Arch Bitch-Up, 5.8+, 3 Pitches

Overview/Approach

Traversing First Pitch Above

One of the best play on names of any route I have ever climbed as you do traverse under an arch to start.   If you are on this side of Dome Rock to climb Tobin’s Dihedral, this is a great moderate to pair Tobin with as it is located right next to it and takes you back to the top of the formation. This makes for the perfect combination on this left side of Dome Rock.  The first pitch is the crux, stemming up Tobin’s for a few meters and then traversing right via a hand rail. The crux of the pitch is a mantle you need to make at the right end of the hand rail.  From there, you follow a intermittent vertical crack system to near the summit of Dome. If there was a 2nd crux of the route, it is on the 3rd pitch which includes a short flared off-width lead.

Arch Bitch-Up starts up Tobin’s Dihedral which is one of the most recognizable features on Dome Rock. Descend the east end of the Dome as you would for any of the routes. Continue to about 3/4ers of the way around the southeast face looking for Tobin’s which is a massive left facing dihedral, both in height and breadth. I had a timber rattler strike at me in the woods near the bottom of this dihedral in 2017.  Scramble up to a ledge at the base of the dihedral.

Route Description

Arch Bitch-Up, 450’+/-, 5.8+

1st Pitch- 120’- 5.8+/ From the base of Tobin’s Dihedral traverse right on a horizontal. Stay low, using the horizontal for a hand/finger rail. Small gear, particularly off sets, work well to protect this traverse. Step on a few wall features as you traverse the hand rail until you come to an obvious mantle point (crux of the route). Make a left leg up on a reachy chicken head and dyno your feet to the same horizontal where your hands are. Traverse easily right until below the wide crack (not the chimney which you pass under). Climb up the right side of the off-width size crack and belay at a ledge with a fixed station.

2nd Pitch- 115’- 5.7+/ Continue up the off width. I placed a single #3-#5 on the entire pitch, some would consider that run out. A few extra pieces in that size range would help you sew up this pitch if this lead is at the edge of your abilities. Near the top, you enter a squeeze chimney facing left (photo) and squeeze up to a belay ledge with a slung tree (2017).

3rd Pitch- 215’- 5.8/ Head up and right slinging a bomber chicken head (photo) and clip a bolt. Traverse up and left via a slab move into a flared narrow off-width flake. Ride the flake on the right side up to the top (crux of the pitch). From there climb through a fixed anchor to near the top at another fixed anchor. This last 100’ is run out, but relatively easy slab climbing. We soloed to the top from there via hand cracks and low angled ground.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

There is none. With Dome Rock, you simply walk back to your car from the summit.

Essential Gear

Single rack from micro cams to C4#4. Take a #5 if you are not use to 5.7 wide crack climbing. Double from C4#.3 to #2. A few off set wires or off set cams for the crux section. Ten shoulder length slings.

Images

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