This is a great alternative to

Rox Salt

for someone who is solid at the grade.  Climb a finger crack and left facing corner passing a few pitons to reach the anchors of

Rox Salt

(P1).  This really isn't R rated, but the pins are old.  From the anchors of

Rox Salt

, continue up flake sytems to the top.  You are given 2 options about 10 ft up from the

Rox Salt

anchors.  The flake system goes straight up or to the right.  If you continue to the right, there are some sections of loose rock near the top.

Really Flaky

Bear's Delight

Heffalump Trap Direct

Desperado Direct

Oh Pooh

Roux

Question Mark

Rox Salt

Christopher Robin

Lichening Bolt

Sally's Peril

Lichen or Leave It

Great Impostor

Psychoprophylaxis

Helter Skelter

Bandito

Unlimited Sky

Gunsight To North Peak

The Finger Stinger

Heat Lichening

I Dream of Gina

Keds

Unrelenting Verticality

Wolery

Some Things Never Change

Desperado

Nubbin Drubbin

You, Me, and the Buzzard

Promiscuity

Streptococcus

Very popular route.  A great lead for someone breaking into the grade at Seneca.  Follow the right leaning hand crack to large ledge.

Climb the corner.  Pass the pine tree and pull the bulge to the top.

The book rates it at 5.5.  It's every bit as difficult as Front C so I'd put it at 5.6.  Definitely a fun little route worth doing if you're there.  Take a camera up with you as the top of the climb affords one of the best views of the South Peak East Face.

Climb the left facing corner that makes the far left end of the Streptoccocus Wall. There are two horns to pull over or around. Crux is the second horn. Continue up into gully just below North Peak Summit.

A much better start to Desperado but quite a few grades harder. Climb the large left facing corner through pumpy laybacks and stems to reach the roof. From here get a good hand size piece in the crack and make a very strenuous (crux) move left out of the corner to rejoin the original Desperado route where it goes through the roof. Be sure to keep an eye out for a few small micro stopper placements in the corner without them the route becomes rated R very quickly.

Climb directly up the face that is underneath the notch. Easy ledges to a large flake to easy ledges. Ample gear throughout.

Roux follows the large, obvious left-facing corner right beside Lichen or Leave It. Most folks do one pitch, then rap off the large tree at the top. You can do a second pitch to the summit (ends in a chimney) but then you'd need to walk off and around...a loose and dangerous proposition.

From the tree anchor, move left up the slope to an obvious open book with a crack in the back.  Climb up this, exiting out right (crux) near the top and then up to the main ledge along the ridgeline of the North Peak East Face.  There are a couple of good spots at the top to make a belay.

To descend, either walk off to the north towards the Observation Deck or move south just a bit and find the rappel tree at the top of Desperado.

Although short, it's a decent line and feels more like you're climbing granite. If you're in the area and looking for something off the beaten path, this is a decent option.  Difficulty was seriously undergraded in previous guidebook editions.

P1: Move up the short, ledgy slab and climb/walk up a ramp with a steep wall to the right.  The pitch ends at a large pine tree (great anchor for the climbs directly below).

P2: Continue up the corner system, passing a steeper bit of rock around an overhang and up to the top and a pine tree belay shared with Desperado.

Walk-off north or rappel off the tree.

Fairly crimpy and sequenced with interesting body positions moving left to right and back again.  Fall may hurt on this coming down onto lower ledge.

1) Move up a right trending ramp, then back left under (or over) a bulge towards the tree 35' up. Suggest you belay off the cold shuts, but you could link this into the second pitch (35ft). This short section feels more like 5.7 moves -- Rox Salt may offer an easier variation for this section.

2) Continue to the right, up a left-facing corner. This eventually turns into a vegetated ramp. At the end of the ramp there is a larger tree with slings and rap rings, at the base of an obvious chimney. (65ft)

3) Move up and right through the great chimney, possibly moving onto the flake for a period. The Barnes guidebook notes that it ends on the summit, but the obvious end seems to be a large tree at the end of a short traverse, that allows a single 70m rap to the ground (probably even doable with a 60m)

Going up to the summit ridge would be a 4th class scramble that would be smart to protect.

If you come to the North East face and you can lead Seneca 5.8, this is the climb to do!  Climb up to a large ledge and trend Left near a tree.  At this point, head back Right to access the beautiful right leaning fingers to hands crack.  Gear is a little skimpy to reach the tree (5.6) but from this point on it's G rated.

Start on a ledge about 6 feet up, climbing up a somewhat broken face.  Climb the cracks up to a small tree/bush and then continue trending diagonally up and to the right. Step across and climb the arete on easy but runout climbing.

Climb up the face to gain access to a left facing corner with a fingers crack in the dihedral.  Climb the corner until the crack stops(crux).  From this point if you continue straight up, you will join the finish of Great Impostor.  Instead, place some good gear and head right and up aiming for a large ledge with a tree.  The last 20 Ft is much easier than the rest of the route, but there's not much gear.  Although the last section is somewhat overhanging, you are on really positive holds, just don't stop and gun it for the ledge.  There's a second pitch but most parties only do the first.

Start by climbing the ROUX corner until you can traverse Left to reach the start of the thin crack.  Climb the crack and make the reachy crux move to a good hold.  Then follow the left trending finger crack to reach the top of Lichen or Leave it.  Very thin face/crack climbing.

