Pitch off

This route has some challenging and aesthetic upper pitches but a few lower easier pitches must be dealt with before you get to them. It is a nice half day route on the south end of Haystack Mountain. I named it pitch off because 14 years after the first ascent I went back and led it again (we had rated it 5.9) and took a HUGE fall off the 4th pitch.

Scramble up the south gully until it is possible to traverse right into a large black section of rock. Climb to its top left edge and belay at the base of an S shaped crack.

Pitch 1: Climb the S shaped crack to a smaller black section of rock. Climb up cracks on its right side, then step right to a ledge at the bottom of a shallow right facing corner. 5.6 150 feet.

Pitch 2: Climb the shallow corner past two pointed roofs and continue up left on a ledge system. 5.4 160 feet.

Pitch 3: Climb slightly further left on the ledges, then up a crack that arches right and intersects a small roof. Undercling out left under the roof and pull over it at its left end. Belay on the ledge in the corner. 5.7 120 feet.

Pitch 4: Lieback/undercling the strenuous left leaning/left facing corner above, continue up it to a right facing flake. Climb this to a large ledge below two thin cracks. 5.10 100 feet.

Pitch 5: Climb the left crack/seam system then up face and over right side of a large roof. 5.9 150 feet.

The route is on the southern end of Haystack, slightly to the left of the well known West Face, south end route. Descent via the grassy goat ledges (do not go south to the col between Haystack and Steeple peak.)

Standard granite alpine rack. Be sure to have medium sized camming units to protect the undercling pod half way up pitch 4. RP's or steel nuts and tiny cams or wires are nice for the final thin crack.