Harbinger Scarab

Harbinger Scarab is one of the best of the grade at the New River Gorge, but it doesn't receive many attempts, probably because it requires the placement of a couple pieces of gear. The route follows an obvious line up a pillar, out an eight foot roof, then up the steep headwall to the top of the cliff.

Begin ten feet left of the bolt line and make your way up and right through a selection of good hidden hand holds. Two small cams should get you safely to the first bolt. I recommend clipping the first bolt, down climbing and then cleaning the second cam to reduce rope drag. Continue up the double arête feature on consistently good sidepulls. Get a nice restful stance at the base of the roof and do your best to decipher the cryptic sequence. This crux can feel anywhere between V3 and V6 depending on the quality of your beta. After overcoming the initial difficulties of the roof campus out and easily clip the bolt around the lip. It's nice to have a bit of a tight belay here as there is some potential to land in a sharp tree.

Rest up at the base of the headwall and then get ready to race through 30 feet of long aggressive moves. There are a couple of nice rests in the last couple bolts. You'll want to conserve energy for the off balance pocketed crux just below the anchor. This is a really long pitch so don't screw it up on the last move!

Expect the headwall to be a little dirty and adventurous. The route gets morning shade.

Look for the pillar feature and giant roof. The first bolt is 30 feet off the ground.

Two small cams for the beginning. Bring long slings for Bolts 2 through 4. 10 bolts + anchor