A Cut Above

From Ken Trout: Pat Ament and Christian Griffith made a movie about this route (available @ AAC Library). It had one bolt and was led that way. Later, someone chopped the route, leaving it to remain as a toprope. Rossiter documented the line such, and as such it has remained.

The holds on this route are small and some are savagely sharp. A Cut Above? Yeah, I got several cut above the first knuckle. I tried this in a post-desert-trip skin-peeling state and paid dearly. After 1/2 tries I went away with 1/2 dozen sliced, oozing fingers and without a clean TR. My partner (Peter Spindloe) got it, however. Thick finger pads are required.

There is no protection on this 25' line, but the crux is done with your feet between 5-10 feet off of the ground. After that, the climbing is easier.

About 15-20 feet right of the start of the first pitch of

Muscular Dystrophy

, set a TR (or crash pads) below the center of a vertical face with small holds. The area is accessible from a scramble on the right and a large pine tree provides a place for the TR anchor. Work your way up on difficult holds to the tree.

There isn't any. Still, the route's crux is reasonably close to the ground and the landing is flat. This is originally a T.R., but would make a reasonable boulder problem with a few crash pads, or a 'headpoint' after [rehearsal].