Suparete

Eds. this route is actually the retrobolted line of

Quantum Mechanics

Just what I was looking for: another Mark Tarrant route. But what a first ascent team!! Who has not done at least 500 of Dan Hare's routes? And here we find Mark and Dan together on nothing more significant than a nifty approach to

Super Slab

. Not a waste of great talent however. This fine pitch is often done as a quick after-work one pitch route on superb stone or the absolutely best approach to

Super Slab

. You can approach Super Slab either via the ramp that takes you to the top of Suparete and the rap tree, both at the crows nest below

Super Slab

, or by humping around the to the West side of Redgarden. About half way up is a large tree directly below

Super Slab

. From here you can approach

Super Slab

via its (lousy) direct start or by scrambling up right to the start of Suparete.

The arete is on perfect, yellow, Eldo sandstone. The arete proper goes on four bolts at 5.11a. I found a nice spot for a couple of # 1 or 2 TCUs, after the last bolt, that took the tweak factor right back down into the black zone. Leave the TCUs behind and red line the final moves up to the tree.

Two stars for the striking, but not obvious arete, nice continuous climbing, fun moves, and a great warm-up for the rest of

Super Slab

. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine why the regular direct start was ever used (perhaps it was the bolts needed on the otherwise pro-less Suparete).

QDs only. Bring along some wind-sucking-icy-blue-steel nads or a couple of TCUs with your draws. Four bolts protect this 70 feet approach to

Super Slab

. It can be done as a fine one-pitch route itself and has a rap station at the tree on the right.