Amazing splitter, very aesthetic line. It is overhanging, dry in light rain and hard work for every foot of it 82 ft length.

Climb started from big ledge( approach from right)

crux first 3 moves passing fingers, off-fingers and super-tight hands - to good hand jam.

Than dream hands ( yellow cam size) .

Than wide pod 4-4.5" inches wide and about two body length , which can be crux for some ( rated 10c)

If you do levitation with your right knee above left ( right side in) it can be right rating.. My knee is not big , but it was not in, I did more like calf lock and hands stacks.

After the ow pod climbing continue about 20 more feet of 5.9-5.10

Kauk-kulator

The Notch Route

Le Bachar

The North Face

Alien Finish

Static Cling

Blind Faith

Pitch for pitch, this route is as good as the Regular Route...if only it got more traffic! Be careful of loose rock and crispy flakes on this at all times.

Pitch 1 (5.11d): Just to the right of the crux pitch of the Regular route is a finger- to off-finger crack. While slightly less steep than its neighbor, the awkward size and poor feet make it considerably harder. Climb this and then switch cracks, continuing up to a 2-bolt belay in a bay bush.

Pitch 2 (5.10b): Climb flakes up to a slowly widening crack, starting with hands and going all the way to 5". Continue past the small roof and build a gear anchor right after this in a finger crack. This pitch is hard for the grade (I suggest 5.10c) and takes all sizes of gear.

Pitch 3 (5.11a): Climb up to the enormous, can't-miss-it offwidth. Sustained armbarring and eventually stacking will get you to where it pinches down to hand-size. Carefully traverse left to the Pitch 6 belay on the Regular route. You'll want to pull out all of the wide arsenal for this. The guidebook says 5.11a but I thought it was about 5.10d.

From here, you have several choices for your 4th pitch.

Option 1, leftmost: This pitch is called the Excellent Adventure. I haven't done this, but it takes you up a finger crack to the Rostrum Roof. (5.13)

Option 2, center: This is pitch 7 of the Regular route, starting up the Guano cave, up to the hanging flake, then  continuing up and left into a very overhanging corner with pumpy handjamming. (5.11b)

Option 3, rightmost: This is the original Blind Faith finish. Start as with the handcrack, but when you get to the hanging flake bust right into a flare. Belay at the top of this or if you like, continue up the P8 offwidth to the top. (5.10d)

Pitch 5:

Option 1, leftmost: Original Regular route finish. Don't really know much about it except that it goes at 5.12b.

Option 2, center: The Alien finish. Also 5.12b.

Option 3, rightmost: Depending on how you did the last pitch, you may or may not have to traverse under the roof until you are standing at the base of a right-facing corner. This offwidth leads to the top and is guarded by an awkward entry move. (5.10)

A classic picnic route, and the easiest way to access the top of the Rostrum.

Rappel 75 feet from trees into the notch between the South Rim and the Rostrum. Establish a belay on a comfortable ledge. Step boldly right onto a rounded arete, with 1,500 feet of air beneath your heels. Take a moment to enjoy the incredible exposure, then jam your way up and left to the top of the Rostrum.

Unless you are using a tyrolean to get back to the rim, rappel 70 feet from bolts back into the notch. Climb an easy, right-facing corner back to the rim.

As you approach the base of the North Face, this will be the obvious corner just to the right of the first rappel. Lots of people have probably looked at it, but judging from the lichen, no one has climbed it in several years. Rap in to a sloping ledge with a bolted anchor at the base of the corner, then lead back out. You could also set some directionals and mini-traxion it if you wanted.

Starts with some good finger locks, then becomes really shallow and flared. Requires some "laybacking" as the name suggests. Placing pro is tricky, hard to see, and super strenuous. After pulling over onto a ledge, continue up the corner and gully on rock that is carpeted with lichen. Mantel out left at the very end to regain the ledge at the top of the rappels.

I ran a wire brush down the main corner crack, but it still needs a lot of cleaning. Most Bachar FA's have gotten their ratings upgraded in guidebooks over the years. This is one of those obscure routes, like Moongerms, which has had few repeats and still retains the "old-school" rating (5.11b in the Reid Guide). For what it's worth, this is much harder than the Kaukulator, Blind Faith, pitch 4 of N Face, Uprising, and probably even harder than the Alien Roof.

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.

The Alien variation to the North Face of the Rostrum is the deluxe finish to this already magnificent climb. From the final belay alcove, place a .75 and pull the insanely steep splitter roof. Clip a couple bolts, find a rest on the massive flake and then down climb to a crimp that allows access to the splitter of the original finish via a leftward traverse.

Not located on the Rostrum proper, it's on the main wall to the right of the West Base route. As you hike down the Rostrum descent gully, just before reaching the Kaukulator and rappels, this hanging flake will be on the right.

Start by underclinging a wide crack (not easy to protect) and then pull over into a gully. Ascend the gully to a big flake and undercling left again. Lieback the edge of the flake then traverse right to rap slings on a big flake/horn.

Awkward climbing, and the rock is sort of shit.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Ba. The Rostrum