Needle's Eye

One of the Needles classics, you can't leave here without climbing it. But, it is serious and if you are not very comfortable leading 5.9, you might want to wait.

P1: Start down the hill from the parking lot in the eye. Chimney up to the right and face climb to the arete. You might be able to get a stopper in for protection before you start face climbing. Wrap a runner around the knob and belay.

P2: Head straight up on knobs, using the left edge to counter-balance. There is no pro for 25' until you reach a horizontal crack. Clip the piton, traverse right to another piton (a TCU will fit in the crack), then stem up the gully (crux) to the chains. A

Rap: a single rope gets you down to the parking lot.

medium stopper, 2 quick draws, 1 long runner (for belay), possibly a TCU to back up the pitons.