Vie in Looking Glass del grado selezionato

1. This is a great 5.9 warmup or option for gumbier climbers that you drag over to the North Face. It features a nice tips splitter on a slab. Many folks climb only the first pitch and belay off 2 fixed hexes in the crack above the dying tree.

2. (5.11b/c, ) It looks fantastic from the ground, and is one of the few true splitters at the Glass...at least that's how it looks. Closer inspection reveals a constricting crack with a lip on it that is awkward and painful to jam with moss and mud in the back of it. Yeehaw! If doing the 2nd pitch, traverse right after the tree (a little spicey) then up the first bulge to belay at a sloping stance with good gear. The crux is liebacking or jamming over a bulge about 20' above the belay. Continue to rap from two bolts about 70' above the belay. The entire route is very well protected. Take two ropes to rap.

Location: On the North Face of Looking Glass. This is located on the face of the pillar between Cornflake Crack and the Womb. Start about 10 feet left of a large tree that has grown into the wall.

Protection

P1: Small nuts or TCU's, then standard rack P2: Extra .5 and .75 camalots, hand sized pieces for the belay

Classic and varied 5.9 ish climbing with a very short 5.11b crux.

1. Climb crack and slab beside vegetated crack, angling right until an obvious gear belay (70 ft, 5.7)

2. Climb crack trending right with great protection. Undercling crux leads to hand crack and bolted belay. (80ft, 5.9+)

3. The money pitch, offwidth dihedral that can be protected by an overhead #4/#3 (11b). Above this move is a perfect finger crack with great exposure that is around 5.9 climbing. Gear belay. (100ft, 5.11b)

4. Slab on up. (100ft, 5.7).

Is this the best crack climb in the state, or just on the Glass? First freed by Henry Barber on one of his burning-off-the-locals tours in the '70s, this one remains an enduring classic. Whether you, too, will endure remains to be seen.

Also known as a good place to learn to aid climb, in the same way the Louvre is known as a good place to read.

1. (80', 5.11a) Climb up a couple body lengths to a short undercling roof. Plug some gear, take a deep breath, and scurry across to solid fingerlocks around the corner. Layback up this on more locks to a rest, then surmount a series of well-protected boulder problems until a tricky step right gains a belay stance.

2. (100', 5.11a) Crane your neck upward and suss out the corner as it leans dramatically rightward overhead. Although the corner itself is disturbingly blank, a finger-sized crack in the left wall saves the day. Crank and stem your way upward with good gear until the corner kicks back and opens up to accept fingers, widening to off-hands under a 1' overlap. A desperate 'rest' stance may remind you of endless trials on unrelenting Valley cracks-- you might be able to crank off that layback, you might fall trying, but you sure as hell can't stay here for long! Dig deep and fire for the hand jams leading to a widening flake and the best belay ledge on the Glass, at least when it's dry. Most people rap from here.

3. (60', 5.10b) Greenish flakes contiue to the top.

Location: Left end of the steep part of the North Face. Look for a right-facing corner with a short undercling near the bottom. If this is wet, you may want to keep walking.

Protection:Stoppers, 2 each TCUs, and a double set of cams to 3", with a 3.5" as well. 2 ropes. Fixed anchors.

DESCENT: 2 ropes from the top of P2 get you to the ground; if climbing P3, a single-rope rap from a tree will get you back to the ledge.

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.

P1: 5.11c Starting in a often dirty right facing dihedral climb the finger crack through a notch and up to a jug. Cut left into an eyebrow and mantle up onto the ledge. Move left to a bomber eyebrow. Climb interesting slab placing small gear before clipping a bolt and entering the crux. Continue climbing through two bulges split by a crack of varying size (fingers - thin hands) and belay at a natural gear anchor.

P2: Climb P2 of Safari jive Location Start on a thorn covered ledge just left of Nuclear Erection, below a shallow right facing dihedral.

Descent: Rappel off P2 Anchors (2 60's) Protection Regular NC rack

This great alternative to the original pitch adds mutiple 5.11 sequences and when combined with the upper pitch makes for a 170 ft pumpfest. Start left of the tree that is leaning against the wall. Move generally up and right over small and medium gear to a bolt. Fire past the bolt and move into the bulge with a crack going through it. The original direct(FA Kris Kline)came in from the right and pulled this same bulge. Crank this crack/bulge to join back into the original line. Belay here or continue to the top for the enduro finish. Location Starts right of the original Safari start and left of the leaning tree. Protection Many long runners, nuts, small tcus to orange or c3s, grey and red aliens, tricams, double 1/4 to 1 inch cams, 2 or 3 inch cam for the very start

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.