- Edit (TBD)
Description
Climb easy blocks and cracks for 30' with good gear until you reach the bolted arete. Move through the blocky flake, clipping bolts, crimping sharp, ever shrinking edges. Mantle and climb your way through the very unique and fun pixel section, which requires sorting through the hundreds of small green patina 'pixels' to find the ones that fit you.
Move up and right towards another flake, catch your breath on a good edge then pull around to the right of the arete, using a cool sloper undercling and eventually pulling around to a stance on a cool double chickenhead. Pull into the final 25' runnel using the unique sloper rail, pinching and/or sloping all the way to the anchor.
Very cool, unique and fun climbing that is surprisingly sustained. Keeping the lower flakes makes this an edging crux instead of pure slab. Keeping those flakes also required Gen Z infrastructure. It holds 200# guys but please tread lightly as you pull through the first 2 bolts.
Location
This starts at an anchor at the bottom of the tree rappel from the Sail and is directly to the right of Boomer, most of the way up the Keel.
Approach via 3rd class from the very base of the Keel, using a) "Hi! I'm the best guide EVAR", b) via 3rd class from the middle of the Keel or c) via Bizarro Duck, then 3rd class.
Descend with one 35m rappel to the climbers left, directly over Bizarro Duck. There is an anchor on a ledge by there but a 70m gets you all the way to the ground in the upper part of the gully.
Protection
A couple of finger sized pieces up to #1 camalot, a few long runners, draws. 9 bolts? We added a bolt at that final upper flake because it didn't seem to hold gear well. 70m rope please.
The upper anchor is set back from the lip of the route because a) we weren't sure where the line would go and b) it's scary to access from the top. We extended the anchor with a 6' loop of rope to so you won't have to scrape up your rope. This will need to be intermittently replaced but is in excellent condition as of October 2021.
Routes in The Keel
- 4Gen Z5.10+Trad