Routes in Looking Glass for selected grade

This is the finest multipitch free-climb of its grade in the Southeast. If you want sustained climbing with big air and on perfect granite, this is the route for you. The Glass Menagerie is the obvious overhanging line up the center of the North Face of Looking Glass. It is equally good as an aid climb, as it is a free climb. Its cruxes are well protected and the rock is almost always stellar. Please be courteous to other parties if you are trying to work out the free moves. This route gets plenty of traffic and you will likely be sharing the route with other climbers if you try it during peak season.

1. (5.11c or 5.8 C1) Start climbing up the easy face towards the obvious shallow right facing corner. You will eventually be faced with some 5.11 moves on great rock with mostly bolts for pro. You will then encounter a funky steep section that is protected with some pretty rusty bolts and sort of rotten granite. This is short lived and eventually you will traverse out far right on a ledge system (5.8? rotten) that will take you to a bolted belay. Two nice bolts and an angle for the belay. If you are hauling make sure you put your haulbag in the proper location for takeoff on the deck.

2. (5.12+ or C1) This is one fine pitch of climbing. Start cranking hard moves right off the belay eventually scoring a nice kneebar rest under a shallow roof. Get ready for some thin face. Climb out past the roof and up past several bolts onto the beautiful face and end up finishing by traversing onto the exposed face placing a few cams to gain a nice little ledge belay below a flaring corner with a splitter crack in the back. Two bomber bolts will make your belay.

3. (5.11a or C1) After a little rest, rack up with some cams and stoppers for this pitch. You will have a hard time with this one if you don't like rattly fingers. Climb a short crack in a left facing corner with great pro to a decent ledge with at least two bomber bolts for your anchor.

4. (5.13 or C2) This is the money pitch. Get amped right off the bat because you will be loving the climbing here. Make some face moves off the belay. Then break out left through the improbable looking roof. You will encounter jugs, laybacks, and crimps out of this masterpiece. Keep cool for the first thirty feet off the belay. There is big air with bolts for pro and only 5.12 moves till you reach the lip of the roof. It suits the route that the hardest move is at the steepest part of the whole wall. Try and get a breather before you pull the crux. There are good bolts in between the bad ones for the whole roof. Once at the lip, pull a pretty dang hard boulder problem (V6?) and gain a thin lichen covered face. This face is about 5.10+, but it only has two bolts for pro. They are painted black so if you don't see them just keep lookin. Once you've pulled through the face you will find a two bolt belay for your anchor.

5. (5.10+ PG 13) This pitch is only part of the free route. The aid line went up and left out of the roof, while the free variation goes up straight past the two bolts described in the previous pitch. Down climb down and left off the belay with only one bolt for pro. You may be able to get some small wires or aliens in as well. You will be angling down and left at about 7 o'clock off the belay. There was a fixed runner off the bolt when we were up there. This pitch will be sort of scary for the leader but terrifying for the second, as he will actually be doing the lead climbing. You will encounter a 2-bolt belay about twenty feet above the lip of the roof proper here.

6. (5.10c or C2) You can link pitch 5 and 6 and save your second from doing the heinous down climb of pitch five with a semi-top rope. Either way you do it you will climb a splitter hand crack up and eventually gain a fixed nut anchor at a little roof. Traverse out left a few feet to regain the crack (crux 11.c?). Climb the hand crack that will turn into a reasonable off width that overhangs slightly and ends with a slabby right leaning finish to gain yet another two bolt anchor.

7. (5.9+ or 5.8, C1) Climb up off the belay pulling through some thin hands past a bulge and then on to finish the crack up on a slab. You will eventually run out of crack and slab climb up to the top on easy terrain which can be wet if it has rained recently.

Location North Face of Looking Glass. Hike in from the obvious trailhead at the parking area heading south towards the North Face. It will be the first route you come to once at the wall.

It is possible to retreat from any pitch but you may have to leave some biners on the raw bolts. It is best to walk west towards the Nose and rappel it to get off the wall.

A long over looked classic that deserves a go! Climb eyebrows with gear and sculpted edges. Watch the rock change from polished granite to pebbly sand paper ending at a two bolt anchor.

Location: Immediately left of T and B on the Sun Wall apron. Starts on a steep black face.

Protection: Small cams, nuts and gear up to a one inch. Two bolts on pitch

1. (5.5/5.6) Easy climbing to get up to the double bolt anchor from the ledge.

2. Aim for the crack, cams can go into some shallow placements. Fire through the early moves and don't get too pumped - - this is probably the crux of the climb and I'd say it does feel 5.10a - - the crack is super fun and backs off in hardness as you go up - about 50' up trend left onto the face and then up another 40' or so of easier slabby face climbing to get to the belay spot - save some medium wired stoppers and a couple of cams for the gear belay.

3. You can go right or left but most go (climber's) left. You can protect right below "the move" - this move probably is 5.9 but it does feel hard. Be sure to protect your second so if they fall they don't cheese grater the rope across the rock - this is important. Trend up and right to a great belay spot.

4. Keep going out to your right to gain the obvious water groove about 40' right of the belay - it's a one step move into the groove (5.7?) and then things get easy. Go up the groove for about 40' and then go right to another good belay spot - - all the hard climbing is now over.

