A short and difficult route.  Sometimes you just have to go for it.

Diminishing Returns

Broken Thumb

Pins and Knickers

Hollow Man

Guilt Trip

Wrecking Ball

Falling Apart at the Seams

Nuthin' Tuff

Flamin' Freddie

The Road Less Traveled

The Roadster

Split Seam

Tuff Enough

Tuff'n Up

On a Whim

Better than Bitter

Winky and Waxman Go Bolting

A BCC gem,

Split Seam

is flashback to bold, traditional, quartzite climbing.  An interesting, fun, and ever steepening climb with a high, powerful crux. Scramble up to a left-facing, thin, corner/crack system and follow the faint seam to a small over-lap/roof with a break through its center. As good as anything else  at

Challenge

and no where near as greasy as the gang-bang bolted piles at the base. Punch it to the ridge line and hang ten off the top! This 5.10 is for grown-ups.

On the NE corner of

Challenge Buttress

, what I used to think was

Guilt Trip

is this route.  It does protect well, and requires a good throw, or some excellent footwork to work the lip.  The face above eases considerably after the steepness.

Climbs the steep line just left of

Tough Enough

.

The topo in Ruckmans' 1998 guide shows this route climbing up the left side of the

Winky and Waxman

pillar then diagonalling left to a short, right-leaning, left-facing dihedral followed by a 5.10+ face section to a large horizontal break.  Since Stuart did the FA as well as co-wrote the guide, a reasonable assumption is that the topo correctly shows what he climbed.  However, I was told by a knowledgeable local years ago that

Pins and Knickers

is the left slanting thin crack system starting above the very top of the pillar, about 5 or so feet left of what is now

Better than Bitter

.  In any event, I'll leave that mystery to others and post up the latter line, which IMO is one of the finest trad pitches of its grade in BCC.

Although the guide rates

P&K

as an R, the line we did is adequately protected (microcams, unavailable in 1987, may be the reason).  As usual on steep quartzite, though, hanging out to place the gear can give a similar sense of unease.  From the top of the

Winky and Waxman

pillar, finger jam up the left-leaning crack until it pinches off then pull the crux -- bona fide 11a -- into a rest of sorts, place an excellent brass nut in the back of a pod that also can take a No.3 camalot, and gain the horizontal break.  Traverse a few moves right along the break, then step up and left onto the headwall and airy climbing to the belay.   Feel free to snicker at those on the sissy sport routes on either side.

On the west face of

Challenge Buttress

, just around the northwest corner, is this 7 bolt route.  This route is great, a consistent 5.9.  Find your resting spots and pump it out.

This is a route you climb, and then pump out 3 or 4 more times for a workout.  With a pine tree shading the sun in the summer it is a great late afternoon climb to cool down.

Just enjoy this beauty.

Climbs the roof on the NW corner of

Challenge Buttress

. Climb up to the chains and continue up the face to the top of the buttress.

Just left of

Hollow Man

is a big roof.  This climb kind of shares the start of

Flamin' Freddie

, but it climbs the bolted line up over the roof.  The roof can be worked with flakes and underclings.

. . . and

the seams

aren't the only things that are

falling apart

.

This chossy adventure offers a nice variety of everything. If sporty mixed climbing is on your to-do list

Falling Apart at the Seams

is for you. While most of this route is solid, you will come across some questionable terrain, loose holds, and friable rock. Proceed with caution.

Climb about nine feet up an attached block to a big ledge. Clip your first bolt and power up for the steeper than it seems wall of big holds and edges. From the ledge run it out towards an icebox sized death block, climb around this and get a solid stance. Catch another rest then break right climbing past two bolts while aiming for the large slot - here lies the crux. Don't split your wig trying to suss out this one, get creative, hang on tight and move quick, a shallow ledge awaits tired arms. Finish here passing one more bolt on a short, steep head wall, top-out on the ledge above the crag. Rope drag can be a problem coming over the edge, its best to back up the anchor and bring up your second.

Rappel the route via webbing and slings.

The short right trending crack just right of the 5.11b Tuff'n Up.  Not a great climb, only climbed as we were confused as to where Tuff Enough was.

Flamin' Freddie

is on the west side of

Challenge Buttress

so it gets good shade in the morning/early afternoon.

Climb up the steep opening, traversing slightly left to more dihedral climbing.  Follow this up to easier ground (passing an anchor on the right).  Continue up the steep face with big jugs for an exciting finish.  Pro is more difficult to find in the upper parts, but opportunities are available.

The route climbs the left set of bolts and shares an anchor with The Roadster. Positive holds are tricky to find but they are there among the downward sloping edges. Fun climbing on great rock! A great addition to the crag.

The route climbs bolt to bolt on the right edge of the formation and shares an anchor with The Road Less Traveled. Positive holds can be found amongst many downward sloping edges. Hardest climbing is down low, eases off a bit but stays consistent and is steeper than it looks from the ground. This is bound to become popular!

This route is on the north face and it climbs through the roof utilizing the wide crack.  Angle left near the end to gain the chains on the NE corner of the arete.  This route is fun and protects well.  Whereas, it is steep and hard looking, it is still a 5.8 due to a lot of good hands and feet.  A #4 DMM Cam protected the roof perfectly, and the rest of the route protects well in hidden cracks.  Enjoy this fun, but short route.

This route starts on the ledge system on the NE corner of Challenge.  It climbs an overhanging section working to the right as it goes.  The anchors are not visible but are there (no chains or rap hangers) on the right end of the traverse.  The traverse is what makes this route.  Initially, one will feel the urge to clip bolt 2, almost skip bolt 3 and go straight up.  Don't!!!  The moves that make the climb are on the right traverse.  Stay low, and make those lunges.  Walk off.

I believe this route climbs a short hand crack that you reach by clambering onto a 15-20 foot high ledge on the north face of Challenge.  It is a short but fun hand crack.

Above

Winky and Waxman Go Bolting

is this newer bolted route.  It follows the bolts to chains and is well-protected and exposed.  This is

Hollow Man

on steroids.  A great route, a must-do route...  Enjoy jamming around that chockstone.  This climb is similar to

Hollow Man

in the sense that it is pretty consistent and very vertical to slightly overhanging; it differs in the sense that there is a harder move and it has way more exposure.

Do this route!!!

This is the short (3 bolt) problem on the west face, just past the pine tree.  It protects well, and is a pump.  On my first ascent, I almost couldn't open the draws at the top for the chains.  Stay out of the crack to the right, and expect rock-solid forearms when you are done.

cTr - (Choose To Rage) This is a pretty homogeneous sport climb added to the fray about 200 feet up the hillside from

Winky and Waxman Go Bolting

. Start up some tricky finesse moves to the first roof and fire this to bigger more positive holds on the overhanging face to a bomber block (point of rage?). Some small bands along the way provide pleasant rests from this pumpfest. It stays in your face until the welcome reprieve at the chains.

One of new climber Dustin's first climbs outside the gym...might he become a lifer?

Although extensive route cleaning and preparation was done, this should improve with age. Until then, consider wearing a helmet and lunge/cut loose with caution.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in North and West Faces