A sustained climb that criss-crosses over Intimidation. 

  The following history is excerpt from Webster's Third Edition of Rock Climbs In The White Mountains. 

  "The climb has one of the most-colorful histories of any route in the area. To insure that the facts are recorded with some degree of accuracy, the story will be told in full. While cleaning the route on rappel in 1976, Ed Webster placed a bolt on the final slab, then was unable to even climb up to it. Everyone got a good chuckle out of this, but the best was yet to come.   Several years later, just for fun, Alain Comeau and several conspirators "borrowed" ten speed bicycle, rappelled down, and hung it off the offensive bolt, no doubt as a warning against any future ethical slippages! Paul Ross even went so far as to sneak Webster's camera along to photograph the event for posterity. But-as fate would have it- John Bragg @ Jay Wilson were climbing INTIMIDATION later that very same day. One can only imagine their incredulity upon noticing a ten speed bicylcle suspended out in the middle of a blank wall, and the subsequent argument over who saw it first! The bicycle was speedily rescued, albeit on a top-rope.   When the conspirators discovered the premature rescue of the bicycle, it was seized from Bragg and Wilson, and returned to its ignominious perch for the second time in the same day! There it remained for about two weeks until Webster finally rescued it-and alas, the poor bicycle was never quite the same again. On September 23, 1980, Ed Webster @ Susan Patenaude made the routes first ascent, but found an easier way around the famous bicycle bolt."

 P.1 Climb the first pitch of Intimidation, the left of two right facing dihederals. Layback up the corner to a bolt under a roof, then step left (tres cool) and up to a good belay ledge 90' 5.10b 

  P.2 Up the corner, to a bolt on face above, then up flake to a belay ledge on the right. 60' 5.11b 

  P.3 Jam up the 5.9 hand crack to a tree ledge. 70' 5.9 

  P.4 Climb a short 5.9 crack to a belay ledge on Intimidation 30' 5.9. 

  P.5 Follow the right-diagonaling 5.9 crack on Intimidation to an overlap. Traverse left, then pull over it (pitons) to the upper face. Belay on left. 5.11b 

  P.6 Face climb up a groove (long runout), angling right to Intimidation. 5.10bR 

  P.7 Climb the dike (easy) on Intimidation to the woods.

The Bicycle Route

Candidus/Frenchman's Fury

White Eye, pitch 1

Passing Thoughts

Antline

The British Are Coming

Abrakadabra

Forest of Fangorn

Intimidation

Colonial Ambush

Angel's Freeway

Fortitude, Pitch 1

This route is Killer!!! Intimidation is a full-length route up an intimidating wall and none of the pitches will let you down. This is one of the best multi-pitch 5.10s in NH. 

  The moderate climbing between the cruxes can be a bit run out, and though the hard parts can be scary, they are protected well enough (maybe PG13). The only real R rated climbing is the second pitch traverse and it goes at 5.8. 

  Pitch one: (5.10b) Start up the moderate ramp system heading toward the corner/crack. Sling two nuts together (I use #10 stoppers) and use them to reach a good high placement before making the moves in to the crack. Without this trick, the pitch is R rated for sure.   Continue up the corner and gain a well deserved rest and a bolt. The crux in my opinion is making a move left after the bolt using crimps to make a big reach and throwing a heelhook up to mantel. From here, climb moderately to the 2 bolt anchor. 

  Pitch 2: (5.8R) Climb up and clip a pin before making a hair-raising traverse left away from your gear. The climbing is slabby and gets harder as you move left until you get a thank god hold. You can then get a marginal placement to protect your second by climbing back above the traverse and placing a cam in a pocket...This gear is not great so don't bring a second that is not solid on 5.8 friction. 

  Pitch 3: (5.9+) Climb up above and to the right from the tree ledge gaining a thin crack with some tricky moves involving some face climbing. After you reach a good ledge, continue up a corner to a kick ass right leaning crack that leads to a small stance where you can belay. 

  Pitch 4:(5.9+) Continue up the right-leaning crack (harder than it looks) and up over a steep section and on to easier climbing. Follow the path of least resistance up and left until you are on a slab with a couple of dikes in it. Some paths up this part are more well protected than others, so choose wisely your route. Belay from the trees or step right and belay from a 2 bolt anchor. 

  Walk off to the right (north).

To the right of the british there is an overhanging wall.  You will see a bolt up high before you get to the vertical seam on the british.  Nail up the incipiant seam/crack to the bolt, move back left to join the british.  Makes for a great direct start.

