Repulsion Variation P1

Climb the dike up to a small slanting ledge with a bolt, as per Repulsion. Climb the outside of the standard route chimney for 10 feet or so until you can gain the lower angle slab to your left. Climb the slab to a piton. Clip the piton and make delicate moves left along the base of the bulge until you get to a lower angle weakness with laybacking cracks. Climb a few feet to the base of a left arching crack. Climb to your right, up and away from the crack up the steep face through a delicate sequence that gains the belay ledge at the base of Toe Crack. This variation of the first pitch of repulsion is committing face and slab climbing with big run outs, although, it stays dry from seepage. Admin's NOTE- This seems to be a variation of to the normal P1 of Repulsion, and I have re-named it as such. Repulsion steps left at the bolt at the top of the dike rather than climbing the slab as described above. The Handren guide shows no route in this area on the photo on page 207, although one can make out some cracks between Repulsion's route-line and the "arete" of the offwidth.  (The line shown just right of Repulsion's line is described on pg 131 (3rd Edition) in  Webster  as: "Variation #1 THE DIRECT START" to STANDARD 5.7+" ...[from] "bolt up into a notoriously awkward offwidth".)  R Hall  NH Admin  11/19/21 

Start on the same dike as Repulsion 

One Bolt, a Pin, and a Standard rack to 2 BD. Gear anchor. 60 m rope if you want to rap off the Standard Route tree anchor.