- Edit (TBD)
Description
Above the Swedin Ringle anchor the crack pinches down to a slightly offset seam. Reach left to the arete and climb it with some trickery before transferring back into the crack when it widens again. The arete is tenuous and any fall, especially at the crux, has the potential to be a big one! Finish in the steep, slightly crumbly right-arching fingers to thin hands crack. Spectacular! The route is sometimes climbed by placing some high cams in the crack instead of clipping the chains, but word on the street (see comments) is that the rock in the crack is pretty beaten up and it's probably better to just clip the anchor.
Location
Some will recognize this route from the Parallelojams video; most others will note that it is the oft-chalked extension to the prominent Swedin-Ringle. Lower with a 60m rope. The fixed "hardware" was pieces of static rope and carabiners in April of 2008 that was probably old.
Protection
Gear from very small to 1 inch. Doubles or triples of finger to hand pieces are useful. I found that it was possible to place a good small cam (spoiler: grey TCU, so maybe others like small C3s would fit) at some point during the crux, but the placement is mainly by feel and would be tricky to get right during an onsight. Based on a comment below, it's probably best to clip the anchor on Swedin Ringle, as the rock is somewhat soft in the crack and takes the brunt of the potentially large fall from the crux.
Routes in Battle of the Bulge Buttress
- 45Air Swedin5.13bTrad