- Edit (TBD)
Description
This spicy two pitch line parallels Slyline to its left on the south face of Skyline Buttress. It was done ground-up on-sight.
P1 - Start the first pitch in a chossy, pink, right-facing dihedral capped by a small roof about 15' left of the first pitch of Slyline. Climb the corner with a good crack, but suspect rock, to the cruxy hand (or foot) traverse left 7' under the roof. Easier climbing up small corners and blocks on good dark rock leads to the comfy belay ledge beneath the crux chimney pitch on Skyline. (5.10 80')
P2 - Climb the 15' crack up to the belay bolts for the second pitch of Ithica Connection and launch up the blunt green rib which forms the left side of the Skyline Chimney. This is a strenuous and strange pitch up shallow flared cracks with cerebral climbing and sometimes tricky pro. The crux is climbing up the lower rib and wrapping around right toward the chimney into the twin upper crack-grooves. (5.11a 100')
Once around, you can make a big stem across the Skyline Chimney to rest in spots, but you have to leave the stem to enter the upper cracks. If you use the stem to move up the middle stem (instead of just as a rest) it makes it slightly easier; it would be a very proud and burly lead to do this without the stem at all! All three members of the FA party climbed using different methods, with the leader stemming just for rests and gear placement, and one follower stemming up the middle section, and the other following without stemming at all.
Location
South face of Skyline Buttress. P1 starts 15' left of P1 of Slyline. P2 follows thin cracks up the green rib left of the Skyline Chimney. Rap off Crystal Caper with 2 ropes or continue up Skyline to the top (several short fun steps up to 5.5)
Protection
Cams through #4 new BD, lots of small TCUs and C3s, RPs and small brass nuts, offset TCUS.
Routes in Skyline South
- 3Headline5.11aTrad