Nobody Likes Bryant Gumbel

This is the second-to-last route on the left side of News Wall. It starts left of a large tree and follows a black water streak to a chute up top. Along the way, there is an overlap to pull, and this is probably the crux. People sometimes drift left along the overlap and use some of the Baba Wawa holds. That's fine, but that's not the 5.9.

Originally, this was done as a free solo by James Crump and Mike Head, and in Crump's Dome Driver's Manual, it is a 5.9- X. Just about everyone topropes it now, and it is listed as a TR in a newer guidebook, but I have listed it in keeping with the FA.

If you wanted to lead this on gear, you could get a marginal/poor piece to protect pulling the overlap, and there is a horizontal flake below the top-out that would probably break if you fell on a cam or cammed Tricam. If you fell on either piece and it blew, you would deck, so considering that and the quality of the rock, this really is an X lead.

In the chute at the top are two Metolius rap bolts known as the News Wall anchors. Please leave these open for parties rappelling, especially on weekends and on other busy days. There is a large boulder behind the anchors, and you can hang a TR masterpoint over it. Doing so will also result in much less rope drag than using the anchors will.

Note: in DDM, this route and Baba Wawa are part of the Prok Wall, which is part of the Shield. However, the newer O'Grady guide has them on News Wall. Since the person who submitted the BW page put it with News Wall and since most people call the anchors above BG the News Wall anchors, I have included BG under News Wall as well.

At the base of News Wall, find the large tree left of Walter Funkite and locate Bryant Gumbel left of the tree. The picture here should make that easy to do. That's if you're actually going to lead it.

Otherwise, lead Funkite, No Sweat, or Sweat to the Funkite anchors, climb the easy mini-pitch to the top of News Wall, and then locate the chute with the rap bolts. Or approach News Wall from the top. The best way is to take the Echo Canyon Trail to its crest, ascend up the slabs to and past the Lunar Rocks and then cut over to the Backside and find an easy slab that takes one to a climber's trail that wanders across the top of Center Wall, News Wall, and part of the Shield.

Gear for building a TR anchor.