August Sunset Rock with Daniel

August 27, 2023

Sunset Rock with Daniel

Stan's Crack (5.8+) - warmup

Cornerstone (5.11-) - Daniel's lead. He needed to retrieve a stuck nut placed the previous week. I fell halfway up the arete, then found a key finger lock and did the climb without incident from there.

Jefferson Airplane (5.10a) - my lead. I barndoored off right after placing my second piece, because I wasn't paying close attention. Lowered to the ground, then sent it clean to the top. While up there I rigged the anchor over Mineral Fright instead of Jefferson Airplane.

Mineral Fright (5.11a) - Daniel and I both top-roped this climb. Fun climbing on tiny crimps. It would be a dangerous lead.

Another Fallen Angel (5.10) - Daniel led this and made it look easy. I have always hestiated to climb this when I've been at Sunset in the past. But, Daniel made it look so easy this time that we pulled the rope and I set off trying to lead it myself. He had placed two pieces before getting to the perfect hand crack beneath the roof. While there, he had placed two additional cams and extended them both. Then he had gone over the roof and pushed to the top. When I tried to do this I was initially shut down at the roof. First I just plain hung on the rope. The next time I managed to get my hand on the jug over the lip, but I traversed right (the wrong way), couldn't get myself over the lip and ended up taking a fall. Finally the next time I made it. The sequence was:

1. Hands in the jam under the roof

2. High right heel hook on the same rail as the hands

3. Reach way way out and up and right for a jug at the edge of the lip/roof

4. Put both feet in the hand crack

5. Pull hard up and go for the rail way above your head and to the left

6. Move farther left with matched hands on the rail

7. High right foot. Trust it!

8. Right hand to the crimp in the small crack above the roof on the right

9. Pull the roof and go