The Human Factor

Human Factor is another Alec Sharp classic in an area full of them. Although not long nor the most aesthetic appearing climb, this route truly climbs like a dream! The technical difficulty of the climbing and the gear placements increase as you ascend this one. Climb the slab to the base of the overhang where you can get good gear above in the beginning of the dihedral crack. Climb the dihedral with increasingly technical moves to a tenuous stance prior to the final difficulties. The two larger Loweball slider nuts fit very well here. Stem out the cruxy top of the dihedral and romp up the corners to the tree finish where an anchor can be made or move R to the

Sooberb

anchor. Although certainly more serious at the time of the FA, modern gear protects this climb reasonably well. I think its habanero heat on the spicy scale, maybe only jalepeno, overall it's reasonably safe. I find it a little difficult to grade, it didn't feel like it had 5.12- pulling on it, in fact it's not particularly powerful; but it is devious, technical, and sustained, I think the grade is something like 11+/12- PG13/R. The quality and grade feels similar to

Foxtrot

and

Crazy Fingers

.

Human factor climbs the obvious, right-facing dihedral of red-brown rock, left of

Court Jester

and approximately 30’ right of

Sidewall

(just right of

Quiet Desperation

).

Gear: SR with emphasis on finger and smaller sizes including off-set nuts, micro-cams, and ball-nuts.