Earache My Eye

Tape up for this stout route. This is the 3rd of the three area routes rated 5.10c, **. Each of these is similar in some respects, those being the thuggishness of the cruxes, the roughness of the rock, and the hand-size dependence of the grades. For this route, large hands probably have the advantage, as there is a gap in the wide-hand to fist section of the crank where it gets wider and is difficult if you rattle around in it. For that reason, some folks may find it difficult for 5.10c.

Start off in the crack just right of a shallow, right-facing corner, and climb up next to a 4' pine. Place a bit of gear, and head up and left over the pine into the corner. Place another piece of gear, and head up and into cracks above, sometimes to the right of the corner still.

A good rest comes just before the crux section. Stem up and into an overhang, placing some small cams up overhead, and then lean out and left into shallow thin-hands jams. On the last ascent, I removed a wobbling chockstone that made room for much better hands and a 2.5" piece. Continue up a steepening crack that goes to 3" and then fists to rattly fists, then back to 3". For most, this will be the true crux of the climb. Fight your way into a squeeze chimney in what has become a left-facing corner. A #6 Camalot can be placed at the back of this overhead before stepping out and right onto the face with shallow pockets and crimps, but it is probably not worth taking in retrospect. The climbing here is not so hard, the squeeze section has a great rest, and other gear is available soon thereafter.

Continue up on good stems and holds/jams to the top, placing a medium stopper in a crack on the right side wall before topping out to avoid sharp or loose rocks on the edge.

A large boulder up top is easy to sling with a long cordalette.

To descend, scramble left 10 meters out to left and over to find the 2x bolts at the top of

Violator

, and rap 31meters to the ground. A 70m rope makes this with ease, and a 60m would probably reach, or be close enough to be safe, I think.

This climb starts about 10 meters left of

Shot

and

Violator

, just a few feet right of a shallow, right-facing corner. Place gear overhead, work left into the right-facing corner above a small pine tree, and place some more gear, then progress upward and left towards a hanging left-facing corner above, formed where an overhanging crack shows a 3-4" section. This is the crux. Continue up and onward into the corner into a squeeze-chimney then out of that and to the top for a 100' total.

A single set of stoppers plus cams from tips to #4 Camalot. A #6 can be placed at the top of the squeeze chimney, but the climbing there is not very hard, and other protection is soon thereafter available. Doubles in hand to fist sizes would be useful. A long cordalette makes the belay from a boulder up top very easy.