AKA The Whale Direct. From the starting jug on

The Whale

and

Scotland Wales

, take the path of most resistance straight up the face. Use a slopey crimp for the right hand and a slopey sidepull for the left, and gun for the flat top. There are lots of options for feet to keep both the giants and the midgets happy.

It is too short to earn many stars, but it has solid rock and nice powerful moves. This is worthwhile if you lugged a pad up the hill.

Moby Dick

The Mummy

The Whale

Offwidth Bulge

Elephantiasis

Alto

One Night

Banquet

Kleptocracy

The Gnome

Marry Me, Becky

Warm Up Crack

Recession Arete

Ode to the Lowball

Afternoon Delight

Yearling

Tough Love

Frank's Wild Years

Sharkcicle

Ankle Wrecker

South Arête

Koolaid

Finger Wrecker

Something to Do

Ace is High

Pocket Rocket

Frank's Tame Years

Bone Collector aka Bone Crusher

Southwest Face

Crap Crags

Blubber

Comer Culo

The Big Phallic

Recession 2016

Shark Jaw

Eastern Heart

Scotland 'Wales'

Silver Bullet

Depression

Stimulus

The Bowels

The Short Tour

Start matched on an obvious crimp low on the southeast arete, and work your way directly up and over, staying as true to the arete as possible.

I am sure this has been soloed before, but this neat feature provides a nice moderate route up its southern arete.

Sit start on the obvious jug.  Pull up into an undercling.  The crux is over when you are standing on the start hold, but the top out is still a little tricky.  I guess that's where the problem gets its name....

This wide crack bulges out just at the point where you cannot chimney inside it anymore.  A few true offwidth moves will be needed to round the steep part and get back into the slot above.  Short but fully valid.

Start off with a small boulder problem to a rest then the fun beginnings with a bear hugging section and the true crux. Just when you think it's over, there is a slab crux followed by moderate climbing to the anchor.

Start in the low underclings with good feet, and move out left to a great crimp. Figure the feet out, and move straight up and over this boulder.

One Night is a very unique route that requires a diverse set of skills and the ability to relax and recover at awkward rest stances.

Undulating between less than vertical and slightly overhanging, the route basically breaks down to 5.11a crack climbing, to back-to-back V6, V7, V6 boulder problems, and then some 5.10 to a V5 dihedral.  The beginning will test your crack skills and faith in trad gear.  The first crux is all about slopers and body power.  The second crux involves small edges and horrible smears.  The final crux will test your body position and faith in friction.

Climb the first 25 feet of

Frank's Wild Years

, and traverse right around an arete using a nice hand rail.  After clipping the first bolt, compress your way up the steep face using an undercling feature and a slopey arete until you can stand on the hand rail.  Once you have recovered, crimp some small edges, paste your feet on nothing, do a hard move to a right hand gaston, and move right until you can stand on a set of small edges.  With the end of the difficulties just feet away, get set up on a left-facing feature, stand up on two buttery ripples and make a committing move to the "campus rung", then work your feet up and toss for a huge jug.  Mantle onto the shelf of

Frank's Wild Years

, climb up the easy crack, and finish on the difficult corner of

Banquet

.

This is such a finicky, yet brilliant route.  It gets only three stars, because the rock quality leaves a bit to be desired.

Climb

Silver Bullet

to a ledge break. Head left on thin tips crack. Then climb left and head up the steep, left-facing corner. It has a boulder problem crux with some trad funk/ movement to finish off the pitch. This makes for a harder finish to "

Silver Bullet

".

Stick clip first bolt, this is a very unique route, it has a cool arete section leads to jugs through a bulge followed by a thin move to reach upper roof. Next comes an Inspector Gadget crux (long move), finish this one off with a tweaky move to the anchor. Mark Rolofson's years of route development shine through this masterpiece.

This is the climb that starts in the crack just to the left of

The Short Tour

that leads to a steep slab protected by a few bolts. The crux is high and well-protected; however, the crack down low is rather insecure, and the gear I found was pretty iffy. I chose to give this an R rating due to the insecure moves in the crack over questionable gear. The crack is probably 11-ish.

This route starts with some fingers and hands then fists at the top.  The crux, especially if you are short or have small hands, is getting yourself into the top section.  It's wide and flaring for a move or two, then there's great fist jams and face/arete features.

If I have the wrong name with this route, let me know and I'll change it.

This is the second from the right most route in the main Quarry Wall area.  It ascends a slightly awkward hands-to-fist size cracks where your elbows or shoulders seem to get in the way.  Some may feel the rating a bit stiff, but apparently some solo the route (not me).

