Checkpoint Charlie

One might think that at a wall with mostly 11s and 12s, the 5.10 down at the end might be a good warm-up. This is not always the case. C.C. is a bit physical and also a head-game.

I did a few laps on this one to clean it, and at this point, the route offers mostly good protection, mostly good rock, and a crux with flaring fingerlocks above a somewhat suspect flake into an off-balance overhang. The bush in the crux hand-crack is (mostly) gone, and I tested the flake as much as I was willing to with my belayer below, and it seems reasonably solid.

Start down and right on the wall, climbing a few face moves up the left side of a blunt arete to reach that crack. Establish yourself in said crack, and follow it to its end at an upward-protruding, 2" thick flake the size of a TV set. Get up and onto this, protect the crack above (1.25-1.5" cam), and do the awkward and "engaging" crux to make a transition onto the left wall. A hand-sized cam is handy to have as you exit the crux. Continue on up easier moves and within reach of a few of the bolts of

Checkpoint Bravo

to the left, keeping an eye out on the right for the shared bolted anchor for both routes.

At the far right side of Berlin Wall, the main wall is capped by a let-facing dihedral. The wall that forms this corner has a diagonal crack running up and left through it that joins the corner at a bulge. Checkpoint Charlie ascends the left-leaning crack and flake system to intercept the dihedral at a bulge. Climb this to an anchor just below the top of the wall on the right side of the corner.

A trad rack from 0.5-3.5" with doubles in 1.5-2.5" cams (2x purple to yellow Camalots) and a few longer slings.

The anchor up top is bolts with chains and requires a few extra slings.