An excellent route and great introduction to the sport routes at the CCC! An interesting move or two off the ground to easier climbing to a great arete. The arete can be climbed directly, on the left (a bit easier) or on the right. But take it straight on and mount the arete. 

  A scrawled-on rock at the base of the climb lists this climb as 5.10a but it's more like a nice 5.9.

The Egg

Chicken Little

Chicken Thief

Casada Noodle Soup

Right Wing

Rooster Tail

Technical Fowl

The Chicken

Left Wing

Chicken Scratch

C -4

Cruisin for Chicks

C1.5

Easy climbing down low leads to nice face climbing past a few bolts to the top.  A crack on the left offers easier climbing if you give in to temptation.

Very nice arete climb on left side of Chicken Little area. Cruxy thin moves for the first two or three bolts before it lets off a bit. Nice no-hands rest on easy, blocky section in the middle before the business starts up again.

Very thin, hard start that some might call height dependent. First bolt can be clipped from the ground if you're fairly tall and it is suggested to do so as this is the crux. Getting the first two bolts clipped is the hard part. Then nice climbing in the middle but save some juice for the final bolt and anchors. 

  "The route is rated based on starting several feet left of the bolt line and traversing up and right to the arete, all protected (better as you go) by the first bolt, which should be clipped from the ground before starting the climb." (Rick Bradshaw)

Start just to the right of a medium juniper and climb slightly right to gain a small ledge. Reach up and left to clip your first bolt. Find the holds that will put you over the bulge. After a few easy moves, climb the smooth, thin face to the anchors. Crux near the middle and the top. Guides both give this route a 5.10b rating, thought it was a little more difficult than that. Crux at the top.

This is perhaps the most obvious line on the Chicken Little Crag, climbing the prominent arête at the far right end. The rock quality starts and ends good but the route detours right around the bad stuff midway, which is why nobody bothered with it until now. The detour brings a sidewall into play, allowing a stemming start off the midway ledge detracting from the line. However, the first three bolts will test your technique on great rock with a second crux (easier) beyond the sidewall stem.

Climb the crack just left of The Chicken. Traverse right to the anchors of The Chicken at the top.

Good climb with a bulge down lown to ledgy middle and a crux bulge in a lichen patch near the top. Rock is decent here.  Generously bolted but lacks the springer shuts like every other climb in the Chicken Little area.

Starts just to the right of, and gains the same ledge as Casada Noodle Soup. To spot the route just look up for a bolt line heading between two distinct cracks. Once gaining the initial ledge you can step up and clip the first bolt. A few reachy, semi difficult moves will lead to some easier ones and a smooth face with cracks on either side of the bolt line. Nice route, though one you gain the face it seems to wander back and fourth across the face (contrived)! The route setters intended for the route to head up the center between cracks for the 5.10d grade. Though the cracks are so close to the bolt line, it is very tempting to reach for the large jugs that are part of the crack system. Staying between the cracks would definitely increase the grade to or beyond the 10d listed in the guides (R. Bradshaw and JM Beverly). However, you can easily clip the bolts heading up either crack system.

Start in a loose gully, and climb a rib to a roof. Turn the roof and crimps away to the anchors. The crux is above the last bolt on the run to the anchors, as are most on the routes at Cock's Comb.

Easy blocky climbing leads to the high first bolt. The climbing continues to be steep but very positive before starting up the arete where a crux move is encountered between bolts 4 and 5. After that more nice arete moves await to the finish. Some complain the blocky, suspect rock at the bottom detracts but I don't think so.

A tricky start leads to hand jams and ledges through the black bulge/corner. Jamming and good finger ledges continue to the top. Lower off from the anchor of "Cruisin' for Chicks", a few feet to the right.

Climb the straight up crack 5 feet right of Casada Noodle Soup. Pull through the bulge on good buckets. Tricky climbing where the wall steepens at the top. Crack is clean in good rock, though some pockets higher up may be sandy.

Clean route; crux high on route as usual at Chicken Little area. Besides the crack there are numerous ledges and pockets.

This excellent route has a bit of everything.  Getting off the ground poses a challenge with some tricky arete moves.  There's a good shake before the committing, though juggy overhang, and a final crimping section leads to the anchor.

This route is still dirty and loose at about half height despite some cleaning. This area is also probably the crux, if not technically then psychologically.

The crack between C1 and Technical Fowl. The thin crack which forms the top 2/3rds of the route does not extend all the way to the ground which gives the climber three options for starting the route. The purest start climbs the face directly past the first two bolts of Technical Fowl with cams in a pocket 1 foot right of bolt #1, and good pro just left of the second bolt. This may be the technical crux of the route but is only about 5.8 difficulty. Another start would be to climb the opening moves of C1 and then move right to C1.5, or alternatively, climb the start of C2 and move left to C1.5. Whichever start is used climb the finger crack to where the cliff bulges out and then move right to clip the anchors of Technical Fowl.

The trail heads straight to this area at the left end of the crag. Several nice sport routes exist in this area ranging form 5.9 to 5.11d. There are also two traditional routes, a 5.7 and a .10a. The rock here is generally solid with exciting crimping and side pulling.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Chicken Little Area