5. This isn't really a "pitch" but it avoids Southender Gully which is a PITA. - traverse right about a full rope length - don't go up too much - aim for what looks like a totally loose bolder sitting on a ledge (it might be - don't mess with it) go under it to a giant ledge and find two shiny stainless rap anchors (these are roughly on top of Irish Jig and Ruby Tuesday) - - one rappel (2 ropes) gets you on the ground with plenty to spare. If you can't find the aformentioned bolts you can go up and right and eventually hit trees - this is Southender Gully - - a bungle in the jungle for sure but you'll make it down.

This line blasts through the steep bulge to the right of Second Coming. It is a sustained and heady climb that links up to the second pitch of Second Coming. A spicy alternative if you have done most of the stuff at the S. Face.

1. Start the same as Second Coming. Instead of moving left to Second Coming's crack, stay on the right most crack until you reach the base of the steep section directly below a white splotch. Traverse right at the base of the steepness, plug the horizontal for pro. This is the last pro before reaching the horizontal at the end of bulge and is the R section, DON'T BLOW IT. Falling before getting the difficult pro at the roof will result in a nasty slab splash. Climb up directly below a left facing crescent shaped jug. Plug the gear at the end of the bulge using the difficult hands and make the long move over the bulge to gain the face above. Climb short broken cracks until you can traverse left on top of the flakes that end P1 of Second Coming. Belay on gear.

2. Finish P2 of Second Coming.

Location: Rap from belay station to the left of Gemini Tree with 2 60m ropes.

Protection: Standard multi-pitch rack. Doubles of .75 Camalot and smaller, tri-cams.

A slightly harder version of Left Up. Can be a quick fun route if things are busy at the South Face area.

Location: Located just to the right of Left Up and just left of Stage Ledge, etc.

Protection: Standard NC rack, runners, 1 rope. Slings on tree for rappel.

1. (100ft, 5.9) Climb the obvious hand crack up a ramp that steepens into an overhang. Pull the overhang with good gear and follow the slab to a bolted belay.

2. (170ft, 5.8) Follow the crack system until you run out of rope! Gear belay .

3. (100ft, 5.5) Slab off to the right.

1. (75', 5.8) Climb eyebrows for about 75 feet to a nice ledge (you will be almost even with the Pitch 1 anchors on Sundial which will be to your right); gear anchor.

2. (crux) Climb past the rap bolts (out right) and up over the dike. You will want to search for another gear belay once you are up and right of the anchors on the start of pitch 3 of The Nose.

3. Climb up to the right edge of the parking lot and either use the rap anchors or build a belay out right.

4. Work your way up and slightly left to the anchors at the top of The Nose. Three double rope rappels get you to the ground.

Location

Peregrine is a slightly harder direct line in between The Nose and Sundial Crack. The route starts about 50ish feet right of The Nose. Look for the worn patches of granite that will indicate the start.

Protection Standard NC rack with plenty of small stuff. Aliens work great, tri-cams are good. Long runners, two ropes.

This is the obvious left-to-right-angling crack on the slabby left end of the North Face. A cross between classic Looking Glass eyebrow-wandering and the more strenuous crack climbs to the right.

Begin by climbing up to, and then through, the fallopian chimney that marks the start. Thinking that this squeezer is 5.9 will only get you in trouble elsewhere. 5.8, 80'.

P2: 80 feet of right-leaning crack ends at a pair of bolts. This and the first pitch are easily combined; 5.9.

P3: Inobvious moves in the vicinity of a short vertical crack (5.9+) lead to easier ground up and left. Belay from bolts. 100'

P4: Standard 'Fields of Lichen Growing Wild'; eyebrow version. 5.7, 100'.

Protection The usual stuff will suffice. Bring walkoff shoes.

On one of my first trips to Looking Glass sans guide book and inexperienced with runout slab climbing, I ran into a local who recommended this new route as a good 5.9. It was the perfect sandbag and quite memorable. Begin about 50 yards to the right of Sundial Crack. The first 50-60 feet is a sea of unprotectable eyebrows (~5.8) ending on a ledge. I would recommend belaying here but didn't the first time I climbed it resulting in some serious rope drag. Pull over an easy, well protected bulge above the ledge. Veer to the right and follow the path of least resistance to a crack which takes good gear. From the crack, head back slightly left and up towards the anchors. As I recall the last 20 feet is pretty hairy unprotected climbing that left me feeling nauseous. I went for it and to my relief found an unusual "thank god" hold just below the anchors that wasn't visible from below. If you are not a well seasoned Looking Glass slabmaster, I would not recommend this as a first 5.9...or even a second or third for that matter! Addendum: Per the guide book the route continues on for another 3 pitches: P2: 5.9+, 150 ft with a bolted anchor P3: 5.7, 150 ft also bolted anchor P4: 5.5, 165 ft; descend as for the nose Location The route begins about 50 yards to the right of Sundial. The start was rather inobvious and the only real landmarks that I recall are the anchors at the top of the route. Protection Not much. Bolted Anchors on pitches 1-3. Rap the nose route. Bring an extra pair of shorts.

** Addendum: It seems the best start is right next to Sundial Crack. Then you should shoot up and right for the scoop. This avoids the runout nature of the direct start and gives you some pro.