Routes in North Carolina for selected grade

Natural anchors.

Start at the lunch ledge.

P1 follows bolts and obvious line in the lichen (alternatives exist, especially to the right of the bolt line but rope drag may become an issue). Look for a two bolt anchor.

P2 starts with a committing move left onto a slab, then follows to a ledge. There is a bolt after the move if you can find it. Belay from a ledge.

P3 follows bolts to a small roof. Continue to a two bolt anchor below a trail that takes you to the summit.

Can be done in 2 pitches with a 70.

A great route that can be done in 2 long pitches.

1. (200ft, 5.7) Climb the 1st pitch crack to its end using jams, stems and lay-a-ways, step right and belay on a nice ledge. Natural belay.

2. (130 ft. 5.7) 2nd pitch has 2 options. 1st- Move right and finish on the Unfinished Concerto crack. 2nd- (better option) From the belay move up and left aiming for a notch. Pull the notch and face climb aiming for a couple of slung hemlock trees at 130ft.

Descent: Rap straight down Chaos out of Control. Double rope rap.

Location:Obvious wide crack left of Unfinished Concerto.

Protection: Nuts, double cams to 3 inch(optional 4-6 inch piece), many runners

A nice warmup for the other great South Face climbs, but not a casual route for the grade. Put thoughts like "this doesn't feel like 5.6" out of your mind and enjoy the friction climbing.

1. Starting below right-slanting crack, follow it up and right; after the crack peters out, continue straight up on mainly friction moves to the tree ledge above. If you don't feel like rapping at this point, you can move to the left end of the ledge to the start of Afterbirth (which will take you to the Gemini rap station).

Location: Starts about 25' left of Left Up at an obvious slanting crack. Rap from rap rings at the ledge.

Protection: Small to medium gear; tricams are handy.

1. (90', 5.7) Climb easy ground, allowing yourself to be funneled to the crux. As the crack reaches vertical you will definitely begin to realize where the difficulty is. Immediately after the crux, belay on the ledge. Gear anchor. It looks like there were bolts there at one time.

2. (180', 5.7) Continue up the easing crack to a belay in some vegetation.

Location: This is one of two obvious right-arching dihedrals well to the left of Gemini Crack (the other is Rats Ass).

Protection: Standard rack. Rappel from either of two new sets of ring anchors (near the old rap tree) above Gemini Crack. Gemini can be crowded.

1. Climb the face past horizontals to a big ledge.

Location: Close to where the approach trail meets the right side of the South Face, beneath the middle of Stage Ledge.

To get down, either rappel off the dead, fallen tree on Stage Ledge or do the "North Carolina 3rd class" down-climb off the climber's right side of the ledge.

Protection: light rack, hands to fingers, no anchors

Can you see yourself in the starting holds? Generations of muddy-booted toproping campers have polished the footholds beyond all hope of repair.

1. (50',5.7+ / 5.8) Look for a handcrack that doesn't quite reach the ground. Avoiding the snot-slick opening feet by smearing arbitrarily on the face, thug your way into the crack proper and jam up to Stage Ledge. If you are a guide, or a camp counselor, rue the chopping of the convenience bolts and tediously rig a belay in the corner. Toss your toprope off, and spend the day encouraging your young charges to trust their feet despite the clearly impossible nature of the exhortation.

2. Follow the corner off the left end of the ledge, escaping before it arches over. Belay in eyebrows when you feel like it.

3. (150', ?) Meander left to the Gemini raps.

Location: Bloody Crack is located near the right end of the South Face, below a large ledge with 4th-class access at the right end.

Protection: No fixed gear. Standard rack.

Climb the face past horizontals to a big ledge.

Location: Close to where the approach trail meets the right side of the South Face, beneath the middle of Stage Ledge.

Descent: To get down, either rappel off the dead, fallen tree on Stage Ledge or do the "North Carolina 3rd class" down-climb off the climber's right side of the ledge.

Protection: light rack, hands to fingers, no anchors

Left Up climbs a great finger and hand size crack just left of Stage Ledge. This climb serves as a great introduction to Looking Glass granite. Be careful the feet on the beginning of this climb are polished.

Location: Left up is located just left of Stage Ledge, Bloody Crack, etc. Look for the obvious finger/hand crack that climbs to a ledge

Protection: Standard NC rack (finger/hand sized), runners, single rope. Slings on the tree.

Sometimes graded at 5.8. Can set up top rope anchors from the parking lot above.

Bolted with DRBs with top rope access from parking lot above

TR friendly

can also be top roped

Chimney to the right of Thin To Win. DRBs for anchors

Right of Turkey Shoot (facing the wall). 3RB to DRB anchor

Good beginner granite crack. Don't take it for granted, requires solid jamming skills to tame the grade down to 5.7 and has some thin feet. If you know what your doing though this is an excellent warmup with a nice chimney as second pitch option which is only done by every second party or so. Chimney protects with midrange cams in a series of horizontal cracks to emerge onto a short face climb to reach the anchors. The crack pitch is ice but this gets stars only if you also do the Chimney pitch.

Starts on the face to the right of the Comatose crack system. Midway up at the obvious narrowing of the crack, step over and surmount the roof above and to the left of the crack. Follow the face keeping the crack just to your right. Continue to the Comatose anchors.