The North Face

The Rostrum is a truly rad climb. Every pitch is high quality and would be sought after individual classics were they at any crag, but stacked on top of each other they create a superb and memorable challenge. The climbing is secure, well protected, and physical.

Park at the pullout along the stone wall, or just past it at a dirt pullout. Follow the trail(which begins just west of the stone wall) down past some slabs and on to an obvious rappel point on a tree. Two more raps (all with a single 60m) take you to within 25 feet of the base.

P1: Ascend a large left-facing crack/flake system to a final 5.8 squeeze chimney with a wild exit move. Belay above the maw at bolts. It helps to step left at a tree halfway up this pitch. 5.9.

P2: Three options.

1): Downclimb ten feet and traverse left to a thin crack system. This traverse is balancey with minimal hands and sloping feet. Climb back up until level with the belay, place gear (black Alien helpful) and punch it up the thin layback/fingerlock crack until it is possible to stem right to a flake at which point the climbing eases. Continue to a belay stance on blocks with a good pin. 5.11a.

2): Ascend the aforementioned left-facing flake straight up from the belay. This goes at 5.10- and is R without large gear. It appears extremely secure, however.

3): Ascend a 5.10d flare to the right of the belay. This looks less appealing than the previous options.

P3: A long pitch. Perform a difficult layback move off the belay up into the hand crack system. Climb amazing steep hands to a roof, lieback and jam up through the roof, and up yet another awesome handcrack to a final stretch of jugs that lead to the halfway ledge. Belay at a pin on the ledge. 5.10.

P4: The crux. Climb an easy ramp to a stance immediately below the pumpy but locker splitter finger crack. Up this for 25 feet to a thank-god hand jam and rest stance. It's hard to fully recover here unless you can get your knee in, but I suggest getting as much back as you can. Launch into an extremely pumpy layback flake, past a pin, for another 20 feet. The pump is cumulative but complete recovery is possible if you can pull over the top. Clip the optional anchor and traverse straight left to a right-facing wall with a steep 5.9 hand crack. Follow this up to a bolted belay. 5.11c.

P5: Two options.

1): Continue up the steep, slick right-facing corner with good jams separated by long reaches. Pull around a small roof at the top. Belay at bolts. 5.10d.

2): "The Uprising". Step right and climb the sick, overhanging hands & fists crack up the face right of the traditional line. If you climb the Uprising, it makes a lot of sense to link it into the next pitch. 5.11.

P6: Take the big cam out of the pack. Tricky face climbing right leads to a steep crack on the arete. At the top perform a difficult crack switch move to gain the 5.10 offwidth. Solid knee locks, hand stacks, and pushing of a 4.5 Camalot (#5 C4) over your head will get you to the top. I found it quite enjoyable, but others have called it the crux. There is a bolt and other small pro available on this pitch, and strong OW climbers could do without the large cam -- but since you need it for the standard final pitch (and can place it on many other pitches), you may as well bring it. Also, it makes for a truly stupendous pitch to link this OW into the next pitch -- just save your hand-size cams. Otherwise, belay at bolts. 5.10.

P7: Three options.

1. The traditional (and apparently best) line is to mantle through a bit of bird shit and then climb up to a large, fin-shaped feature that sticks straight out of the wall. Ascend the left side of this with wild jams to some great stem rests. Belay at a bolt in the alcove under the final headwall. Soft for 5.11b.

2. Supposedly it is also possible to ascend the right side of this fin at 5.10d but it doesn't seem as good.

3. There's also the "Excellent Adventure" variation but I didn't even look at it. I think that, as you climb up next to the fin, there's a finger crack out left that can be followed diagonally up to under the final headwall. 5.13?

P8: Three options.

1. The most common finish is to traverse straight right on easy ground, then up into a final 5.9 offwidth. There is a difficult (5.10+) move to gain the OW, but once you're in it it is rather easy (especially compared to the offwidth below). Your big cam will protect the first half of the crack, but be warned that if you leave it behind the rope frequently will drag the cam irretrievably into the crack. It's better to use it as long as possible, then pull it out, and gun for the top -- do not fall. Belay at a fixed anchor on a tree.

2. The Alien Finish heads straight out the roof at 5.12b. From under the roof it is possible to place a 0.75 Camalot to protect the initial moves. These involve powerful moves from a great jam to a good undercling to either a thin finger jam over the lip or a flake. The difficulties continue beyond this as you ascend twin finger cracks up the steep headwall. Eventually you must switch cracks (by some bolts) to the original finish -- it is possible to switch cracks lower down at an obvious chalked up flake. The upper part of the pitch is sustained rattley fingers -- save gear for this!

3. The original finish is just left of the Alien and is also 5.12b. I haven't climbed it and don't know too much about it, other then that you hand traverse left under the roof to access it (or do the "Excellent Adventure").

From the summit block, rap down into the notch, then do 35 feet of 5.4-5.5 up the other side to get back on the trail up to the road. It's also worth noting that if you want to only do the top half of the climb, or need to bail after the first half, passage to and from the trail and halfway ledge is possible via a short 5.6 traverse.

Double set of cams from fingers to wide hands. Include one tiny (black Alien) piece, and one large (#4.5 Camalot/#5 C4) piece. Single set of wires. Half a dozen draws & a couple slings.