack of protection. When the first ascent was done, there were no cams at the time. Only hexes and RP's. After decades of being in the shadows to routes like 'Initiation Crack' (5.10) and Dirty Dishes (5.8), the route has been responsibly bolted to bring it back into the light and allow it to be enjoyed by all. So, when you do find yourself on this fun line, imagine yourself as the first ascensionists working the initial 60' before reaching the base of the right facing arch above.....with your only pro 50' below you! Yep, "Deck City".

Modernized by Kernville locals' Dave Daly and Mark "Marco" Krebs (Jan 9th 2022)

Pitch #1:

Head up a short lieback finger crack and onto good edges before reaching the first bolt. Head straight up to reach a small ledge to the 2nd bolt. Make a few delicate friction moves through some subtle dishes while heading up and then left to a quick linked bolted rap anchor at the base of a right facing crescent arch. Clip the left bolt (3rd bolt) of the rap station and head up the arch. There is an opportunity to place small pro (.0) in the crescent right facing arch before reaching the 4th bolt. Continue straight up to the 5th bolt then head to a 10' wide overlap. Place pro here (green Alien/.3 BD Camelot). Climb over the overlap to the 6th bolt. Continue up to a small ledge where the 7th bolt is encountered.  From here, head up a slender brown patina dyke. Mid way up, clip the 8th and final bolt before reaching a good sized ledge. Place gear with a runner before heading left to the anchor for 'Fine Line'. Rappel to the first rap station 110' (single 70 meter) to the base of the crescent arch where the 2-bolt rap anchor is located. Be sure to tie the ends of your rope before casting off since you'll have only a few meters of rope to spare. Then rappel from this rap anchor to the ground (65').

Pitch #2:

If you're wanting to do the entire original line, locate a small crack 10' right of the anchors. Climb up the thin crack and out onto the the open slab. Easy 5th leads to the base of the cap rocks. Locate an easy chimney to climb to the summit.

Just 30' left of 'Friction Brewing' is a pleasant climb which goes straight up to a right leaning groove at a steep headwall. An exciting step across after the 6th bolt and the right leaning moves at the headwall make this one a must do! After passing the 6th bolt, head up to an intermediate anchor. Clip this anchor along the way and continue past 3 more bolts leading to a chained anchor at the top (160'). Rap from here back to the intermediate chained anchor and then rap from there. Or trail another rope and make a double rope rap at the top anchors to the ground Pro: quickdraws.

This climb is the large right-arching corner on the left side of the slab. It goes up the corner and traverses right to the anchor rings for ‘Hop Matter’. A good selection of cams sizes is recommended. There are two old Leeper bolts next to each other about 2/3rds the way up this climb. Rap using ‘Hop Matter’ anchor rings. A good climb for its grade.

Just left of the above and tpo the left of 'Wort Nuthin' is this 5 bolt route leading up and right to a chain anchor. Bring small cams for the thin crack above.

Delicate slab climbing on excellent rock.  This route is less sustained than Cornflakes but requires 20 feet of challenging climbing on very smooth rock.  Breath-taking.

Climb past the first 3 tightly-spaced bolts of Captain Crunch.  At the third bolt, traverse left for 6 feet and then head nearly straight up past several bolts.  There is a clear crux encounter around the fifth bolt, as the route moves through an obvious, polished area of rock.

Start at the base of Lieback and make some low 5th class moves up ledges to the right to access the crack. There is a two bolt anchor just to the right of the start of this crack system that can be used to top rope the first pitch of Initiation Crack. The crack starts as hands then widens to off width, goes to a very fun 20 foot chimney, and then finishes up with fingers to a bolted belay/rap station. The final pitch goes up and slightly right however the are many options for finishing up from here. If you do decide to go straight up there is another bolted belay/rap station at the top.

Sustained slab climbing on quality rock.

The route starts in a shallow, left-facing corner.  From the top of the corner, the route heads straight up for 30 feet past one bolt, to a second.  From the second bolt, the route traverses left for about 6 feet and then climbs edges and smears past two more bolts to a bolted belay.

A new and fun addition to the Kern Slab, this route starts 10 feet left of

'Well, It Looked Easy' (.11b)

.

Pitch #1 (10a.)

:  Start by moving up a right to left foot edge to gain the first bolt. The crux (.10a) is frictioning past the first bolt to a small sloping ledge slightly up and left. Mantle the ledge and climb along a small right facing corner to its apex. Clip the 2nd bolt out to the left, moving out left and then up. Continue up, heading over a few overlaps and clipping 9 more bolts along the way. Arrive at a 2-bolt belay with quicklinks (150'). Be sure to trail a rope for a double rope rappel.

Variation (FA: Dave Daly and Matt Chambers, 24 Feb 2019):

After reaching the 9th bolt, move off right toward a manzinita bush and locate a thin finger crack (pro to #4 RP's) and ascend this to the same anchor. The crack goes 5.7.

Pitch #2 (5.6)

:  Continue up, passing 6 bolts while heading over a few overrlaps to a 2-bolt anchor.

Additionally and directly above the 2nd pitch bolted anchor, is an overhanging dihedral (3 bolts) that is reported to go at 5.12.

The crux is right off of the ground. Jam the tips crack through a small, slippery bulge. The crux is over when it is possible to get your whole finger in the crack to jam. Then mantle onto a ledge and jam the 5.6 hand sized splitter to a ledge with a bolted anchor.

Admin's Note

: It is highly recommended that you continue from the bolted anchor for another 100 feet of excellent climbing along the tiny crack (5.7-) above the first bolted belay.  The crack is usually too small to insert fingers but there is an abundance of face holds. It is possible to adequately protect this crack using micro-cams and tiny stoppers.  Descend from a bolted rap station 160 feet off the ground.

This is a mixed route. The first 20 ft, requires cams protect an arching crack, than it is bolted until cams protect a flake for 30 ft. or so. Than bolts to the anchors.

Superb slab. Crux is around the first bolt.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Kernville Rock (a.k.a. Kern Slabs)