Beer Gut

Start: Scramble 50' or so up the easy slabs and belay off gear in a small right-facing flake-corner.

P. 1: Easy slabs with little protection, up to a bolted anchor on top of a flake. 5.3, 200'.

P. 2: Friction up and left into the large right-facing corner. Follow this to a ledge with a bolted anchor. This is a fun pitch and way easier than it looks from below. 5.6,160'.

P. 3: Climb up the steeper wall directly above the belay, stepping first a bit left and then back right, to join a smaller right-arching corner and crack system. Follow the crack until it fades out, at the base of a field of big knobs. Climb the knobs (not hard, but no protection to speak of) up and a bit left to a ledge and bolted anchor. 5.7-, 170'.

Rappel the route with two ropes. The crack system continues up through the summit visor, but the rock quality deteriorates a bit.

A quality route. Rated 5.8 in the Falkenstein guide; we thought it was more like 5.7-, though thought-provokimg in spots.

Follow the JMT to where the North Buttress slab is obvious just a few yards left of the trail. Head left about a hundred yards to low-angled slabs. The most distinctive feature of the route is a large right-facing, right-leaning corner that forms the second pitch. The third pitch ends under the large, obvious summit visor; the route does not summit the formation.

Standard rack to 3" including some thin cams. Two ropes for the rappels. Belay/rap anchors are bolted.