Nimbus

This route follows the obvious arete and crack system located on the right-most end of Whitney Portal Buttress. The route can be seen from afar. Look for the clean left-curving crack halfway up the wall and you've found the crux second pitch.

P1: 5.9 PG-13 face climbing, 4 bolts and a couple horns for protection. Climb an easy fourth-class ramp to the left to meet the Buttress. Here there is a good stance to place your first pieces of protection in the right-leaning hand crack. Climb up the knobby face, clipping 4 bolts and slinging a couple horns for pro. The last move to the belay involves a balancy no-hands step onto a knob. This pitch is slightly run-out warranting a PG-13 rating.

P2: The good one. Lots of 5.10 crack climbing. Layback/jam the obvious left leaning crack for 15 or so feet. This is the crux. As you go, the wide crack thins to fingers and becomes more vertical. Climb straight up the 5.10 finger crack or look left for a perfect-handcrack, which is significantly easier. This is pumpy!

P3: 5.8. Layback the super thin flake. Climb up an easy blocky ramp. After about 50 feet you can either end the pitch at the rap anchors or continue up the bolted slab, which climbs a few inches to the very edge of the arete. The bolts are widely spaced on this upper part of the pitch. Exciting!

Approach this route as for Ghostrider or Gangway. Continue heading East, towards the right end of the Buttress. The route is located on the right most end of the Whitney Buttress. Go as far as you can until the Buttress ends and you are on the right side of the arete. Look up towards the arete to spot the first bolt.

Descent: Rappel the route with the two 60 meter ropes.

A few long slings for slinging horns on the first pitch; a couple regular slings for the left-leaning crack on the second pitch.

Regular rack including doubles of finger and hand-sized gear. Bring some small nuts (useful for second pitch).