N. VALLEY MASSIF T O P O
N. Valley Massif
The North Face
** Route Details Soon ............. ** NEW ROUTES
**N.W.
ANNEX SEE BELOW !
1.) Soft Touch 5 Classic at its grade. Two or three pitches. Bolted rap, 2 ropes to the ground.
**New bolted route here ... 'Bachelor Party' 11c Traverses right out of Soft Touch, about 50 feet above first horizontal break - FOLLOWS THE GREEN LINE IN THE ABOVE TOPO. Find three bolts below the big bulge and then it goes vertical (4 bolts) to the top. Watch the runout crux after the third bolt! Bolted top anchors. NOTE: Two 60's to the ground.
2.) Tea Grinder 8 Both #2 and #3 start together, but have discretely different endings. TG bears left and there's a short section of offwidth at the end.
3.) Screw 7 See #2. Screw bears right and the first pitch ends near a headwall. The second pitch is nearly perfect 5.6 hands - shown in the photo.
4.) Monkey Wrench 10a Just a few feet right of Screw, climb a 25' offwidth to a shelf, then go up a right leaning crack to its top and belay. You can downclimb or go for the last pitch of #3.
5.) Button 8+ The topo shows the close relationship of routes #5, 6, and 7. Button is the leftmost crack.
6.) Snap 8 The middle of three cracks.
7.) Zipper 8+ Bottom pitch is a wide (OW) groove to an unconventional ramble. The top pitch is perfect 5.7 hands. First shot is Mat Shoeck on the first pitch. Second shot is Thad Romney on the top pitch.
** A new bolted line is found LEFT of the top pitch of Zipper called 'Best Man' (10d). It follows the green line on the topo. Its a super, challenging line..... Belay on ledge above on gear.
** CAUTION: There's a bolted line to the RIGHT of the top pitch of Zipper that has NOT been completed. Don't get stuck.
8.) Hammer 8+ Offwidth with two bolted belays.
9.) Tool or Die 9 Starts from the top of the first pitch of #8. Go slightly right and up to a nice handcrack.
10.)
11.) Nail 7
12.) Internal combustion 9 Stay on the underside of the giant flake.
13.) Whaling on Napalm 11c A bolted challenge on crystals and somewhat runout. Take a couple of small wires and the 2 smallest Camalots to sneak in when/if you can. The belay is on gear in a hand sized crack, so take pro for this.
14.) New Maps of Hell 12b One bolt protects the whipper(s) you'll most likely take on this one.
* * * N E W * * *
The Valley Massif - NW ANNEX
A set of moderate routes was just put in ('02) on the west end of the Valley Massif on its north side - see the first phototopo above. Most are short, but one is longer (#1) and two in particular can get pretty testy (#1, 3). There's a Fixe Ring anchor set at the top of #5 and a (new) sling - rigged anchor at the top of #3. If you make it to the top of #1, go right to the end of the formation, go left up a ramp and then hike back across the top (N) of the formation and use the raps down the N. Side ("Hammer Raps"). The second phototopo shows detail of routes 1-4.
1.) Has Anyone Told You 10c Three pitches of challenging jamming. P1: start in the cleft separating the Annex from the main formation, go up a right leaning crack using big pro (10a). P2: take on a short, but stout wide crack ( 'b' on second shot above) that you'll probably end up stacking (10c). P3: Go 20 feet left and find another crack ( 'c' on second shot above) to an offwidth trough (9+). Belays all on gear.
2.) Another One 9+ Similar to the first pitch of #1, just easier. NOTE: You must do P2 of #1 from here to get off - using the rap indicated at the top of #3. Or do both top pitches of #1.
3.) Somebody's Secret 11b Take on a bottomed out crack to the shelf above. Finish up a short water groove to the rap station. Its been done before, nobody told.
4.) Fiddle Fingers 9 A short, but fine finger crack is found just around the corner from #3. Finish up the water groove of #3.
5.) Your Choice 9 Start below a large, wedged in boulder, climb either side and find a stellar little crack. There are two ways to finish the climb, left or right, and both go at the grade. Fixe Rings at the top.
6.) Thin But Fat 9+ Starts as a nice jam crack but thins out to nothing prior to a shelf. Then it continues as a wide fist and hand eater to the top. You can belay on the anchors on #5, or on gear. :-) Photo by Stacy Bender.
7.) Wayward Journey 8 Most of the route goes at 7 or less. This wandering journey begins in a 10" wide slot and continues up over two shelves. Go left, up and over a popcorn boulder into an offwidth with a move or two at 5.8. Belay up top on gear.