Hippo Wrestling

If arete slapping and compression climbing are your bag, and you can boulder v6, then you must come do this route. Unique, thoughtful, bouldery cruxes in the first half and killer compression endurance for the second half add up to one hell of a climb. An aesthetic, striking feature visible from the whole Lower Gorge, one of the hardest lines in the Lower Gorge, and a ridiculously awesome view (and photo op!) only add to the appeal.

Start on the right arete, and be careful clipping the 2nd (very balancey clip). The first half of the climb features boulder problems split by rests that range from just ok to excellent. For me they felt v3ish, v4ish, and v6ish, though I'm not that good of a boulderer, so I could be wrong. The top half is 5.12- compression with one decent rest and a tenuous throw to a horn at the top. From there the Hippo joins Hand Job and climbs ~10 more feet of 5.easy to the chains. The 6th and 8th bolts are a bit tricky to clip, but all the falls are all super clean and safe.

Note - due to the density of climbs, and like most of the sport routes in the lower gorge, it is possible to reach into the cracks on either side of this climb. There are 2 places where it is particularly tempting. The grade I have given and the route described are based on not using either crack at all, including compressing on the crack, or resting using the crack.

The proudest arete on the far side of the gorge, between Hand Job and Original Sin on Hand Job Wall.

8 bolts to a 2-bolt anchor with chains.