Less Than or Equal To

Fun mixed aid and free climb up the right side of the

Triangle Wall

. This is a good Yosemite warm up route.

Pitch 1: Start below a small bulge/roof with a splitter above. There may be a fixed bashie to get you started. Continue up the splitter using small aid gear, passing a few bolts and a hook move. Belay at two bolts below the giant roof. 90' A2+.

Pitch 2: Aid to the right out the roof and then back to the left above the roof. This pitch is exposed. Much of this goes on modern clean gear, but it is tricky to get. Some pretty big pin scars on this pitch. Belay at two fixed pins with back up gear or continue along the traverse to the next anchor, while fighting incredible rope drag. 60' A2.

Pitch 3: Traverse using mostly aid on fixed gear to the left until the break in the roof. Pull a thin free move(5.8 or C2) and it is possible to set up a belay off a small tree and the first bolt of the next pitch. Can be combined with Pitch 2. 60' A1.

Pitch 4: Continue up the last pitch of

Stratosphere

. Belay at two bolts. 60' 5.9.

Descent: Rappel

Stratosphere

with two ropes.

This fine mixed free and aid climb is located on the right side of the

Triangle Wall

. There are a few ways to approach this climb. The start of the route is on a sloping stance below a small bulge/roof, with a splitter crack above. There may be a fixed bashie as your first piece.

1. Scramble up the fern gully to the right of the toe of the buttress. This is dirty, wet and loose and you may want to rope up. Belay on a sloping stance below a bulge/roof.

2. Original start goes up slabs and cracks to the left of the fern gully.

3. Do the sweet first pitch of

Stratosphere

and traverse to the sloping belay stance. This may be the best way, but not the way I went.

As of Summer '03.

1 set of camming devices to a #3 Camalot, 2 sets of TCUs (offsets useful if trying to get the second pitch with clean aid), 1 set of nuts (offsets useful), assorted LAs, Blades, Angles, 1 Beak, 2 Cam hooks, a few hooks.