This is a relatively light 5.9 by Seneca standards.  Follow the left trending finger crack to reach a corner.  Follow the corner to reach a ledge.  Fun moves, well protected.

Climb the start of Desperado up to the roof, but instead of traversing right to pull the roof on Desperado, clip the first bolt and head straight up over the roof through a sizable runout and a few reachy crux moves to reach the second bolt. Clip the second bolt and continue straight up on shallow crimps past one more very old rusty bolt to a good ledge. From the ledge head up and right to the large pine tree with old slings. Rumor has it the route was originally climbed with just the single old bolt.

A long route that can be done in 2-4 pitches depending on your preference on belays.

#1 From the Gunsight Notch head northeast to heading to a wide chimney. Climb to a ledge , then follow to an inside corner

#2 Ascend the corner to the top of the ridge

#3-#4 Follow the ridge to the chimney and then continue to the summit.

Start in a shallow left facing corner and climb up to the small overhang.  Step left to pass the overhang and find another left facing corner.  Follow this corner to a pine tree.  This route has pretty good protection, however the R rating is attached because the initial corner is an expanding flake.  If you are a solid 5.8 leader at Seneca, do not let the R rating scare you away.  Great moves!

Climb the thin face straight up the orange rock towards a bolt, approximately 35-40ft up, placing protection along the way. Continue up past a few more bolts to a tree just below the summit ridge, you can use the Bear’s Delight Anchor on the left to Rappel.

Start at the horn on the top of the Roux flake, make a long stretch to clip the first bolt and then continue upward on thin face moves following the bolt line, you will need a few small cams to protect the run outs between bolts.

Climb the Roux corner to the point where you could traverse Left into Helter Skelter.  Instead, climb the crack heading up and right to reach the large ledge about 15 Ft. Right of the finish of

Lichen or Leave It

.  Pretty solid moves for 5.7.  A good escape if

Helter Skelter

is too much for you.

Climb the steep right leaning crack to a small tree.  Good stances.  The crux is near the start.

P1: Climb to the top of the short pillar.  A large cam would be helpful here to keep it from being nearly a bit runout.  From the top of the short pillar, move out left and up, following groove to a small, angled, right-facing corner.  Climb this corner and gain the main large crack of the huge left-facing corner.  Place some big gear as you move up and top out the flake to a nice ledge. (5.6 PG)

P2: Move right along the ledge and finish up the the easy right-facing corner to a large pine tree.  There should be a cord and rap rings on this tree as it serves several climbs in the area (5.3 PG)

It's possible to lead it in one pitch but the rope drag across the ledge to link pitches is rather heinous.

If the rap rings aren't on the tree, either walk off to the north (right) to an easy downclimb at Pooh's Corner or walk all the way up past the observation deck and back around to the base.

Climb the Lichen covered face straight up following the line of shiney bolts, move right at the end to the ledge with anchors above Blue Highway, or continue to the summit.

This is a fantastic 5.9!  Climb up the face to reach the overhang and then traverse Right to reach a left facing corner (crux).  Follow the corner to a large ledge.  The traverse to the right is the business and coolest part of the climb.  Well protected and exciting!

Nice addition to the area. Not a 5.9 as it's called in the new guide.

From the anchor at the top of Rox Salt, step out left and traverse about 10 ft onto the ledge and head up towards the first bolt.  A couple of unprotected 5.6-ish moves gets you to the bolt.  Careful of the hollow flake.  Follow the line of bolts.  Gear placement possible between bolts 2-3...#2 cam or a medium size hex (BD #8/9) should drop in there.

Two noticeable cruxes-between bolt 1-2 and further up near the top by bolt 4-5.  Two bolt anchor with rap rings at the top.  First one involves a hard sidepull with thin feet...gotta get the sequence right.  The second is on small crimps.

You can rig a TR on this by climbing Really Flaky or most of Roux.  Rock quality is mostly good throughout.  You could probably escape the upper crux by moving further right to the sketchy large flakes of Really Flaky or to the left and easier holds on the blunt arete/corner.

Climb up the easy, but runout ledges (5.3-ish) to a larger ledge beneath a steep wall with a diagonal crack.  Make a few difficult moves to gain the crack and climb this to a good ledge.  Step across the small gap to a notch in the wall at the ridgeline and make a belay.

To descend, you can walk off north towards the Observation Deck, rap off the pine tree in front of you, or downclimb Pooh's Corner (5.2).

The crack protects very well, it's just a shame it's so short.

This climb was originally listed as a variation to Long Leggedy Beasties, a supposed 5.4 climb in this area.  In the research for Ed 4, I searched a long while up there for anything in that range and found nothing else to lead me to believe there's a 5.4 (or even close to that grade) route there. There's a lot of lichen-covered rock further left of the crack and very little, if any, protection options.

Climb the left up to the crack that rises from right to left and pull up to a stance.  Work your way up the face to some left-facing hollow flakes.  Move left around these and up to a couple of right-facing corners and then to the top.

A nice TR that you can easily rig off the tree on Christopher Robin up above.

Climb the broken face up to a steep right-leaning crack in orange rock.  Follow the crack to it's end at a horizontal.  Steeper than in looks.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in North Peak - East Face