Trident

Once again the Red Walls deliver. Hadn't planned on doing a new route at the Reef this year but having agreed to belay my buddy Jesse Schultz on Doubt (which he redpointed weeks later) I was often hanging out looking at the north face of Aegir. Well that is like dangling meth in front of a meth head. So I decided to rap in and check it out. Feeling sure it would go, with the help of many, I set to work top-roping all 230 feet of it.   Pitch one 5.12-*** is a lower angled face with very technical moves that is not easy to read but cool once you do. It ends on a spacious ledge that can also be reached by traversing in from the start of Doubt.   Pitch two 5.11/11+ ****is 105 feet long and according to to Jesse Schultz it is the "best single pitch of sport climbing at the Reef." I can be done without doing the first pitch by traversing in from the belay for Doubt. It climbs cool flakes and ledges that sometimes have blank sections of blank looking orange rock that can just be negotiated. I am 5'6" and can just make the reaches in a couple of places while my taller friends make them easily so this pitch is in the solid 5.11 category according to them. There is one spot where you will do better to follow a thin crack seam down and right about seven feet. From here a long move will get you to holds that lead back left to the bolt line. The holds above will lead you right some more until thin holds lead you back left to the anchors and reasonably comfortable belay ledge. Thin moves to big jugs and easy shakes will make this single four star pitch a popular single pitch to do.   Pitch three 5.12- *** from the anchors a couple of moves up will lead to a jug and a long reach left to more jugs. Stay left around third bolt then follow bolts up to a tiered bulge and the final crux which actually may be harder for tall people. Reasonable climbing up lower angle rock lead to anchors on the right end of a short overhanging face at the top of the cliff. From here you can belay your partner up or lower back to the belay stance and pull the rope so your partner can lead it as well. Two raps with a 70M rope will get you back to the big ledge where you can traverse (5.4) over to Doubt's staging area. Tie knots and start pushing off so you can swing back into the ledge on the rap from the top of the second pitch. One more rap will get you to the ground if you don't traverse off.

About 30 feet up the talus that is the start of the scramble up the gully between Neptune and Aegir you will see the bolts leading up to the big ledge. The line is about 30 feet right of the large oak growing out of the big ledge.

Pitch one 11 bolts, pitch two 17 bolts, Pitch three 12 bolts and steel lower of biners at all anchors.