Between Nothingness and Eternity

1st pitch

: 8 bolts to belay. This pitch certainly has the most consistently hard climbing of all the pitches. I felt the harder moves were reasonably protected, but the pitch is definitely runout on the easier 5.10 sections.

For me there were 3 crux sections. The first crux is at the start of the climb, with thin-edge pulling and high-step commitment. The second crux is the footwork needed to get by the high angle chickenhead-downslopers near the 2nd and 3rd bolts (not too much for hands here--all footdancing).

The third crux (for me, the psychological crux) is 3/4 up the 1st pitch, just past a short, right-facing corner. Here,the climbing is not the most technical, but the bolt is 10-15 feet below you, with a nasty smackdown fall onto the lower slab. The move is going right from one downsloper to another. You can set up by crossing the left foot over the right foot, positioning on the furthest right aspect of the downsloper that you are on. A little layaway edge at shoulder height for the left hand that allows you to commit to the right lean/step. If you commit solely onto the left foot & hand, leaning right, you can place the right foot onto the downsloper about 4-5 feet away. It's far enough away that you have to give the shift a definite committing push. For me, this was the point where I was stuck between "failure and frustation;" going back and forth on that move, chasing away thoughts of the slab below, until finally committing to that step over.

2nd pitch

: Two alternatives here. The 1st alternative is up right on 5 or 6 bolts with some 5.10 climbing to another bolted belay. This connects to the upper pitch of Tobin's Dihedral & Close to the Edge. The 2nd alternative is up left on harder 5.10 climbing, and then left on 4 or 5 bolts to another bolted belay. Both options are followed by a third pitch of easier climbing to top.

Draws and Cohones