Blockbuster Ballet

If 5.8 is your limit, this route will keep you on your toes. This is a good route for someone who wants to experience the Reef, but doesn't yet feel ready for the 5.10 climbing on classics like Warm and Free to Rapture and Reefer Madness. There are fun moves on every pitch.

P1: Climb the curving flake and around the right side of the roof (route crux), then up the ramp/corner that leads up left to a belay. This pitch is about 80 feet and I am pretty sure could be linked to P2 with a 60 rope, but I didn't actually attempt it.

P2: The Tarantella variation, 5.9 R leads up left and looks awesome, I checked it out but saw no pro at all for a long ways, so I stuck with the original.

Depending where you belayed, either climb straight up or up and right through short cracks and flakes. Continue up a corner, past a tree, and up easier ground to a belay ledge below a chimney.

P3: there is a massive flake above you, with a visible, cool-looking 5.6 chimney on the right side, and a 5.7 offwidth (not visible) on the left. Having done the latter, I recommend the former. This is a short pitch but would be difficult to link to the last pitch without unbearable drag.

[edit] Came back and did the route a 2nd time, this time with the chimney. The chimney is waaay better than the offwidth; it's really fun, one of the better chimneys around. The route is a solid two stars done this way, I think.

P4: from the belay atop the flake, head up and left, with several variations possible and nice exposure. Stretch the rope out to the top.

Best way to access is to take the ledge system that splits the formations in half. It makes sense to begin with a route on lower Aegir, such as Coriolis. BB itself starts on the far right side of Aegir's upper west face, i.e. the far right end of the ledge system. It starts with a short curving flake that leads to the right end of a long roof band.

standard rack with optional #5 camalot for the offwidth on P3. I had up to a #3 camalot and the top part was poorly protected. If you do the chimney variation (recommended!) the initial section will be poorly protected without a #4 camalot (new or old). I managed a #4 friend that was uncomfortably tipped-out.