Velvet Revolver

Velvet Revolver is an excellent route that compares in quality to anything on the main Black Velvet wall. It has nearly perfect rock, excellent protection, and a dramatic steep pitch that offers great views of all the sheep waiting in line on the established classics to the left.

P1 (120’, 5.11b): From the table-sized starting ledge, climb up to an obvious right-facing undercling flake. Move out this and lieback up the side before gaining a incipient finger crack in perfect rock. Load up the very top of the crack with gear and traverse straight right and slightly down on unprotected face holds before continuing up to the bottom of another finger crack (and solid protection). Continue to a bolted, hanging belay at a tiny foothold (or link into the next pitch as the first ascentionists did).

P2 (140’, 5.10c): The finger crack trends up and slightly right from the belay, but there are two or three parallel finger cracks off to the left. You can follow any of these crack systems, but eventually you will need to move to the leftmost of these in order to reach the next belay. Traversing as early as possible will allow for the best quality and most uninterrupted climbing experience. At the top of the crack systems, step left to one-foot wide flat ledge, and then continue up a ramp to the left a few more feet to a hidden bolted anchor.

P3 (160’, 5.10d): Follow the right-facing flake up to where the wall steepens. Here, move up and left to gain a very steep crack that splits the headwall above. Follow this spectacular crack up to the right of an obtuse dihedral and set up a gear belay at a good foot ledge.

P4 (100’, 5.10c): Step left to the shallow corner and climb it. Above move into a second, short shallow corner and climb it before moving sharply left underneath a swath of oil-black varnish, stepping around the corner to the left and onto the massive Twixt Cradle and Stone finishing belay ledge.

Rap from here more or less straight down Twixt Cradle and Stone (though it is also possible to rap the route itself). We accomplished this with a single 80m rope but a 70m might work too. I'd recommend an 80.

NB: The bolted anchors on this route were added later by another party.

This route begins from a table-sized ledge down and right of the major chimney system of Twixt Cradle and Stone. You can access this by climbing the first three pitches of that route and then moving up and right - this might be the most enjoyable way.

We got here by initially following the approach to the far right end of the terrace (see approach description for The Velveteen Rabbit) and then doing a bushy and sometimes treacherous scramble back left across ledges above the terrace itself (fast but not recommended).

Single set of cams from tips to #3 Camalot. Doubles from tips to fingers. A full set of wired stoppers. 80m rope.