Blissful Banging

When me and my friend Bennett Carlson first paddleboarded into Bliss looking for new climbs this was the first one we developed. When we looked up this climb, we thought "Wow! If you brought a lady on this thing you're definitely getting laid!". The next day, eager to test the theory, I camped next to the water with a tall, pretty blonde girl. Sure enough, our idea from the day before was proved correct. "Blissful Banging" was born.

Routes and Ratings

5.8+

Although maybe not as nice as the other two variations, this one is a bit easier. Go straight up the pillar through the narrow hand crack on the bulge. Gear is thin at first, but turns bomber before and through the bulge. Step right onto an arete/ridge about halfway up the climb at a decomposing granite horn in the middle of the left facing corner. You can sling the horn for protection. Follow the arete up staying right with somewhat thin gear until you reach a crack system that leads to the anchors.

5.9+

The classic line. Go straight up the pillar through the narrow hand crack on the bulge. Come through a left facing corner and step left to an arete as soon as you can. Follow the arete a few meters to a good stance below a hand crack with the roof variation on your left. Pull through a small bulge/roof into the curving hand crack directly above the stance and follow it to the anchors.

5.10b/c

The roof line. Follow up to the same stance as the 5.9+ but step left over open air into some radical roof action. Go through the small roof into a beautiful hand crack, then traverse a couple feet to the right for the anchors.

Approach

From Lester Beach

• Head south on the rocks around the corner, and stay as close to the water as possible for about a half mile or 10-15 minutes. As you round the corner watch out for some nice cliff jumps into the water that range from 10-40 feet. The first climbs start at a cliff jumping rock with a thick knotted fixed rope and sometimes a rope ladder heading up the back. It's narrow, about 40 foot tall, and there is graffiti on the south side that says "rooster rock". The climbs "J'aime Bonpland" and "Blissful Banging" can both be found here.

From Rubicon Trail

To access the climbs using the trail, hike for about 5-10 minutes from the parking lot. After a few hundred meters you will come to a cool part of the trail with boulders on the right and a chain barrier on the lake side. Continue until you come up a small hill and find a lookout and a wooden bridge. Directly before the bridge (the north side) there are two trees on the lake side of the trail. Directly below the northern tree is "J'aime Bonpland" and below the southern tree are the anchors for "Blissful Banging". To access these anchors you can slide down an unconsolidated hillside under the lookout towards the top of "J'aime Bonpland" and then traverse south to "Blissful Banging". Also you can rappel off of either one of the trees directly to the bolts. If you choose to rappel DO NOT LEAVE SLINGS OR CORD ON THE TREES!!! Remove all your rappel anchor gear when you're done!!! They are an eyesore for the hikers on the trail, and the rangers have asked us to leave as little impact as possible. Please be respectful! If the tourists are stoked, the rangers are stoked, and we are stoked. Keep the stoke alive.

cams and nuts

Anchors are chains with mussys

70 METER ROPE REQUIRED