Overture

General: Lawyer and Haas write that Overture is "a masterpiece of route finding" and no description could be better. Pitch 3 offers a mentally demanding and committing exposed line that will not disappoint. Pitch 1 can be avoided by linking the first pitch of Prelude with Pitches 2 and 3, thus maintaining the 5.8 grade.

Pitch 1 (5.10a):An unprotected boulder problem start leads to a short, shallow, and thin left-facing corner with a bolt at the end of the corner. At the top of the corner, exit working up and left to another bolt. From the second bolt, climb up on easier (5.8ish), albeit unprotected, terrain to a two-bolt anchor (shared with Prelude).

Pitch 2 (5.6): From the belay, work left to the large, low-angle, left-facing corner. Climb the corner to where it meets a short vertical step and work left to the obvious crack. An uncharacteristically hard move gains the low-angle rock above. Continue up, trending left, past another vertical step to a large ledge to build a gear anchor.

Pitch 3 (5.8): From the ledge, drop down to the climber's left (consider protecting the second here with a #00 TCU size micro-cam) and traverse over to a lone bolt on the low-angle face to the right of the arete. Make a committing move up on the arete until you can see a left-rising ramp appear. Make a highly exposed, highly committing move around the arete and onto the ramp (good protection) to gain the small corner formed by the ramp. Climb the ramp to gain a second, much welcomed, bolt. Move left from the bolt, into the prominent corner. Continue to the top, on easier terrain to build a gear anchor.

Note: On pitch 1, it is possible to escape climber's right into the first pitch of Prelude at the second bolt and above the second bolt after a short unprotected section (the latter being a good way to tame the stretch between protection after the second bolt).

Start: The approach through the talus brings you roughly to the main corner for Hesitation. Approach as for Hesitation, but follow the wall to climber's right until you come to an obvious rockfall runout. You should see an obvious, large rock fall scar with a "zig-zag" roof up to the right of the climb. This route shares its start with Prelude.

Descent: See the Upper Washbowl Cliff page for descent information for the cliff.

A single set from #00 Metolius TCU size to hand-size pieces. Doubles in the TCU sizes might not be the worst thing for Pitch 3. Stoppers.

Pitch 1: 2 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Pitch 3: 2 bolts