- Edit (TBD)
Description
This is an interesting route that should only be lead by people who have reached the Journeyman status on 5.10s. It is runout to the point of danger, and the moves are both insecure and complex in spots. The available gear is not necessarily of high quality, and the rock is questionable in a few places, making indiscriminant power moves a bad option. Nonetheless, the climb is good fun and the moves are unique and interesting. To locate the climb, find the [base] of the
Tilted Mitten
up & right from the low [point] of the lower Twin Owls rock.
P1 (5.8, 80' S/VS): Climb up a steep seam/shallow corner on a few positive flakes on the left, using features [on the] right as needed for feet, a few small nuts (brass, #4 BD stopper) may protect the flake you climb to on the right, provided that they don't blow out the shallow placement in the granulated flake. About 5 meters up you will reach a one-meter hanging crack section in which you can place a hand-to-fist-sized cam just before passing a rectangular, hanging pillar. Head up and left on easier territory and run it out to the ledge above. Most of this pitch will be runout with ground-fall potential, albeit from easy (5.4?) moves on the upper half. On the large ledge, move right and belay below an obvious, broken roof.
P2 (5.10a, 100' S/VS): Just a meter or two to the right of the left edge of the flake/roof you will see a solid section of rock. A foot-tall pile of black bird-poo sets on a [pedestal] just left of this point. Avoid it. Climb up and over the bulge onto solid holds, You could sling a positive horn here, but I didn't see any other pro, so this might be your only decent pro before mantling up onto the flake and small ledge. Check that horn again and make sure the sling will stay. Traverse left (easy) for a few meters, then continue traversing left (5.9, but secure) until you are on a single positive hold over-head and some bad feet. A crux flake is out to the left. You are now a few meters up and over from the slung horn and not too far from the ledge you started on, so don't fall. Make the move to get established on the flake and into it well enough to place gear (crux, S/VS). Rest up and start climbing upward with solid gear and solid moves. The climb is OK from here. After a few meters the climb goes right again on a shoulder of rock and over to a low-angle 40' hand-to-fist crack and up to the ledge above.
Better yet, TR the darn thing from the top of the crack above, which is almost directly above the crux anyway. That's what I did, [because] I am a big sissy.
Protection
Not very good gear on either pitch, and probably why it is an unpopular route. [Some] brass nuts and cams to 3"
Routes in Twin Owls
- 31Senseless Meaning5.10aTr · Trad