The Left Handed Compliment

This route winds its way up the west edge of the China Wall, likely joining an established route two-thirds of the way up on a large corner system. The hard climbing is concentrated in the first pitch. The C rating comes from the FA party sending it "free" by pulling on gear. C0 = one pull, C1 = multiple pulls.

p.1 5.9 C1 (40m) -- Climb a steep finger crack in solid, polished rock. Pass small pine tree and into a right facing corner system. Climb past one more bigger tree and then, further on, climb a finger crack in a corner and step left to a sloping belay ledge below a slabby corner crack. Maybe 5.11 free?

p.2 5.9+ (20m) -- Climb up slabby corner with occasional gardened out gear placements. Move up corner until below a flake that leads to a tree. Step right and belay below a finger crack through a bulge.

p.3 5.10- C0 (25m) -- Up finger crack through bulge, then up corner above. Move right around a small overlap and then back left, once above the overlap. Belay in a small semi-hanging stance below a roof with a crack/slot on its left side.

p.4 5.10- (65m) -- Ascend straight up and pass roof on its left to a good stance. Follow hand cracks up through steps, eventually moving left to a gravel filled gully, tread lightly on some loose rock and make your way up easy terrain, moving back left and belaying on a pillar 75' below a large tree and bench.

p.5 5.5 (35m) -- From belay travel third class terrain east and then move up towards shelf with tree. Climb off ledge on right side up hand and finger cracks in a shallow chimney to another bushy ledge. Continue moving east, then up to shelf below a face with several splitter cracks. Belay here.

p.6 5.0-5.3 (35m) -- Don't climb any of the beautiful splitters, but instead move belay east to base of leaning pillar. Climb up under base of leaning pillar then traverse underneath pillar. Au cheval down a wedged boulder and belay on the east side of the leaning pillar under a nice hand crack, that starts about 15 feet up.

p.7 5.9 (68m) -- Make some face moves and gain the hand crack. Continue upwards aiming for the corner created by the headwall and the rock on which you are climbing. This may involve a little traversing. Gain the corner and climb the hand and finger crack through small steps. Belay in the vicinity of a horn slung with old faded tat and below an obvious dihedral.

p.8 5.8 (45m) -- Continue up the corner over steps, move left and then back right to avoid some bushwhacking, then climb nice corner above. Exit left at top of corner, climb up slabby ramp and, if you rope drag is not too bad, take it to the top by passing a large roof on its left. Otherwise belay after exiting the corner and do one more pitch to the top.

Descent: From top of route scramble uphill to the summit ridge and enjoy the summit and position. From the summit travel roughly north along the ridge about 100+ meters until reaching a very obvious gully. Follow this gully east and down until it deposits you at New Fork River after roughly an hour or so of 3rd and 4th class terrain.

From the first crossing of New Fork River, climb north across boulders and through aspen glades to reach the gully that splits the China Wall proper with the smaller Knucklebuster Buttress to the west. The route begins on climber's right just as the gully turns into slabby and steeper bedrock. Look for a steep finger crack with a small pine tree twenty-five feet up.

A double rack to #3 Camalot, a #4 Camalot with an additional finger size cam or two. We had a double set of nuts and I found offset HBs (#9, 10, 11) to be useful. I used a #5 Camalot but it was not critical. A seventy meter rope allowed for long pitches.