Ascents in Echo Rock Area

Another JTree classic, and deservedly so. Feels quite a bit harder than Sail Away 5.8-, the jams are mandatory and the stemming never felt super secure for me -- but I was tired from climbing the day before.

There are some absolutely bomber hand jams on this, not to miss! The downclimb is a little involved, rap bolts couldn't hurt here but it's probably heresy to even suggest that...

I did the route with aid clibing, sitting in the rope and in toprope . But also in toprope removing the cams is quite hard and you would fall to the next cam after removing one, since it is a roof. Did not do the moves when going into the roof and also in the finger crack above the roof I could not do the jam and had to pull on a cam. I can only imagine that the moves might be nice. Very hard, especially if you are not used to crack climbing. Of course I cannot say for sure that it is harder than 5.11c, but certainly it felt for me that way.

90° overhanging roof of about 5 meters with a hand crack and then a vertical finger crack after the lip, trad apart from a bolted anchor. It was a bit hard to try the moves while also having to put in the cams, so I mostly aided the roof. Jam technique, particularly for the feet, was also definitely lacking. Then, there is a really good kneebar before some more hard moves until your feet are above the lip.

Fell heaps on Pope's. The direct exit was heinous. The movement on the under cling to gain the lip was super cool.

Aesthetic movement in a serene setting. 30m four bolts, however, the bolts are placed well.

First climb at Jtree, and it kicked ass. Tried leading and gave up after 5m. Will get you going for sure. Stiff 5.9 or the usual Jtree 5.9.

The move to get off the deck on this was truly one of the hardest I pulled in Joshua Tree. Completely insane, especially if you are short. After this sure it’s 10+ ish to the top but it is undeniably a colossal sand bag at 10c for that first move.

Accidentally fell off on the onsight when I forgot to try hard. Went fairly easily second go. Awesome rock!

This was a very alien experience for me. Friction slabbing is quite hard and scary it turns out. Unreal climb, unreal position, unreal mantle(?)

Fun easy crack climbing to a rad but incredibly reachy move through the roof. Worthwhile.

Very very R. A fall from the incredibly sandbagged crux move pulling through the roof would be terrible, I was happy to be on second for it. Zack ended up building a belay due to rope drag and I did an unprotected second pitch of friction to the anchors. Tobin Sorensen was a mad man.