Nose Area Tous Escalade traditionnelle 8 voies en site

This route is a lot of eyebrow climbing fun. One of the classics of looking glass. The exposure is great and the rock is phenomenal.

1. (90', 5.5) Climb low angled ground past numerous eyebrows to a ledge.

2. (100', 5.8) Climb up to and then along the right angling ramp that is obvious from a distance.

3. (100', 5.8) From the belay climb straight up the slab. Crux is early on.

4. (100', 5.7) Climb straight up from the belay or alternately (what I did to bypass a slower party) traverse left onto easier slab. This route is winding and requires a lot more rope, but is significantly easier than the direct version.

Location: From the end of the approach trail, head a little to the left and look for the pale right-angling ramp on the second pitch. Begin below the lower end of it.

Protection: Lots of small and medium cams, TCUs, tri-cams, etc. Make sure you bring plenty of runners and some good stiff shoes. It seems to me like there were bolt anchors at every belay. We rappelled the route Peregrine which is the next route right from the Nose.

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.

Although it's not a long sustained splitter crack, this is a really nice route, especially if the Nose is occupied. The crack actually runs for only ~20 ft on the 3rd pitch and is flaring, but protectable. The Lambert/Shull guide rates it 5.8, but I thought it was really mellow for the grade.

Start: Pretty much where the approach trail meets the rock. Relatively short approach.

1. (80', 5.5) Climb up and stay right of bulge, then move left to anchors. Either this pitch is underrated or the next pitch is overrated, as they didn't feel that different in difficulty.

2. (100', 5.8) At start, look up & right to anchors at top of 2nd pitch. Aim for those. Plenty of gear options.

3. (120', 5.7) If climbing on 50m ropes, climb more than 120' to ensure enough rope for last pitch. There are no fixed anchors for the end of this pitch.

4. (150', 5.6) Move up & left, aiming for the top of The Nose.

Descent: same raps as nose at the base of a distinct downward pointing flake. Using two 50m ropes rap to the "parking lot"-anchors are on right end if facing rock; rap to anchors between The Nose & Sundial Crack; rap to ground.

Protection (stolen from the description of The Nose): "Lots of small and medium cams, TCUs, tri-cams, etc. Make sure you bring plenty of runners and some good stiff shoes."

The first pitch takes larger gear than you'd think. I used a yellow #2 Camalot. The party before us used a blue #3.

I was glad to have multiples of .3-.75 camalot C4's, C3's, & several TCU's. The gear in the goofy belay picture is pretty typical of what's needed through the whole climb (.5 C4, .4 C4, yellow TCU, 000 C3, 0C3).

This was one of my favorite routes, for the grade, at the Glass. It was originally called Five Easy Pieces by the first ascent party that did it as an aid climb. Sometime afterwards we started calling the route Hyperbola and the name stuck.

My recollection of this route is it has a very hairy first pitch that involves some thin, hairball, 5.9 Carolina slab climbing where a fall would not be good for the leader, to reach the base of the arch. To start the route you climb up on some large flakes that are below & to the left of the arch. The tricky slab climbing starts off of the flakes and heads up & right to the base of the arch crack system. Since the first ascent, a harder, but better-protected direct start has been added. Getting thru the hairy slab climbing is the psycological crux of this route. A rest can be had afterwards at the base the crack system. Here the leader can rest & recoup for the pumpy technical crux under cling & pull-over move to reach the beautiful arching dihedral finger crack. Be sure your pro is set good before heading up here.

On one memorable ascent, a good friend of mine, was launching out on this move when his pro pulled out while in the middle of the crux pull over. Cams were not on the market at that time and he had only placed this one hex to protect the undercling. This left nothing but the bolt on the slab as his last protection and he was caught looking at a potential 50-plus-foot ground fall. He looked down at me, trimbeling, wild eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights!! I shouted out my encouragement and sent up all the positive energy I could thru the rope that ran between us. Shaking, scraping, and breathing like a locomotive he managed to barely pull over the crux move!! "Are you alright Peter!!??" I called up. After a quite a few minutes, where I think he was digesting seeing his whole life flash before his eyes, he replied "Yea!" He finally regained his composure and, like the true hard man he was, finished up the rest of arch. (Bob Rotert, 22 Dec 06, www.themountainproject.com)

Most folks will rap from the top of the arch, but there are 2-3 more pitches to finish the route to the top. Second pitch being around 5.9 with one or two bolts for pro and the crux moves would be getting off the top of the arch. The third & fourth pitches follow an indistinct line and are probably 5.7-5.8.

Location About 300 feet to the right of Sundial on top of some large flakes below the very obvious beautiful Yosemite-looking arching crack.

Protection Light Looking Glass trad rack.

The direct start is a good variation to the original if you don't feel like 5.9 R slab climbing. Step up on the ledge next to the tree. Pull onto the face up to the first bolt on pretty good holds. You can sling the tree, a flake, or get a bomber yellow #2 C3 in before the first bolt. Pull onto a creaky flake (feels bad but it will hold) Make some hard moves to clip the 2nb bolt and get to the sloper rail. Delicate climbing up to a little horn which feels like a jug at this point get a good shake and work up the side pulls. Bust out right to a good gaston (you can get a 000 C3 under the flake but I'm not sure it would hold, more of a mental piece) Pull over the bulge on bad slopers and worse feet then make your way back to the left to a really fun finger crack and meet up with the original route. Location 110 yards right of Sundial Crack. Protection 2 bolts, standard Looking Glass rack.

Easy runout to the base of an obvious crack. The crux is right off the slab and is protected by a bolt. The difficulties begin with a sharp off-hands crack which gives way to strenuous hands and fists to the top. Addendum per guide book: Skirt right of the bolt and back to the crack on p1 to make it 10a P2: Climb a wide crack along an arch to a bolted anchors, 5.8 70 ft P3: Pull over a 5.9 bulge and belay after 100ft P4: scramble up easier ground and descend as for the nose Location Hike in as for the Nose and head downhill and north from the the base of the Nose. Walk past a large slab and find the obvious crack. Protection A single bolt at the crux. Wide range of passive gear. Multiples in the 2-3 camalot range. Rap the nose route.

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.

Southern Crescent is for the eyebrow aficionado. Don't hop on this one until you've mastered Hyperbola, Chaos Out of Control, and any other "well protected" 5.10 at the Glass that you can think of. Not as consequential as the "Bomb Flake" but more serious than your average Glass route. Southern Crescent deserves traffic and has some fun and challenging climbing.

Location This route is located left of Hyperbola and right of Sundial Crack. Locate the obvious steep bulge with a few bolts. Start up the mostly unprotected face (5.8+) to a bolt. Traverse left and pull the steep and off balance moves over the bulge. Belay.

The 2nd pitch has a significant runout off the belay (5.9+). Clip a couple bolts and pull the no hands stand up move. Protection Your typical Glass route. For sure small Tri-cams.

Maybe traverse to the Nose rap route.