The first trad route right of the cave, beginning just right of Molsen's Madness (the obvious right to left traversing bolted crack).  Climb from the right side of the cave onto a large ledge.  Getting off the ledge is the crux of the route, followed by some great crack climbing after a traverse left crimping across a flake.  Follow the crack to a fixed pin anchor.

Neglected by most, Passing Thoughts climbs a stunning feature 200' off the deck. Start this pitch on the P3 belay ledge for Repentance. Look up and right to the beautiful double hanging corner system split by a thin crack that takes bomber pro. Scamper across the gully and up the easy slab (5.6R) to gain the base of the first corner and plug some gear. Step up under the first roof and pull through a hard move to get established in the next corner. Continue up the corner and out the next roof to a pumpy variable sized crack. Just keep jamming, pop over the lip and take a breather. Then finish up an easy, but dirty slab to a fat ledge above Angel's Freeway. Belay at a big tree. 

  The best way out from here is to climb up a very dirty corner right of the belay, and then continue way left to the last belay of Repentance, or keep leading up the class 3 pine needle gully and belay in the woods at the top of the cliff.   Descend to the right on the climbers trail.

Antline is a route that deserves more traffic for sure. Great varied climbing on nice rock. The ledges are also super nice, so just get on it already. 

  This is an easy route to describe but a very hard one to rate. The popular rating is 5.10a though none of the climbing seems harder than 5.9. This would be all fine and good but the route starts at the top of the first pitch of Intimidation which is stout 5.10b. So to me, you don't want to get on this one unless you can climb hard Cathedral 5.10b. But this is the end of my ramble on the grade here comes the description of this awesome climb... 

  Pitch 1: (5.10b) Climb the first pitch of Intimidation to a 2 bolt anchor. 

  Pitch 2: (5.9) Step right from the anchor to a super exposed position on the left end of the big roof above Intimidation's 1st pitch. Follow cracks and face moves with good pro to a ledge. Climb way in to a really cool squeeze chimney (I faced left and it was super awkward and hard. My second faced right and it was much easier for him>) Climb the chimney to an exit and up a crack to the tree ledge. 

  Pitch 3: (5.9) Climb nice cracks on the right side of the ledge past a birch tree to a nice anchor at a small and exposed ledge on the right. 

  Pitch 4: (5.7) Head left to hook up with the last pitch of Intimidation. Follow the line of least resistance to the final dike up the slab. Look for pro on the slab. It looks run out but it takes some good small gear.

I am only describing the first pitch as it seems the upper pitches are rarely climbed. For more info on the upper pitches please consult Webster's guide.  

  Just right of Intimidation, climb an open corner (5.7). Exit onto a sloping ledge below an open right facing corner. Use a variety of techniques to get through the corner and finish with a fun mantle to a two bolt anchor w/rings. There are two pins in the right side of the corner and a bolt protecting the middle of the corner.

P1-just left of the cave there is a right slanting crack that unfortunitly has a couple bolts next to it.  Clean gear/nailing up this short overhanging wall gets you to a stance at another inside corner, follow this up for 15' till you get to a horizontal seam.  Nail this (blades, thin LA, rurp's) to the vertical crack coming out of ballhog.  Follow this to the anchor.  The anchor could still use some work, we added a bolt to the fixed bong and nut. A3 P2-Nail up and left out the overhanging wallup a slightly rotten flake.  Follow the flake till it ends then free climb/hook/nail over to the ledge at the end of the pendulum undercling pitch. A3 P3-Climb down and right along the ledge till it ends, attempt to protect, then hook and nail up a 15'wall to a ledge and a fixed bong rappel point, lower into the cathedral direct chimney till you gain a crack system on the right hand wall.  Free climb up this and over to Bonfire. A3 5.6 (scary) P4-Off the extreme left side of the bonfire ledge there is a second chimney to the left of cathedral direct.  Think vertical kitty litter buttcrack.  Chimney and aid (there is a thin rotten crack on the left hand side) up this for 50' till you get to a small ledge with an OLD bolt.  Nail a right slanting crack to the end and belay on old bolts. A3 5.6 (scary)  P5-Use bolts (3?) to gain a horizontal crack, nail/clean aid left around a corner into a vertical groove (water course, ie rotten).  Follow the groove till you can break left again and gain a ledge, belay in vertical crack on the ledge. A3 P6-follow the vertical crack up the slabs to the top.

This really is a kick-ass "hybrid" line of unique Cathedral face climbing with some traditional crack climbing flavor to keep it real. It starts 60' right of Remission and 100' left of Diedre. 

