The Plague

Approach to Buttress of Cracks Right Side

The main trail to the base of Suicide Rock brings you to the base of this area of climbs, to the right and up a hillside from the lowest point of Suicide Rock where Arcy Farcy, The Hernia and the Left Side of the Buttress of Cracks lie.

Look for a red stained left facing dihedral at the right side of the face. This is The Plague 5.8. To the left is a scooped face climb rated 10a R, called Spatula.

Route Description

P1- Nice liebacking and great pro bring you up the dihedral until it runs out into a corner lip, and above is a awkward offwidth chimney. Use small thin nuts to protect the moves getting into the chimney. Once in the man-eating chimney gear is hard to place, but climb up to a solution pocket high in the chimney to pull up and out to the right to a small rest ledge. Climb a obvious ramp to a 5.6 knob to a nice ledge with a tree.

P2-Follow up to the left a flake that goes up and over a bulge (5.8) that finishes up to another ledge at the near top.

Walk off around and down to the Weeping Wall, or rap back down the route using the trees at each belay (easiest if at the top of 2nd pitch)

Essential Gear

-Thin stoppers to #11. A couple of bigger micro nuts may be helpful at the crux.
-Cams to 5 inches, and if you want to bring bigger, you can probably use them in the wild OW Chimney.
-60m rope
-Anchor steup

First Ascent

Fred Ziel and party did this route in July of 1971.