Pi

takes the nice looking moderate face right of

Lack of Principle

, followed by one of the most unusual 5.7 pitches in the area. From the walk-out ledge, follow a line with three bolts (gear between) to a large ledge and belay by tying off a huge boulder. (About 15 feet left on the ledge is the two-bolt belay (Metolius rap anchors) for

Zach's

and

Doubling

, but your second will appreciate it if you belay from the boulder.) Pitch 2 avoids the gigantic cammed block above the boulder by stepping right, clipping a hidden bolt, then working up a left-leaning ramp (small cams useful) to another bolt over a bulge and heading straight-up past a third bolt to the anchors. On the second pitch, just left of the second bolt, there is a large cammed flake; it wouldn't budge with a pry bar, but be circumspect using it. Bolts added after the FA to make it more suitable and fun for beginning trad leaders.

Pi in the Sky

Halcyon

Doubling the Cube

Straddle the Pony

Vector Madness

Damn You Darwin

Colander Man

Magic School Bus

No Worries

Hop Rising Point

Tangent

Lack of Principle

Vertical Component

Boy Cooper

Zach's Theorem

This is the right-most of the two bolted lines high on the overhanging prow of Vector Madness Wall.  Stay left of the last two bolts (slightly contrived, but you're a sport climber, right?).

The pitch off the ground is short, but a 5.8-5.9 climber will find it packed:  balancy face climbing on a blunt arête, a stimulating traverse over a drop-off, and a roof band with surprisingly good holds.  (1) Climb the arête past three bolts to good cams.  Continue up until possible to traverse right under and eventually over the roofband.  Belay from the anchors for

Vector Madness/Vertical Component

(but keep in mind the swing potential for your second).  60 feet.  (2) Step right and climb the headwall above to another set of anchors.  50 feet.

This is a harder way to finish

Vector Madness

, avoiding

Vector's

crux and last two bolts but making up for it with cool bouldery moves and big air.  Climb

Vector

to its 6th bolt, then swing out left to a bolt with a brown hanger and clear the overhang to get to the

Vertical/Vector

anchors.  ("TVC" is short for thrust vector control-Wikipedia.)  Really just a "direct" finish, but given its own name in pursuit of my unquenchable thirst for glory.

P1

: Start climbing at the very base of the ridge. Easy climbing here.

Belay by slinging a boulder right before a 7 feet tall vertical section with a splitter finger crack.

P2

: A single easy move (5.5-5.6) will get you over the vertical section and back to easy climbing. Tend to climb the right ridge. The quality of the rock deteriorates, and many loose blocks of variable size are present. Tread carefully. Sling a boulder at a stance 10 feet pass a knife-edge ridge, distinguishable by a right facing corner.

P3

: Climb down from the belay back to the right-facing corner. climb the knife-edge/corner and turn to the face above (5.7+). This section is exposed and the gear less frequent than one may want. Take a look around, smile, and protect the crux moves with a nut or a sling tied onto a small rock bridge. a few moves up will take some more pro. Calculate your way directly up the face. After a small runout you may straddle the arete and place pro. On the next section the difficulty eases considerably. Sling yet another bolder and belay when it appear that the ridge takes more of a horizontal character.

P4/Exit

: 4th class/easy 5th will lead you southbound on the ridge, which will terminate onto a short cliff. Exit left (East) by traversing a ledge with a big tree who's roots  had separated a boulder from the main wall. Walk down the gully to your packs.

The fully bolted route to the right of

Vertical Component

.  Shares the first two bolts with its neighbor, then angles right past a pin and to a steeper section with great rock.  Clip a bolt and commit to the steep crux moves, then rage through some quartzite angles to the top.

Shares an anchor with

Vertical Component

.

Short but packed. Start just right of an obvious right-facing corner and climb up through incipient cracks to a bolt. Climb another seam above and move right to a large horizontal break, then ascend the headwall past two bolts to chains.

