Nine in Black

Fun climbing on fairly solid quartzite, with the occasional loose hold and plenty of loose, smaller rocks to keep your belayer paying attention.

Start up on positive edges, with a few small ledges on the way. Surmount a small roof (which looks harder from the ground than it turns out to be) and find yourself at a broken crack. The last bolt is to your right. Clip it and either climb up next to the crack or traverse right bit, climb over the bolt and up to the anchors.

This is a great first pitch for continuing up to the upper face of

Trilogy Buttress

, or this is a reasonable route in its own right.

After reaching the lower, south facing buttress containing the original, 5.6 first pitch of

Lord of the Slings

, continue around to the left looking for a bolted line on the wall to your right. On a face that faces more south than west the first bolt of this route is visible about 15 feet up and has a rusty patina.

9 bolts, hangers-and-rings anchor.