If you set up an anchor up and left, you can TR the challenging Offwidth Bulge to the left.

This route has the look of a moderate, but further investigation, reveals a powerful and thin crux.

Start laying down on a good left hand rail and right hand crimp. Find an obvious right foot, and do whatever works with your left. Pull up the face and arete of the boulder until you hit a swell pocket and, ultimately, the very good summit of this fine climb. Top out awkwardly.

Start sitting on a left hand sloper and a small, right hand crimp. Figure the feet out, and throw out right to the arete, trying not to hit the boulder behind you. Find a bad left hand, set yourself out, and gain the good jug at the top.

Start with your left hand in a small undercling and your right hand on a tiny crimp. The left foot is good, but pulling on requires tension. A sidepull and a sloper lead to a good hold. Paste your feet, stand up make an easy topout.

This is the old Hank Caylor project as noted in the Fixed Pin guidebook.  Start with a few finger locks and a crimp out left and gain some insecure jamming or double gaston action on decent feet.  Plug a piece and execute the difficulty crux to a jug, then move up on decent holds and place a creative piece or two and embark on the second crux to the tufa-esque feature and the jug on top.  Short but very sweet!

This was named after the album by the amazing and legendary Tom Waits....

The leftmost of the three main lines, Frank's Wild Years climbs a crack just left of the prow to a pumpy rising hand traverse.  This leads to a cramped rest in the corner, and then the crux -- a few campus moves on jugs.  There is an unclippable fixed wire here that is designed to keep the rope out of the crack -- please do not remove it.  Above this a no hands rest preceeds a final awkward lieback up slightly lower quality rock to a bolted anchor.

The crux is getting to the ledge. It has good fingers. There is sketchy rock to get to the anchor. Use a directional cam after the lower section to keep the rope out of the crack.

I have been playing around on the boulders up at Quarry on breaks between classes, and there seems to be some previously over-looked potential (unless this problem already has an ascent, in which case contact me and I will change the info accordingly).

Start with a left hand on a crimp and right hand pinching the arete. Smear the left foot and heel hook the right around the corner. Pull up to suspicious looking pinches (chipped?) with the right hand and good crimps and edges with the left. Deceivingly steep!

Walk off the back side.

Start matched on a good edge at head height and go up. There is some crappy looking rock on this one, but I didn't pull anything down. This is nothing special but good for a circuit. Let's face it, you are bouldering at The Quarry because you don't have time to go somewhere good.

This is a line that is probably ~100m west / left of the left end of The Quarry Wall routes.  There are a few lines over here, but mostly the routes peter out after 35-45 feet.  This one sort of catches your eye as you walk under it going to The Quarry Wall or to the East Quarry.  It may be easier for a smaller climber with smaller hands.

Start below a dihedral with a crack.  The crack seems to be tight hands to off fingers and a bit tight for the toes.  After about 35 feet, the climbing eases dramatically in difficulty, but you must go another 40 feet to top out.

Walkoff ~ 60m to the left with a short downclimb at the end.  It is a bit loose, so take your time.

Oh yeah, if this is your line, let me know, and I'll correct the info.

Finger Wrecker climbs a finger crack on the south side of the boulder.  The crack is sharp and painful, but the locks are great.  It can be made harder with a sit start but either way, it is only a few moves to the top out.

The problem climbs the east face of the boulder starting on the right by a hand crack.  Move up to the left on good edges to the top out.  Some of the edges look a little fragile so beware.

Start with your right hand on a sloping arete and your left hand on a crimp. Find thin foot holds, and climb up and across to a jug hold on the arete. From here, find a solid right foot hold in a yellow pocket, and push your left foot to a good incut. Stand, grab the sloper, and top out (don't fall).

Lowball! Start in mono for the right hand and on a crimp around left. An obvious low, crumbling slab of rocks down to the left is off. Work your way up both aretes, and establish yourself on the top rail. Traverse right until you can top out. Possibly this could be topped out directly, but I couldn't on this day; that would make it much harder.

This has mostly good hands and a move or two of .10a where it pinches down.  Join

Frank's Wild Years

where it cuts right (i.e., .11a/b).

Bone Crusher (sometimes referred to as Bone Collector) is the line to do on the wall.  It is the rightmost of the three climbs at the main wall (the one visible from the road) and offers continuously high quality, difficult climbing.

