Fist Fight

This is a two-star climb that is presently under one-star conditions, owing to one bush and a flock of birds. The bush you can fight through, but the birds left a disgusting sticky mess in the climb that was harder to avoid without cheating to the right and out of the crack. Luckily, the crux is relatively clean.

Climb up any pitch that will get you near the base of the 3rd pitch of the

Tilted Mitted

. This is on a huge ledge on the upper 3rd of the lower Twin Owls. To the right edge of this, you will see a wide low angle 10-meter-long crack and flake system that ends at a bush before intercepting a radically right-leaning, slightly overhanging, overlapping fist-crack. That is to say, a fist-crack if you have large hands. It might just have well have been called "offwidth fight" in some sections as far as I am concerned. The climb was distinctively reminiscent of two other climbs I have done in my life:

Horn's Mother

(Vedauwoo 11a) and

Original Sin

(Rock Of Ages, Fern Canyon, 10d).

P1 (40 meters, 5.10+): Climb up the low angle junk and fight through the bush to reach the striking crack, which for the most part is #2-3.5 Camalot, of which I hope you packed doubles. Once through the bush the climb starts in earnest at 5.9, with the relative ease owing to the holds withing the crack on edges and flakes, as well as positive jams. As the climb gets higher, first [the] flakes and holds go away, then the pump sets in. Continue as the climb gets wider and reaches a distinct bulge, where some tricams go solidly into good rock and save you a few cams on your rack. Power up solid 5.10 moves to get into the crack above and place a large cam (3.5 Camalot) and then start the real battle. I was in up past my elbows at times and felt the this was 5.10+ sustained. My partner with small hands who on-sites up to 5.11d in Indian Creek resorted to aid to follow it at all. This is size-dependent and the angle of the dangle makes it tough to stack in the crack. The feet on the right are pretty small slopers. Just as I though I was going to blow a fuse, the angle let off and I was able to rest on good jams, then do a few more moves and place pro and stem again. The easy moves to the top felt harder than they should, due to my exhasution.

"Fist Fight" eh? Good name for it, I sure got my butt kicked.

A few sets of cams from 2" to 3.5" plus a 4" cam, and a few tricams for good placements ([lightweight]) between. Take some long slings to minimize rope drag. This is a long pitch!