Rockwork Orange

A fun route that goes straight up the steep, featured rock in the middle of the RHS face (p2). The first 2 pitches offer clean rock. The short squeeze chimney on the third pitch has lichen that could be cleaned up with a wire brush and the of the route will improve with a little traffic. The route is capped with a very cool rock just right of the chimney that is fun to cast into images of monkey-faces or whatever your imagination prefers.

p1 (50m, 5.7 G) Climb the finger crack (5.7) to a shrub, then move left through a right-facing corner that leads to the slabs above. Continue up and slightly left, either: following the ramp and a left-facing vegetated corner (5.3G); or left of that, going straight up the blank slab (5.7R); or further left, following the flaring hand-crack (5.5). Belay in a "scoop" with a right-arching crack on the left.

p2 (50m, 5.8- PG13) Left of the belay, climb the right facing corner (good gear) that rises out of the “scoop” to a strange 2’ diameter hole at its top. Traverse right 10’ to featured black rock (delicate gear placements). Follow fun knobs and pockets up steeper rock (fixed protection at top) then climb the blank slab (5.8-) straight up on black rock past a fixed point of protection to the left arcing under-cling. Follow this until its possible to break out to a gear belay on the grassy ledge above the overlap.

p3 (45m, 5.7 PG) Follow the arete straight up a "pocket ladder" to the short slab and steep 10’ vertical section above. Pass this using the short squeeze chimney on the left (5.7). Belay in trees.

Approach:

From the point where the bushwack emerges on the RHS of the Pyramid south face, locate a 15m finger-crack on 60 degree rock, with a prominent right-facing corner and roof to the crack’s left. This is immediately right of the three island that divides the face, and is the same start as for “Return to Forever”.

Descent: Descent: Make one diagonal, rope-stretching 60m rappel off trees, angling hard climber’s left, to reach the tree ledge that runs diagonally up the face and forms the descent for Stage Show/Mountaineer's Route.

Standard single alpine rack (cams in the 0.5" range are useful for the delicate placement just below the steep section).