Air Jordan

Consult Vic Zeilman's excellent guidebook for an accurate topo and route description. This post is meant only to provide a few more pertinent details for would be suitors.

The route is quite good, particularly in its middle section. However, the first four pitches are mostly terrible. The second pitch is especially gross. Unless you like sharp crumbly squeeze chimneys followed by pigeon poop groveling, I would strongly recommend approaching the route via the

8th Voyage of Sinbad

. With the

8th Voyage

start, it's among the higher quality 5.12s in the Black.

Some additional notes to Vic's description and topo:

Pitch 5 (the first 5.12 pitch) is spicy. There is a RP placement up and left of the 3rd bolt that lessens the spice a bit, but expect some heads up climbing.

It is best to extend pitch 5 another 50 feet to a stance just above a small pricker bush (or do this as an additional short pitch). Otherwise you will have lots of rope drag for the pitch 6 crux.

Pitch 7 is also heads up with some potential to hit a pillar and ledge below you on hard-ish terrain.

Pitch 9 is the only unpleasant pitch in the upper portion of the route. It has a nasty midway bush, sharp crumbly "coral" covered rock and ends at a semi-hanging belay. Wear hand jammies or tape, and be prepared to grovel a bit.

We didn't climb it, but finishing via the

Stoned Oven's

final direct version looks pretty good (at least to start) and would be a nice way to avoid the Womb Fight. Apparently it's useful to have a tiny offset TCU or Alien to help protect this pitch.

The route took us 10-ish hours at a relaxed pace, although approaching via the

8th Voyage

would likely be significantly quicker.

If you're a glutton for punishment, begin approximately 200 feet up

The Diagonal

at an obvious tree, below a big, right-facing chimney system.

Otherwise begin with the first three pitches of the

8th Voyage of Sinbad

.

A single set of wires to #10 and a few RPs, a single #000 and #00 C3, doubles from #0 C3 to #2 C4, and a single #3 and #4 C4.

If you do the original start, add pruners, protective clothing, eye protection, and hand sanitizer.