Repulsion

I really can't see how it took me so many years to get around to climbing this route.... It is now one of my favorite routes on the Thin Air Face.... It is a bit spicy at the crux, requiring a cool head and solid skills, but if you have those (or a solid ropegun) waste no time, go out and climb it....

Most folks who have climbed a bit at Cathedral have enjoyed a link up that included the famous Toe Crack (5.7), that is just one of the stellar pitches of Repulsion....

Pitch 1: 5.8 Start up the easy dike below toe crack.... Climb this till you get to a convenient bolt just as you head in to the harder than it looks climbing above.... Make a move left to a thin crack (takes TCUs well) and find your way (tricky) up the cracks to a few more interesting moves left and up in to easier climbing on to the nice ledge below the Toe Crack.... Belay from gear....

Pitch 2: 5.7 Climb the 100 foot perfect, 5.7, hand crack above.... Some painful jams and tricky moves, but for the most part it's just plain fun.... If this is a challenging grade for you, maybe bring extra hand and or wide hand cams.... When the crack ends, continue up the face and beautiful arete to a bolt with a funky home made hanger, and step right in to a belay on Standard Route at a tree with a rap anchor on it...

Pitch 3: 5.8+ R or 5.9 R This one is a bit heady at times.... Climb out of the cave on to the face and climb fun and easy moves on quartz holds until the going gets tough.... At this point, protect as high as you can.... Step down and left and out on to an exposed face with small crimps.... Make tricky moves as your gear gets further away and a bit farther to the left than you might like... fish in some gear and step up and right to mantel on to a nice ledge (watch for big loose rock here).... belay from pin and a bolt....

pitch4: At this point, you can continue up the arete at 5.9 R (it felt 5.10 when i tried) or break right and finish in the Standard Route chimney.... Belay from sturdy trees in a nice location below the finish gully of Standard....

Pitch 5: Climb the gully and exit right (5.4 in the guidebook)...or finish up a kinda dirty corner on the left side of the gully up a dike to the boulder problem finish on Thin Air. This variation felt 5.7 to me, but you can be the judge....

There are many points on this route where you can escape on to the Standard Route (5.7). Just make sure that when you get in to the crux, you plan to finish it....

Start up the dike below toe crack on the far right side of the Thin Air Face....

Standard rack to #3 Camalot.... You will also run in to pins and a couple of bolts....