Hand Job (aka West Face)

An excellent route put up in the early '70's by two Platte warriors.

Hand job climbs the prominent crack system up the center of the west face of Cynical Pinnacle. It is steep, sustained, and high quality. An excellent benchmark for 5.9 climbing in the Platte.

Approach via "Hand Job Direct (5.9)", with directions for that route being given on this site. From the top of this pitch scramble up and slightly left until you are on a ledge of sorts, directly below the obvious wide crack system.

p1 (5.9R or approximately 11a, 150 feet?) The 9R standard pitch climbs up to a right leaning traversing hand rail with not much for gear. My partner chose to climb the thin crack to the right. The books list this as A1, but it was approximately 11a. Possibly harder for big fingers. possibly harder for cold fingers too. After about 30 feet, the crack widens into a series of big flakes and hand to fist cracks. We set the belay approximately 40 feet below the obvious OW crack through the roof. Excellent pitch, steep and sustained.

p2 (5.9, 190 feet) Straight up to the OW crack through the roof/overlap. Not as bad as it looks. Protects w/ #6 friend, technique can prevent thrashing (as always). straight up the widening crack (big bros or run it out) until you can slip inside it as a chimney. Continue on excellent chimneying into a huge cavern. go to the back of the cavern and chimney and stem up through a constriction. Continue to the top of the column and construct a belay below the bolt ladder of the final pitch of [Wunch's]. This is an outstanding pitch. Physical and really neat with the pseudo-spelunking.

p3 (5.hard or pull on gear) French the bolt ladder to easier slab climbing that tops out on the summit of Cynical Pinnacle. I probably should have included this in the route grading, but with the Frenching, it kind of doesn't really seem to matter.

Great route. If you like climbing in the Platte you owe it to yourself to do this route.

Full Platte rack, tips to OW, possibly a #3 (green) bro or two, runners.

First pitch is 9r or approximately 11a. Your choice.