Almost Almost Alpine

A real multi-pitch climb in the Prettyboy Reservoir.  Named in homage to Almost Alpine, the greatest climbing film ever made, which features the mind-blowing 7000’ traverse of West Virginia's North Fork Mountain. A towering achievement. (Another such tribute can be found on The Overlook in the Hereford area of the Big Gunpowder Falls.)

This is a link-up of parts of several existing routes plus some new territory.  Sort of a girdle traverse, but not really.  The climb moves up and across the face.  Only pitch three is a true traverse.  Place gear carefully where necessary to protect the second.  Long runners minimize rope drag on pitch three.Pitch One (5.6, 35 feet)Climb the slab to a small ledge on the right.  Build a belay here in the right-facing corner at waist height.  A hanging belay is best to avoid rope drag on the corner. 

Pitch Two (5.8, 30 feet)Step down off the ledge to place gear and follow the obvious right-learning crack upward.  (This is the upper section of Six Ticks.)  The pitch eats gear.  Primarily cams and nuts.  Climb to another hanging belay at the top of Dane’s Delight.  

Pitch Three (5.4, 60 feet)Begin the traverse across the Sea of Kelp.  The placements are there (small cams and Tricams).  You just need to look under the kelp.  A little run out here and there.  Ascend as you move right to a large horizontal on the far upper side of the cliff.  Please a couple of large cams in this horizontal.  Belay at the end of the horizontal near the bottom of a shallow, dirty right-facing corner.   A #5 Camalot or equivalent helps here.   A small tree stump is available too.   With cleaning, some of the nearby horizontals likely have placements.

Pitch Four (5.4, 40 feet).Move straight up the face, aiming for a crack in the summit roof.  Find small cam placements in horizontals along the way.  Place a cam at the lip of the roof.  Pull the roof and belay off of the tree in front of you. DescentWalk off or rap from a tree with an obvious crotch near the cliff edge, lower down.

Start on the south-facing slab at the bottom of the crag near the water’s edge.  

Standard rack to 4 inches. You will use it all.