General Jack D. Ripper

This is a 1-star route on a 3-star tower. However, it goes at a relatively moderate grade, and it's protectable.

Start by standing in a thorn bush. Climb up a left-angling hand crack through somewhat manky white rock below an obvious triangular roof. Pull the roof on sharp holds and slither up to a ledge. By this point, your hands will probably be bleeding from the razor-sharp rock. Use some chalk to stop the bleeding, and continue climbing by traversing right about 10 feet on the ledge until you are below a rough slab with a crack with bushes growing in it. Climb up the slab / crack combination, trying to avoid grabbing the thorn bushes. When the bushes subside, the crack steepens, turns into an off-width, and goes through a roof. Pull the roof with a combination of crack and face technique (crux), and arrive on the surprisingly large summit.

The route is named for the character in Dr. Strangelove, but the General's last name is the key component. If you should attempt this route, you will understand why.

Locate the Tower (see main Tower page), then scramble around to the north side. Identify the start by finding a hand-crack in the middle of the face 10 feet below a triangular roof. The route climbs this crack and roof before veering west to finish in the bush-filled upper crack.

Cams BD sizes .3-3 with an extra #2; a #4 would be nice if you have one, but I managed without

Standard set of tricams (optional, recommended)

A couple alpine draws for reducing drag