Ascents as trad by David Gibbs having Distinct route

Stiff for its grade, and getting polished.

Generally good protection, a lot of variety in the problems, and some outstanding views. I led pitch 1 (5.7 variant), which goes well with good protection. I sent Phil up pitch 2 & 3 to link them. He got the traverse to belay 2, and the crack up to the roof fine, but backed down from the traverse under the roof. I took over, finished the traverse to a belay on a platform on the arete. Pitch 4 goes hard right off the platform, on small nuts, but, the hard bit is fairly short.

Lead all the pitches -- lots of fun climbing.

It looks like a crack climb, but much of the meat of the climb is really face climbing around the crack which is too small for real jams, and the crack being used for gear. And, the gear is all sizes -- I placed pieces from a BD C3 #0 through a BD wired hex #10 (red) placed sideways.

Some quite burly moves on the lay-back around the edge of the scale, but everything was there, and generally what needed to be done was obvious. Fun, but obvious. Still, a hard lead for a 5.8.

Followed Flo for the first two pitches, and lead the 2nd two pitches.

Pitch 1 and 4 are excellent climbing. Pitch 2 is a nasty lead due to the exposed run-out. Pitch 3 climbs ok, but is a bit dirty and vegetated, with a bit of loose rock.

Generally, though, a climb well worth doing.

Start is height-dependent; but can traverse in from the right as an alternate start if short.

The hardest 5.8 I've yet encountered at Squamish -- though still not as hard as an Adirondacks 5.7. Excellent climbing, and it takes good gear, too.

Classic!

While the hardest bits are well-protected, many other sections are, not surprisingly, run-out.

I'd be surprised if it wasn't the most popular route on The Chief.

Wonderful climbing, with good gear and reasonable rests to place it. Classic!

Followed pitch 1, lead 2 & 3. I actually was intending to link 2 & 3 -- but I never found the anchor and the end of pitch 2, and after the fourth bolt on pitch 2, ran it out to the anchors at the end of pitch 3. Probably more than 30m run-out by the time I, very carefully, finished the pitch. Talking with others who had climbed it the day before, they ended up doing the same thing.

Lots of good, varied, climbing on this.

Lead pitches 1 and 3. 1 is sustained at 5.7. Pitch 3 is the least interesting of the three, though the 5.7 crux is fun. Pitch 3 is getting quite polished -- it is shared by several climbs, including the ultra-popular Bear's Reach.

Lead P1 and about 1/2 of P2 -- up to just below the twin cracks. Oops.

Also, got the start wrong, so fought with a couple off-width bits before backing off, finding the right start, and actually having fun with it.

An excellent climb, good gear and good movement through-out. The only pity is that the section of perfect vertical hand-crack on P2 isn't longer than it is.

Lead pitches 1 & 2 - linking them. Followed pitch 3.

Lead P1, followed P2. Didn't bother with P3 -- didn't know it even existed.

Great climb.

A nice bolted bit, up into a wonderful crack. Runs long, but climbing less interesting for last 15m or so.

A nice 5.8 warm-up. Gear was good. All nuts and tri-cams.

A very enjoyable route with generally good protection.

The MdA book only gives it three stars for protection, from climbing it, I would say this is more because of a lack of stance for placing gear, rather than a lack of protection opportunities.

Lovely, well-protected crack; wide at times -- but I found I could usually get a good jam deeper in the crack where it was narrower.

Just an absolutely excellent climb. Great gear throughout, many interesting problems, but, assuming you have the climbing vocabulary, never harder than 5.8.

At ICM, lead on Curtis' rack, since I didn't bring mine into the gorge, expecting only sport climbs.

Excellent hand crack with good gear into average face above.

Opening climb on this rock. Good climbing, good moves, and good gear.

Some technical climbing, at times above thin gear.

Not a lot of gear until the chimney section is done.

Despite the rock at the bottom labeling this as 5.9, it isn't any harder than 5.8. In fact, an easier climb than "Phasers on Kill" (5.7). I wonder, perhaps, if this is another re-cleaned and re-named older route (maybe Bottleneck at the Top?, which is described as climbing easily up the wall to a short chimney with a deep wide crack at the back). I could definitely see it having been climbed, and getting a grade of about 5.7 back in the day.

A noticeably harder 5.8 than "Bilbo Baggins". Actually some moves on it, and well-protected though not obviously so from the ground.

Lead pitches 1-3, followed pitch 4. None of it particularly hard.

Was thin fingers/tips for me, rather than fingers (for Jenna) so easier for her.

Felt harder than "Tastes Like Chicken", the 5.9 to the right of it.

Mixed up the finish.

Gear wasn't as good as on "Outside Corner".

Lead P1, followed P2.

Good gear and good climbing.

Borrowed and place a #6 on this. But, probably ok with a #4, then smaller gear at the back of the ledge, rather than the #6 in the wide crack.

Thin at the start and the gear is a bit PG.

Swung pitches, starting with p1. (Nobody lead meadows traverse.)

Lovely enjoyable -- but get on it early to avoid the crowds.

Some interesting stuff, but a lot of dirt part just past the opening section -- might turn into an interesting route if cleaned up.

Guide says HS - 4b, but who am I to judge grades? I'll take the VS 4c on here.

A good climb with good gear.

I found pitch 2 difficult, or at least, difficult to read at 5.8. And hang-dog doesn't quite give the same as feel as "a couple lead falls on gear, including popping the top piece on one of the falls."

Mostly on Simon's gear, though I did add one piece. Gear was good, and good stance for placing it, so could easily have place it myself.

Got the red point on my 2nd lead attempt. No particular move is, really, harder than 5.7 or so, but it is continuously sustained at that level for most of the climb, and far harder if you're not comfortable with crack techniques.

Climbing is fine, but gear is a bit tricky.

Takes great gear.

I remembered how to do the crux from previous try, so it went pretty well. A good climb.

"Warm up"

More sport than trad -- something like 8 bolts and 2 gear placements.

And, went back for the red-point while there. Climbed very smoothly and well on lead, too.

Anchors are well back from the edge, across grass. Consider bringing gear to extend very long if setting up a top-rope for others.

The 5.6 grad on this was a mite mad -- definitely harder and more committing than that. Still a tough and heady lead -- but a couple bolts in the dihedral where I sling the tree (twice) would be a good improvement.