Begin in a slightly loose, difficult to protect slot and work up to good gear and a rest on a ledge out right.  From here some interesting moves lead up to another rest at a jug, and then the business begins:  Climb up to a small wedged flake below the steep, bulging wall above, and then jam and/or layback your way up the powerful splitter fingercrack to a stance in a slot.  A few more strenuous moves lead to a bolted anchor.

Good training for your free solo of

Moonlight Buttress

.

Start with your left hand on a blocky hold and your right on an okay edge, both around shoulder height. A cool pebble works for a foot. Make a long move to a good hold and a slopey dish to stand up over the bulge. Finish an easier topout. This is nothing special but good for a circuit. Let's face it, you are bouldering at The Quarry because you don't have time to go somewhere good.

Climb the handcrack for about 30 feet until it trends left and gets a little broken. At this point, step right onto the arete and climb straight up to a handcrack through a bulge. Follow this and face climb to the top. Belay from gear at the top. Scramble down and east to descend.

Stand start on the lieback rail. Find a small foot out right, ascend the seam, and find the jugs up high. Pull over the rounded top.

On the overhang facing south on the Culo Boulder, find the low, left hand crimp and low, right hand sloper on the east side arete. Figure your feet out, and work your way out to the tip. Pull over the top.

This is a 2 bolt direct start to "

Recession Arete

", joining the route at the 2nd bolt. Stick clip the 1st bolt. Vertical face & rounded arete moves lead up the prow with the crux at the 2nd bolt. Reach good holds, & make 3rd clip (2nd bolt on

Recession Arete

). Continue up "

Recession Arete

. The second crux of the climb is the crux of "

Recession Arete

", which is technical & slippery slab climbing.

This direct start was bolted on January 2, 2016, prior to the start of new JCOS bolting regulations. Thanks to Kirk Miller & Troy Tablock for their help.

Get off the ground and you're in the clear. The highlight is the low angle, lightning bolt crack up high. It is spooky and loose. Just don't pull outward.

This has a funky start, it is best to stick clip first bolt. Thuggy stemming leads to a slab crux, followed by a neat arete section and thin move to the anchor.

This starts on the same flat jug as

The Whale

but goes left to crimpy sid pulls. Flip the right hand, bump the left up, and toe scum the right foot to keep balanced. Cross your right hand to a slopey, crimpy, semi-gaston. Reach the left high to a tiny crimp, step up, reach the right to a horrible pinch, and see if your tendons hold out long enough to get you to the jug.

Silver Bullet is the 1st route left of the most obvious line (

Bone Crusher

) on the buttress.  It climbs a finger crack in a left-facing dihedral through a crux bulge and out a final roof to a double bolt anchor.

Start with a tricky boulder problem through flaky rock to a hand slot and the first gear. A good spot is recommended.  Then fingers for ~50, through a crux bulge and a final stance before the last 25 of climbing through a fun roof.

This was originally climbed to reach the ledge above the "

Recession Arete

", crack worming leads to a face move to the anchor.

Very bouldery route.  First crux can be done either in the crack (Jimmy and Mark's beta) or on the arete (my preferred way).  After this is a couple bolts of 5.10-ish climbing to a stance, then the second crux, pulling through the bulge to a gaston.  This is more powerful than the first crux but felt easier.

This is the supposedly easiest crack system in this area as of late 2008.  Find this loose, wide, double crack system in a slot.  The rock is quite loose and flaky, shedding pounds of rock even well after its first ascent.  Squirm into the fissure, stand on loose footholds, thrutch, arm bar, switch directions, and get established about 10 feet up.  Silt can and will cover that left jug inside.  Find easier climbing until you get to ~30 feet up.  Here, there are some decidely loose and threatening blocks lightly embedded in the shifting silt.  If wise, move left to finish as for the 9 route (

The Short Tour

) to the left up to a pair of Fixe rap bolts.

Note, getting to the anchors from above for a TR involves a belayed scramble down loose terrain.

Some may feel the rating a bit stiff (given in the guidebook), but apparently some solo the route (not me).

Addendum: the rating I listed comes from the guidebook.  I would up the rating.

This is the "perfect" hand crack, 4th route from the right in the Quarry area.  Throw in a #0.75 from the ground.  Start up on the left, left hand cross over jam, get your feet into the crack, jam slippery flared hands.  Mid-crack is probably the crux with a long reach to a mediocre jam.  Cruise to the Fixe rap bolts.

Others have also commented that this route feels stiff for a 9 (given in the guidebook). Apparently some solo the route (not me).  Personally, I thought it was hard for 5.9.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Quarry Wall