Slim Pickens

It's hard getting back to places I've already been. Glancing up this thing you think: groody looking...I dare say it is 3 star; steep strenuous and six pitches of superb rock. Scramble up to the highest ledge, as sister route,

Progression

.

1.Start just left of

that route

. First, easy up to bush below a orange-lichened left-facing dihedral. Jam and bridge (careful of block corking dihedral) a short but vertical 5.9 pitch, 90ft.

2. Continue a clean 5.9 handcrack followed by a long 5.8 chimney. Exit left (exit right to

Progression

to an exposed and incredible belay (150ft.).

3. Traverse left across black knobs and pick a perfect 5.8 fingercrack to a nice grassy ledge (100ft.).

4. Choose the middle of several left-facing dihedrals. It is a sharp, steep corner tapering to a point where a narrowing lieback gives the obvious crux. Well-protected with small stoppers and reevaluated from 1978 origins to harder 5.10, as hard if not harder than

Progression

. Now enjoy a stiff 5.8 corner and belay atop a square pedestal (150ft.)

5. Step right or jam straight up, either way 5.8 and goes to the same area of lower angle dihedrals and slabs (150ft.).

6. Straight up another 5.8 left-facing dihedral to summit (200ft.) or horizontally right 200ft. to descent gully.

Large selection. Small stoppers to 4 cam, extra slings, there is no fixed protection/anchors.