  Pitch 1.   Stick-clipping the first bolt is a wise option. Make powerful moves up into the corner, and then pull right, around the outside corner onto the face (5.11+). Climb the face, following a faint, diagonal dike, past four bolts and a knifeblade. Belay at a two-bolt anchor on a ledge on the left.   60'  5.11+	 

  Pitch 2.   Step back right and face climb diagonally right, at first, then straight up the wall, past five bolts, a knifeblade, and a few gear placements. Interesting face climbing with a troublesome bulge at half height. Belay at the two-bolt anchor on top of the second pitch of THE BRITISH, under a small roof.   80'  5.10+	 

  Pitch 3.   Freeclimb the first 20 of  the third pitch of The British Are Coming: climb the short corner above the belay to a ledge, then move right past an old bolt to a stance. Protect, and then move further right around the corner to gain the slab leading back up and left. With significant exposure, regain the steep wall on the left by climbing onto the sloping ledge. Carefully traverse left to a knifeblade in a thin crack, and continue left to a left facing flake on the top of Warlocks crux pitch. Climb the flake to the horizontal crack, get some gear in, and then make hard moves up and right onto a ledge (5.11). A short, overhanging set of thin cracks (5.11) leads up to a pine tree, and from the pine, make a difficult traverse left (5.11+) to a short finger and hand crack. Jam the crack over the final steep bulge and belay, on nuts, on a sloping ledge.                 80'  5.11+ 

  Pitch 4.   Climb the enjoyable finger and hand crack up a low angle slab and join Don't Fire..., and The British.... to pull onto the summit slabs. Belay at a tree 25 higher.   60'  5.6 

This is the free version of Angel's Highway (III 5.8 A2, Paul Ross, Rosie Andrews June 6, 1972) utilizing the first pitch of Abrakadabra and a new diagonal linkage pitch to access the Highway's first belay. It adds up to an excellent sustained journey up the impressive wall between Repentance and Remission and features enough awesome technical crack climbing to rival The Prow and Women In Love. 

  Pitch 1.   Climb the first pitch of Abrakadabra, the steep stemming corner just right of Intimidation's first pitch. Belay at a cold shut anchor on the ledge at the corner's top.  80' 5.11 

  Pitch 2.   Traverse directly right fifteen feet on the sloping ledge, and climb a handcrack in a right-diagonalling corner that rises off the right end of the ledge. At it's top, step across Repentance and clip the bolt visible up and right (the last bolt on the first pitch of the aid route Reality Check). Freeclimb the slab six feet left of the bolt (5.10), then traverse back right to the double ring anchor on the top of the first pitch of Angel's Highway.   70'  5.10 

  Pitch 3.    Using a new variation around the headwall bolt ladder, the next three pitches freeclimb the remainder of Angel's Highway: pad up an easy slab to a bolt, them jam and layback up the slim right-facing corner past four pins (5.11+) to a sloping ledge. Clip the new bolt on the bolt ladder above, then step down and traverse 15 feet left to where you can pull up onto some small angular holds that lead up and right to a bolt (5.8 R). Pull past the bolt (5.11-) and hand traverse right on top of the giant block to a belay (pins, gear) at a small stance at the base of the flaring corner (back on Angel's Highway).      80'  5.11+ (5.8 R) 

  Pitch 4.   Freeclimb the steep, technical crack in the awesome flaring corner above, passing three pins at it's top, to a double ring anchor on the ledge.   50'  5.11+ 

  Pitch 5.   Climb the left hand corner, above the anchor, to a ledge; continue up the next corner to a slab and eventually the top of the cliff.   100'  5.8

A couple of years back a pillar fell down at the base of the route revealing a beautiful 5.11d stemming corner.  This joins the left-traversing arch of Fortitude making for a great, sustained pitch.  It was a great early spring surprise.

The Central Wall is a great area with full length climbs ranging from 5.10 to 5.12, some well over 400ft in length. Most routes climb corners and crack systems. 

  The classic in this area is Intimidation (5.10b), a killer climb that lives up to its name. The other "classic" is Repentance (5.10b R) which is a full-length chimney that is mossy wet and poorly protected in parts. I think it sounds fun. The wall from the bottom looks intimidating and hard to crack. Many climbs start up the first pitch of Intimidation and break off to become classic routes of their own. Even the sweetest climbs here don't see much traffic, so they can get a little dirty, but you can do your part by climbing them and that will help clean them off. 

  Climb to the top and walk off. You may also rap the cliff with double ropes from the anchor to the right of the finish of Intimidation (5.10b).

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Central Wall