An Independence Pass classic with an old school rating. Climb up the unprotected (but mellow) slab to the base of the corner. Follow the handcrack to the top of the corner and a good rest stance, then head up and left on face features to an anchor up high.

Spring Time Groove

Stems and Seeds

Alley Oop

Ready for ReedR

The Raven

Crystal Grip

Might As Well Pump

Trilobite

Fujimo

Barry Mantellow

Chimney Route

Hose Monster

Guardian Plan

Fossil Finish

Rascal

An Independence Pass testpiece!  Climb up the easy but unprotected slab and move left to the first bolt.  Then climb the overhanging face with big dynamic moves to some hard moves around and past the 4th bolt.  This route brings quite a pump despite its short length!

The obvious bolted chimney on the right side of the Pass Walls. Offers unique stemming and chimneying movement.

This complicated route has a little bit of everything.  Most of it is unpleasant.  It has cracks and slabs near the bottom, an off-width in the middle, and vertical jug hauling at the top.  The crux is probably getting into the off-width.

Be careful not to grab a thorny plant or get your rope caught in a bush at the start.  Try not to tear off friable rock at the top.

From the guide: "Start left of

Crystal Grip

, in the corner.  Pass an old piton, then branch left out obvious crack system.  Turn the corner, then pass straight up the headwall.  The top is protected with small cams."

This route has fun moves from the ground all the way through turning the corner.  The headwall above this is the crux; nest a couple of cams in the vertical crack down low and run it out a bit with one more small cam right before the crux moves.

There is no bolt anchor at the top and not many options to build a gear anchor.  Belay at the big tree about 30 feet back from the cliff that has 2 old slings on it.  If you rap down from this tree, you need a 70m rope to reach the ground.  Otherwise, move over to the

Crystal Grip

anchor and rap from there with a 60m.

Climb up the face with great technical moves to get started.  More thin climbing up the middle of the route leads to a hard pull near the top. Finally you gain the chains.

Start up the overhanging face and pull past a bulge.  Mantel up a few more bulges, and then climb the slightly overhanging face to the top on good holds.

Kind of a dumb & unsafe route, but it does have some good climbing.  Safer for those over 6'.

Start just right of

Hose Monster

and head up to the right corner which has a bolt at its top.  Interesting moves with just adequate pro (hard to place if short) gets you to the top of the corner.  Clip the bolt then combine stemming and underclinging to exit the corner, around a roof (crux).  Stand up on a good ledge, perhaps place a token, wishful thinking RP and contemplate both the non-trivial move you will have to make to get to the next placement and the fact that the last reliable gear is the bolt, under the roof and perhaps 10' below the move.  Either go for the move (delicate one finger side pull with good feet) if you're sure you won't blow it or achieve gear by force of will (see note below).  After you make the move, there is a good .5 Camalot and #2 Camalot placement.  From here, make another not easy move to reach the first bolt of the direct finish (Fossil Finish, 11C (right)).  Clip the bolt and either finish w/ FF, well protected but a big sandbag, or traverse straight left for 15' -- 5.9, lichen, no gear -- and finish w/ Hose Monster.

The regular (

Hose Monster

) finish is much easier but much more committing and takes you top the top where there is no anchor.  The Fossil Finish, is cleaner and takes you to chains but seemed unreasonably difficult for 11c.

GEAR BETA WARNING:  If you are 6'+ tall you can probably place a solid small nut before making the scary move.  At 5'7", I was able to place this piece by chaining three wires together and flopping a #1 Rock in.  Unfortunately, (long story), the nut is still in place, handy for those tall enough to clip it, but an even bigger hose job for those who aren't, as it is currently occupying the jiggery-pokery placement.  If for some reason, you just have to lead this pitch, you might want to do

Hose Monster

first and clean the nut or clip a (long) draw to it before heading up Trilobite.

The crux of this route is the thoughtful gear placements. The climbing is solid for the grade and continuous. New chain anchors were installed in 2020. This route is easily toproped by walking around past Brontosaurus (route 32 in the Perkins guidebook).

The crux is between first and second bolts. It is solid for the grade. Small cams in the questionable flake appear to be solid. Small cams in a horizontal crack protect runout to the anchor.

Start up discontinuous cracks, pulling around a few bulges.  Gain the squeeze chimney and struggle to a bolted anchor.

The business of this overhanging fingercrack might rate three stars but for the long, non-descript top out and the potential to stem off route.

Follow right-leaning cracks for about 30' to a ledge; the entire crack keeps your attention, but the crux is at its end.  After the ledge, follow progressively easier and less inspiring climbing until ???.  There are no anchors: either arrange an anchor a little below the top and lower or belay from the top.

To descend, either walk off or rap 100' from a single sling around a tree atop Ready for ReedR, about 30' east of the top of Hose Monster.

This route shares the same start as

Chimney Route

but heads right before entering the squeeze chimney in an indentation under a small roof and out onto the face.  It finishes on the left side of the face, which is somewhat dirty and unprotected.

This is an alternate finish on

Trilobite

. This was the first climb to have bolts placed with a power drill by the locals on the pass.

Climb the nice stemming dihedral of

Trilobite

.  Exit out right with a mantle.  From the stance make a fairly easy but spooky move up to a small cam placement.  From here, continue past two bolts on the cruxy head wall to the chains.

Climb up the ramp like crack system, then follow easy slabs to the anchor.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Pass Walls