Kama Sutra

The is the best of the trad crack climbs at Sleeping Beauty. It would be 3 stars if cleaner, but as is it is cleaner than the other crack climbs here. Rossiter calls the initial ceiling 10d. It felt about 10b to us--perfect, straightforward jams. I had more trouble higher up at the wide spot that Rossiter calls 5.9.

Start: At the left end of Ledge 2 is a "gap" in the ledge where you either have to traverse on the rock and squeeze behind a tree, or drop down about 8 feet and climb back up. Just left of this gap is a hand crack through the ceiling. This is the route. Just left of this the bolted

Lightspeed

climbs the same ceiling.

P1. The climb: Climb the ceiling on perfect jams and gear. Easier climbing follows the crack to where it gets wide. Use the #3 Camalot here. I thought the wide section was quite hard. I did a couple of fist jams. My partners used various other techniques. Rossiter says you can, instead, move left at 10c and up a flared hand crack at 5.9. I considered that.... 55 feet.

P2. Above the wide section, pass a small tree and then follow a very fun, thin, 8-ish crack that angles slightly left. There are lots of scoops,

etc.

for your feet, so it's more like face climbing with the crack for gear. The crack is slightly discontinuous, but there is good gear when you need it. There are quite a few grass tufts in the crack, but they do not detract from the climbing. At the top, when the angle eases way back, get a directional and angle left to the anchors on

Aerial Boundaries

and a comfortable belay. 100 or 120 feet.

Descent: Two raps from bolts with rings with a single rope or a single rap with two ropes.

Doubles from green Alien to #2 Camalot, single #3 Camalot and #3.5 (#4 Friend). Single set nuts to conserve your cams. 20 draws including some long slings should be plenty. Tape or crack gloves optional for the bottom third of the climb.