BETA FOR LUNAR ECSTASY V 5.9 C2+ (NW)

May 23-24, 1998

Rex Pieper
Brent Ware

Ahem.

After several explorations which resulted in me considering how lousy a swimmer I am, how heavy Fat Elvis (the big pig) would be when full of water, how fast the water was, a wet butt (mine), and frozen toes (mine), we decided to hike. It's two hours from the Grotto bridge. The crossing can be done, though. The Arizona fellows on Sheer Lunacy found a waist-deep crossing just downstream of the Angel's Landing pullout, after much probing. We probed about the same amount in the same place and didn't find it -- YMMV.

It's pretty obvious how to get to the base. Try to get your bags up to the highest third class ledges. You can haul from the obvious lower ledge with a 60m rope, but with a 50m you'll have to get the bags higher. In any case, it makes for easier hauling to get the bags up. The Sheer Lunacy teams hauled from the start of the free-climbing, but that looks way slabby to me.

P1

5.8+, 120' of climbing, 200' of hauling. I was stupid when I did this for Moonlight, and went up the hard way. Go way left, casual third class up ledges to a friction slab in a corner, rope up and start climbing there. Drop the haul line back down to your bags and haul straight up. Two good bolts and a bomber big nut placement. Big stance belay. Easy haul, if you rig the haul over the edge.

P2

C1 (or 5.9+, yeah, right), 120'. I don't see how this goes free at any reasonable level. Take the second crack right of the belay, which starts under a small roof. I used a red Lowe ball here. The first crack (shown in the Bjornstadt guide) leads nowhere. Couple of easy free moves at the end. Lots of small stuff, offsets, nuts, aliens. Two good bolts here, big stance. Okay haul.

P3

C1, 5.7, 50', but don't go thinking you can link it with anything else. Awkward chimney pitch, a grovel, very similar to the chimney pitch on Moonlight. My partner hooked here to get him out of the chimney somewhat. Crappy bolts, but it's a big ledge. Two bolt hangers and 3/8" nuts for the droopy hangerless bolts, and a .75 Camalot to back it up. Bitch haul, but short. The Arizona Sheer Lunacy team left their bags at the top of P1 and did one haul from there. Or kick your bags around the corner.

P4-5

5.9, C1+, 185'. Half-Moon Traverse. Easy well-protected free to an awkward mantle on a slopey shelf (P4). Lengthen your slings here to avoid rope-drag. Then offsets and nuts to bomber 3/8" hangerless bolts. Take bolt hangers if you like. Awkward mantle on a scary loose big block (P5). Farewell Ledge is a good biv for one. Easy haul.

P6

C2+, 145'. Lots of offsets, aliens, big offsets, up to #3 Camalot. Looks thin from the bottom, but it's all there. Bad first rivet with a tied-off baby angle driven on top, be prepared for it not to be there. Hanging belay. Good biv. Easy haul.

P7

C2, 120'. Yellow aliens, yellow aliens, yellow aliens. A couple-three greens, a couple of blues, a couple of orange TCUs. I had five sets, and still ended up running it out 20-30' in a couple of places. That makes up in excitement what the placements lack. Cam hook if you like. Hanging belay. Easy haul.

P8

C2+, 5.6 (mandatory), 150'. Probably ties the top pitch for the crux now. Big loose block set to kill your belayer if you were to be so stupid as to cam behind it. Lots of offsets and aliens (green). Gear to #3 Camalot, hook and mandatory free moves at the end. Semi-stance belay. Easy haul.

P9

5.6 (mandatory), C1, 100'. Offsets, a couple of aliens. The bolts on the left go to the Jarrett finish, which looks clean and aesthetic, but big. #2-4 camalots, might go mostly free?. Go right at the top for the regular LE finish. You can see two drilled angles from below; don't be suckered by the shiny new bolts to the left. Stance belay. Big ledge, good bivy. Hard getting the bags over the lip of the ledge. Lots of loose rocks on the ledge!

P10 (the last)

5.6, C2+, 150'. Free moves to C1 in less-than-stellar rock with a bad landing. Mid-section free moves are 5.6 only if you sling a chicken-head and traverse right to easier moves and a bomber bolt. Continue up corner (green/blue aliens) to a ledge. Then technical, crappy rock through a roof with another bad landing for 20' to the summit. Some offsets and many aliens, and offset aliens would be nice. Gear to #3 Camalot. Rig the haul over the edge or you will hate life. Big loose rocks on the summit!

Comments: Stellar route, very nice, same quality as Moonlight, and about one notch of difficulty harder. Very little fixed gear on the route, and about three fewer than there used to be. The toughest haul was the 50 miles on I-15 before Barstow on Memorial Day.

RACK

HB Offsets and CCH Aliens rule! You will think this climb is much harder without them.

1-2 black aliens (or Lowe balls?)

3-5 ea blue, green, yellow aliens or same size TCUs.

• A mix is nice. We had 5 sets and still back-cleaned significantly.

3 red aliens or orange TCUs

2 ea #0.5, 0.75 Camalots

2 ea #1,2 Camalots

1 ea #3,4 Camalots

3-4 sets HB offsets.

1 ea 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 tri-cams

1-2 sets of nuts

1-2 sets of medium offset HB nuts

1 red Lowe ball

1 grappling hook

1 set of camhooks, flavor to taste

6 rivet hangers or bolt hangers

6 3/8-20 machine nuts

A hammer is useful for cleaning. The Jarrett finish looks to require more in the #1-4 Camalot range.

Descent: West Rim Trail to the Grotto picnic area. Very casual. One hour.