The South Face Route

This is an amazing climb featuring great rock, funky and burly climbing, and plenty of airy, exciting situations. Sections of the route, and certainly the obvious second pitch, were climbed decades ago (likely by the late Kyle Copeland), but info is elusive. Some time later, Mason Earle and Peter Vintoniv (with Andrew Burr following) climbed the route onsight swinging leads. And most recently John Scott and Sam Skrocke repeated some of the original climb but also pioneered a few great new pitches; they called their climb La Roca Mas Fina and while the older South Face Route and La Roca share some terrain, they offer distinctly different but equally impressive finishes. Really this route deserves a name more befitting its awesome climbing than "The South Face Route," so if you know more about its history or just have a colorful suggestion please let me know. In the meantime, the following description is of the "best" - as in highest quality - way to climb it; variations and history noted where applicable.P1 (10b, 90'): The original first pitch climbed from the ground directly up into the second pitch flake in one rope-stretching epic, but La Roca's first pitch makes for a higher-quality and perhaps more reasonable start: Climb intermittent cracks to a scoop protected by a bolt. Continue through blocks and ledges to a nice finger crack up the left side of a pillar. Belay atop the pillar at a bolted anchor.P2 (11d, 130'): A demanding, punchy, and beautiful pitch. Originally protected in part by beaks and pins and rated 11-, this pitch has been led entirely on gear yet the grade keeps creeping upwards. Step left from the belay and mantle onto a small bulge which allows access to the stunning, wavy flake. Follow this through several challenging sections to a final easy run up a water groove. Belay from bolts on a good ledge. Three bolts were added to this pitch in 2020 at the behest of Mason. One of them (I think it was the third) should probably be moved a bit (out left of the flake instead of on the wall to the right of it?). P3 (10a, 110'): Continue up the groove until it eases back into a ramp. Clip a bolt up and right and face climb up through blocks and flakes to gain a widening diagonal slot. Follow the slot to its end, but do not continue right towards a bolt and horn (this is La Roca); instead work back left up another slot to a large, sloping belay ledge. Belay from a bolted anchor on the far right end of the ledge.P4 (10c, 90'): The route originally moved right, around the corner, and into a loose, flaring chimney, but the fourth pitch of La Roca is a much better option: Head straight up the pretty left-facing corner with a shallow crack. A bolt protects the crux before the climbing eases on the way to a belay at a massive slung block.P5 (11a, 90'): Above is a beautiful bolted corner capped by a huge roof: This is this final pitch of La Roca. Begin climbing up this corner, but well before reaching the first bolt, look for an escape ramp off to the left. Work out this ramp which gradually narrows to a diagonal crack. Hand traverse this with commitment and tremendous exposure to a bolted belay around the corner in a hanging alcove.P6 (11d, 130'): Climb nice cracks in a shallow chimney past a giant wedged flake to a stance below a steep hand crack. Climb this, zig right, then zag back left pulling up onto the upper headwall. A left-leaning crack starts off easy then becomes very difficult before abruptly easing again. Belay from gear on the ridge; from here one can continue to the summit or easily down-climb to the anchor atop La Roca's final pitch and rappel.Descent: If going to the summit, continue climbing, then do a couple long raps into the notch between the Main Wall and the Eden Wall. If rapping La Roca, use either an 80m rope or two ropes and proceed as follows: 1) Rap 35m straight down into the hanging alcove beneath the final pitch. 2) Rap 40m down to the slab below then swing hard right to a hidden anchor on a ledge left of the P4 corner. 3) A short 15m rap brings you to the large, sloping ledge atop P3. 4) Rap P3, 35m, trending slightly left to the anchor atop the P2 flake. 5) Rap P2, 40m. 6) Rap P1, 30m, to the ground.

The notch between the Main Wall and The Pyramid. Begin at a pleasant staging area just left of a flake leaning against the wall.

2x 0.1 to #2 Camalots 1x #3 Camalot A light set of wired stoppers. A dozen draws/slings. 80m rope or two ropes. Consider tripling up in the 0.3 to 0.75 Camalot sizes.