Edge of Reality

This route is marked as route #2 in Rossiter's Bihedral section of the Boulder Canyon book. Standing near the base of the Bihedral dihedral or Bihedral Arete, look left past the Heterohedral to a tower-like buttress that creates the vertical horizon. The edge of this is the route at hand. Scoot over to this by walking left on the big ledge, then scrambling up and over on a thin ledge system (4th class, but leave your pack at the base and put on your shoes beforehand if you want to feel good about it) and then to the base of the climb. Belay between a nasty bush and the wall.

The first clip is good, which is misleading. The second clip is nasty -- you have a choice between a huge reach off of a wrist-wrenching, finger-pumping undercling (I'm 5'10" and have ape-like arms and this was really pushing it) or doing a 5.11 move with bad feet to a slick hold to clip from. Either way, the clip sucks and I don't know why it was placed where it was. The next few moves are the crux, on bad hands and feet. Proceeding upwards, you will see more evidence of the botched bolting job including a sleeve with no bolt, two bolts 2 feet apart, etc... All remaining bolts look good though. Some holds were releasing crystals of rock under hand and foot. Up near the top the thank-god hold is covered in reeking bird crap.

I'll finish with the disclaimer that I hung on this route several times, and grabbed a sling to clip up high on it (4th or 5th?) in case that affects your interpretation of my description of this route. In my subjective pont of view, even though I had hung on it, I'd still be able to call it good if it had been -- it just wasn't. Most of the pump came from the second clip, not the moves, and most of the fall potential from a few slippery or crumbling holds, not from difficulty of the moves. My partner (who can climb at that level) declined to even try the route. I do admit that a better climber than I would have flashed it, but after seeing it, probably wouldn't have bothered.

On the way down I cleaned it in so much as possible with my bare hands. Hopefully this will have improved the route.

A set [6] of draws.

Per

Bruce Hildenbrand

: Dale Haas and I replaced the coldshut as one of the anchors with a Fixe ring hanger. This now makes two Fixe ring hangers at the anchor.

Per

Mark Rolofson

: this is only R rated if you don't bring any gear. RPs (BD steel nuts) and/or small Aliens can be placed above the ledge to protect the moderate climbing leading to the anchor.