Kauffman's Rib climbs the south edge of the Euro Wall/No Dally Alley detached flake. It rises in two major steps with lower angle and traversing sections in-between. From the amount of lichen on the route it obviously sees very little traffic. There is considerable loose debris on the upper part as you traverse north along the narrow edge of the flake.

If you head up here you'll certainly leave the crowds behind, and you can get a unique perspective on the more popular areas and the No Dally Alley. You can also appreciate 1950's Seneca style "5.4," (overhanging steps along the rib, don't get on it if you think Conn's West is hard). It is possible, but inconvenient to return to the start once you are done. Take all your stuff and traverse the north peak to get down.

The climb can be done in one pitch, but rope drag and communication concerns may make you want to break it up. There are nice belay spots below each of the steps.

Kauffman's Rib

Negative Feedback

No Dally Alley

Thunderbolts

Snickers

Silent But Deadly

Amber

Madmen Only

One Stop

Pine Tree Traverse

Psycho Killer

Up Front

The Bell

Northway

Stuck in Time

West Face to Gunsight Notch

Bray No More

Circumflex

Inherent Contradictions

That's Reality

Hooked on a Feeling

Bray To The Lord

Princess Snowbird

Malevolence

Psycho Warfare

Mistaken Identity

Bansai

Start inside the No Dally Alley Chimney. Begin about 60 ft. inside the south entrance.

#1. Climb the chimney past a flake to a stance. Continue up to the chimneys top. (110 ft.)

Start about 75 feet left of Malevolence, just before the easy ramps belay beneath a right facing corner.

#1. Climb the corner for about 25 feet to a ledge with a block. Continue up via corners and underclings to a notch. Move past the notch onto the face. Move up and right to the top. (120 ft.)

Start inside the No Dally Alley chimney near the breakdown at the north entrance.

#1. Climb the chimney and crack to the top of the flake. (65 ft.)

Climb the face past 4 bolts, pull bulge and place gear. Continue past 4 bolts to the belay.

Climb right facing corners and flakes for about 35 feet. After several pins the corner ends traverse right to a crack. Pull overhangs, to V shaped notch, and move up to a legde.  Difficult route finding.

Short finger crack to the left of Negative Feedback.  The crux move is the first few moves off the ledge.  The most strenuous part is stopping to place gear.  Follow finger crack to roof and traverse off to the left about 10 Ft.  Sustained, mostly because of the stances needed to place gear.  Some loose blocks and lichen near the top.  This would be much more popular if located in an easier to reach section of the cliff.

A fantastic underrated route that sees very little traffic. It’s unlike anything else at Seneca. Climb a series of narrow right facing corner systems up and left until you can pull a bulge about half way going straight up out of the alley to an under cling. Then traverse left to the obvious right facing corner, up to a tree you can belay from on North Peak. The protection is adequate and probably should only be rated PG-13 but just to be safe, it is R in the guidebook and a fall may result in ping ponging back and forth between the two walls. If you’re confident in the grade climb it!

Madmen Only ascends the obvious steep crack in a right-facing corner formed by a giant flake at the right side of the Bell Wall.  Finally a Seneca route with big, solid gear and burly moves!  Ascend this crack until a cruxy move that steps right and continues to a bolted anchor.

Start from the large ledge beneath the main face of the North Peak.

#1. Climb the vegetated ramp up and left to the summit.

Climb Madmen Only to the point where it steps right.  Instead, continue up on thin climbing to a thin, left-leaning ramp/corner system.  Follow this up past well-spaced gear to a bolted anchor.

Start about 50 ft. right of the north entrance of the No Dally Alley chimney.

#1. Climb the weakness that appears on the lichen coverered face. (90 ft.)

Begin 60 left of Mad Men Only underneath the prominent bell feature in the middle of the bell wall. Climb through poorly protected climbing for 20 feet till you reach a reasonable stance. Make a hard move out right to a good stance and then work back into the bottom of the bell feature. Work delicate moves along the left side of the bell until you hit the roof and exit out left. Traverse right into a shallow right facing corner. Do not fall here. Gain good pro in the shallow corner and follow system  for 50 feet until you top out. No anchors.

Start same as West face to Gunsight Notch.

#1. Climb the West Face of Gunsight Notch to the point where that route moves right. (150 ft.)

#2. Continue through the No Dally Alley chimney and up to the summit. (40 ft.)

Start on the shallow right facing corner, that’s just left of That’s Reality. Climb easier terrain, avoiding as much loose rock down low, as possible. Move up past a few gear placements towards the first bolt, to establish yourself on the thin steep face. Clip the first bolt and get ready to test your technique and commitment. Continue up past two more bolts and some long runouts guarded by thin cryptic beta. While not the most strenuous climb for the grade, try not to pump out searching for holds before the end, because the last move is bold and exciting.

I named the route “Stuck in Time” because Eddie Begoon and Mike Artz originally put in the three bolts, but they never went back to send it. The route remained unclimbed since the early 90’s, until Eddie told me about it,

and gave me the go ahead to replace the bolts and try it. It’s in a more obscure area of Seneca but well worth the trip to it, even with some loose rock at the start of the climb.

Start below the Movie Screen to the left of Scrambled Leggs at a short face leading to a vegetated ramp.

#1. Climb the short wall and follow the ramp up and left. (150 ft.)

#2. Scramble back right over the ledges to the notch of Gunsight Notch (end where Gendarme used to be..)

Starting just left of a shallow right facing corner, climb up past the first 3 bolts.  From here the route starts trending up and left and continues to get harder the higher you go. As the pump builds and the cryptic sequences get more technical and baffling, keep it together long enough to merge with Bray to the Lord at the 8th and final bolt. The bolted anchor is located up and right just above the horizontal fracture in the wall.

P1: Follow a crack system up the center of the Euro Wall, pulling the roof above.  Some parties belay here. P2:  Climb to the top of the No Dally Ally flake. This route is a little spicy.

Start near the right edge of the west face of the No Dally Alley flake, about 100 ft. to the right of Circumflex, scramble up to a ledge about 20 ft. off the ground. The ledge is the top of a small pinnacle.

#1. From the ledge move over the bulge to an inside corner facing right. Climb the corner until you can traverse left toward a detached column. Climb the face to the right of the column.

Climb a non-descript face (5.9X) to a small right facing corner about 15-20 feet up. Clip a bolt then move out and right for another bolt. continue up horizontal crack. Continue up left o a bolt belay.

The crux presents itself as you pass the first bolt, a more skilled climber would surely find a static option but I went for an insecure dyno followed by sustained underclinging and edging through 2 more bolts.  After the third bolt is a welcomed rest.  The guidebook describes a rightward traverse to the chains of Negative Feedback but the more obvious line (not covered in lichen) heads to a small cave to the left.  Note: originally rated 11c, I can barely keep a clear conscious when rating it 11+

Climb face past six bolts to shared anchors with Bray No More

Melevolence is roughly centered on the Bell Wall.  Climb up a face to a small right-facing corner.  Continue up this for 40 feet and then step right to a small left-facing corner which is followed to the top.

Climb right facing corner and face to the overhang. Runout to overhang.

Start at the south entrance of No Dally Alley chimney.

#1. Move up and right to the base of the left facing inside corner. Climb the corner until it is possible to move left to a large ledge. (150 ft.)

Committing move from first to second bolt. Most of the 12.b climbing is in the last 30 feet. Vertical face climb with lots of quartz (poor friction) and small sloping/angling holds for fingers and toes.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in North Peak - West Face