This is a long route that diagonals through three sections of hard climbing. Rain kept us off the third crux but also revealed a good way to do this route at 5.11c: after the second crux, climb the easy hand-size crack to the right and then reach right to the anchors on Holey Joe; this flows well and allows the 5.11 climber to climb the brilliant first 80 feet of the route.

Dragonslayer

Hole in the Wall

Chicken Lips

Au Natural

Swiss Cheese

The Poacher

The Mentor

The Apprentice

Transgression

Protege

The Warden

With a bit more cleaning, this could be a 3 star route. Start up a prominent crack just right of

Hole in the Wall

(11c) and left of

Dragonslayer

.

Fun crack climbing leads to a bolted anchor up and left of

Dragonslayer's

anchors. It has good movement.

A pretty good trad pitch whose semi-vegetated nature indicates it doesn't get much traffic. Despite what the guidebook might say, it's actually pretty well protected. It follows a series of cracks; at the top there are several to choose from and it wasn't clear to me which belonged to the route proper.

Climb continuously challenging moves for about 25'; this is the crux and has good gear in a variety of sizes, but a couple of the placements may not be straightforward. Continue more easily up the most obvious line on lower angle ground for another 25' until the angle steepens and you encounter a tricky move. Pull past this and go up another 10' to the start of another hard section; at this point there three parallel, vertical cracks within a span of about 8' the center of which seemed to be the most obvious way but on close inspection seemed to be unduly difficult, so I took the right one. Anchors soon followed. Rap 100' to the ground -- if you are cleaning the route on rap, a 60m cord barely makes it.

Chicken Lips is a route that climbs better than it looks and protects better as well. The gear is 'adequate' as it turns out. Climb up a system of cracks and flakes protecting anytime gear is available, as it won't always be. At just below mid-route, there are 2 options for when to duck left and switch cracks, both take protection just before the moves and require substantial 5.9 climbing above gear before arriving at more protection. Continue upward and onward past a few bolts to a 2-bolt anchor at the top.

There is no single crux on this route, and most of the holds are positive.

The difficulty may be more in the effort required to suss out and place the best protection than it is to climb the moves themselves. You might get pumped if you fuss too much about getting gear when it isn't there.

This is an excellent crack for teaching someone how to hand jam and is more of a boulder problem.

This was named after a guy with the sleazy habit of snagging FFAs after his buddies have done all the drilling and cleaning. On this route, however, the proper FA credit clearly goes to Tod and Ernie for the day-long, extensive lichen removal effort that made this into a good line.

This route climbs a lot like

Protege

(its neighbor), although it doesn't have quite the same spooky feel to it. It is hard down low and then eases up as you go.

This is a harder and longer version of the route to the right (The Warden). The business ends abruptly and is followed by some very aesthetic easy climbing.

This has fun climbing along an intermittent crack-seam, with positive face holds. We thought the lower crux was as hard as the upper boulder problem, and the route seemed about 5.10d overall (staying out of the upper crack). You can place a bomber small wire at the start if the traverse to the first bolt spooks you.

This route is on the north-facing wall across from the big red tower.  The wall is easily identified by a giant detached block sitting on top of it (about the size of a semi), and by its beautiful overhanging upper tier, which is riddled with cracks and huecos.

Transgression is all the way on the left side of the wall.  It starts in a shallow dihedral, and then jogs slightly right until you reach a rest under the overhanging upper tier.Follow the most obvious crack straight up the overhang on finger locks and huecoes.  Anchors exist about 90 feet up.

There are lots of cracks in the upper tier, so a myriad of possibilities exist for variations.

This is a great wall to climb on when it is hot.  It sees sun only briefly in the morning in the middle of summer.  Otherwise, it is in permanent shade.

Thin crimping and technical foot work up a dead vertical wall.  This route is safe, but the insecure moves and stances give it a spooky feel.The hardest climbing is in the first 35 feet, after which the climbing drops into the 10+ to 11- range.  Fun all the way to the anchors.

To find Protege, look at the north-facing wall across from the red tower.  The wall breaks into two distinct panels.  The left panel is full of cracks and offers many trad climbs, as well as a couple of sport routes.  The right panel is very compact and has four sport routes.  Protege is the leftmost of these four routes.

The crux is low and involves some balance while moving on small holds.

Description

Protection

Routes in Hole in the Wall