Mountains Out of Molehills

This is a reasonably good route for advanced climbers who are very confident at the grade. It does wander a bit, but since it has a little bit of everything along the way, technique-wise, this feels good. Protection is lacking in some areas, particularly after the traverse, and a fall from near the top would be quite bad. Luckily that is not really the crux. It is Eldo PG-13, or maybe R.

Start off in the right-facing corner, and head on up moderate terrain on so-so (at best) gear to get established in the corner. Easy moves cruise up to the bulge and into a right-traversing crack and flake. Place good gear, and head out to the right on the flake, which is more or less a hand traverse but very positive. The crux comes at the end of this traverse, perhaps (if wise) after placing another piece of gear. Do not scrimp on gear here, as this is the last opportunity for good gear for a little while.

Go through an interesting crux and up onto the right hand side of the rib of rock, just left of the arete, and climb slab and face with a short, vertical section to the top. A very long cordalette was key to getting a solid and easy belay anchor.

This route lies just uphill of the

Tombstone

area, a voluminous overhang split by a jam-to-wide crack. After passing under this and then the 'Bowling Alley' gully (recognizable by the 6' diameter 'bowling ball' wedged up top), there are a few ribs of climbable rock isolated between junky, broken down areas.

The first of those ribs holds a splitter thin hands crack that pops through a roof up high. That is

Prime Time Climb

.

The second rib holds the routes Mountains Out of Molehills and Molehill Direct. These both start in the right-facing corner and part ways about 10 meters up where a horizontal crack and flake splits out to the right for a hand traverse.

Mountains Out of Molehills takes that hand traverse and finishes up on the right hand arete of the rib.

A standard light rack form small stoppers to medium cams. The top anchor I used was a very long cordalette around a huge boulder.