Riding on the Wind

Kind of a long and burley route considering the approach.   It was cleaned fairly well a couple of years ago.   There may be some stubborn shrubs that have re-established themselves.  The ratings reflect what we encountered on Windfall and Windchill and we felt keeping with that trend to be good.  i.e. 11- is hard.

1. Climb what is more or less a left facing flake for 100+ ft. 5.9

2. Charge the splitters to a flare eventually reaching a ledge.  10d

3. Hand jam and jam and jam and jam until a technical exit to the belay.  The gear is there at the end.   11-

4. Traverse left clipping a bolt and then up to another bolt. Choose the 4th class or 5.4 exit to the anchor.  5.9

5. Flareville.  The gear is there.   The moves are there too. 11a-ish

6. Long pitch.  Climb the face/arête feature clipping two bolts.  Move a bit right to a splitter.  Once through that, climb and reach out right to a finger crack and crank it.  Clip the bolt and head into the wide open corner with a seam.   Next head up through steep thin hands for a few moves, etc to reach the anchor.  The gear is there.  Belay on the comfort ledge.  Ahhh 10C

7. Big Red.   Go left over the pillar and climb up clipping the bolt.  Traverse right and gain the extremely overhanging 5.9 :-) hand crack.  Engage the flare until a roof is reached.  Exit out right of said roof and follow face holds to the semi-hanging anchor.   Savor the position.  10C

8. The business.  Climb up and clip a bolt, then reverse moves.  Traverse right using the sloping hand rail to reach a good edge to mantle on.   “Cameron’s Lament”.  Climb up to the roof and give it a rip.   Continue up face passing bolts to a layback crack eventually gaining a large flake.  Climb the flake trending to the right passing through some mungy crud to reach the belay ledge.   This pitch is rad, but the last 5.5 is the shittiest part of the route.  Oh well.  Hard 11b

9. Move left on ledge to another anchor.  Now for more business.   Clip bolt and then climb th steep face left of it until reaching another bolt.  Gain the crack and reach yet another bolt.   Once past it, climb gonger (no prob) rock until it turns to shit.   At this point there is a cool airy hand rail heading right on solid stone which deposits one at the base of a sweet overhanging finger crack.  Punch to anchors. 11b

10. Head up passing two bolts and keep heading up towards small pine.   There is a hidden hand crack next to the tree.  Climb it.   Eventually things turn to a left facing corner.  Climb roof and head up easy and lichen covered crack to anchors. 10b  Long pitch.

Y’all made it.  Nice work!

Descend by rapping with two ropes or walk off as for Wind Chill.

Here’s a motivational video:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=uYeAn…

Follow description to Tower of the Cosmic Winds.  Once there, keep heading left by crawling along ledge to gain the amphitheater

.  Please take care with this traverse.  It could kill you.

Once through walk for couple hundred yards following easiest path.  The start is a clearing and there is a small pine tree at its base.  See photos.

1 #4 Camalot

2 from 00 BD C3 to #3 Camalot

Set of nuts (offsets seemed good)

Couple of offset aliens (or the like) are nice. Blue/Green & Green/Yellow

Tag line for raps or go for it with one and walk down.

Offset nuts/micros and

1 gray C3 were also nice to have!