Colander Man

takes in the right-leaning finger and hand crack starting about ten feet off the ground right of

Damn You Darwin

. There are two alternative finishes,

Colander Man Left

aka

Lord of Pasta

(5.10b) or, um,

Colander Man Right

(5.10d).

Lord of Pasta

may be slightly better than the right finish, but if you want a line completely separate from

Damn You Darwin

choose the right (ahem). A micro nut protects a bouldery move to get established in the crack. Cruise the crack until able to step left on the face to a bolt then climb up to the large horizontal break, turn the bulge, and join

Damn You Darwin

to the chains. For

Colander Man Right

, continue up the crack to its end then head up to a tricky move protected by a bolt and easier climbing past another to the chains.

Worth doing if you liked

Boy Cooper

. Face climb to a bolt about 15 feet up then move between gear placements to a ledge. Place a cam or two in the small roof above (a No. 2 Camalot high in a horizontal overlap and an attentive belay should keep your ankles intact), turn it to a bolt, then romp up easy ground to another ledge, another bolt, and chains.

No Worries

takes the obvious crack system left of

Halcyon

. Start by climbing the face 6-7 feet left of

Halcyon’s

bolted arête, intersect a left-diagonalling crack, then follow it up to a ledge. Ascend the left-facing corner above through a bulging fist crack (jugs give the route its name) to easier ground and continue past a bolt to a roof. Throw in a few good cams in a horizontal then surmount the roof (remember the name) and cruise to the anchors.  Climbing the route likely will involve using a few large holds that may feel unsound, but they successfully resisted a crow bar during the FA; nonetheless, be circumspect.

Hop Rising Point

climbs the pinnacle-looking feature about 150 feet further up the scree and boulder field from the base on Vector Madness Wall.  It's actually the southern terminus of another fin of rock, just to the north and a bit west of the Geezer Wall/Vector Madness fin, but the best way to find it is to go to the base of Vector Madness Wall and continue uphill until it comes into sight -- just look for what appears to be a pinnacle with a distinctly smooth summit face broken by a right leaning crack.

The route starts just right of a nice-looking fist crack on the left side of the formation, surmounting a bulge to get established on the face above.  Continue up the face staying just right of the left margin to an overhanging crack.  Turn the overhang with a jam or two, and continue up the smooth face above linking weaknesses to the final bear hug moves to the summit.  A little more cleaning should make this three stars.

Microgear and memorable exposure characterize this fine trad line.  It starts about 15 feet right and downhill from

Vector Madness

by climbing a discontinuous seam up into and out the top of a short corner and toward an obvious, gently overhanging Lost Arrow crack.  From the top of the LA crack climb a left-facing corner until possible to step right to easy ground.  From here continue up for about 15 feet and step left onto a nice red face leading to the top.  Tricky gear placements are required to protect the starting seam and KB crack, but patience and craft make it suitably safe.

This is a long bolted line right of

Vector

and

Tangent

, starting up an easy bolted face then eventually climbing over steep bulges left of the largest roofs on the crag.  There is a section of out-of-character scrambling, and a wee bit of contrivance, but the direct line and air below your feet as you crank the bulges warrant three stars IMO.   The first bolt is maybe 40 feet up, but 5.0 climbing to get to it.

The left line which tackles the steep dihedral directly.  Follow two well-spaced bolts up a licheny, moderate slab, then continue directly up to the dihedral.  Pull some steep hero moves up undulating cracks until topping out above the roof.  Climbs like a sport route with gear, and steeper than it looks!

Rap the route with a single 60m, or continue up the slab past the anchors to the top.

For the beginning tradster,

Boy Cooper

is an exciting but adequately protected intro to using gear in diverse features, and for moderate climbers, a nice warm up before getting on

Pi

or

Halcyon

. Start off the left end of an obvious large red rock under the branches of one of the grandest pine trees in the Storm Mountain area. Head more or less straight up to a bolt about 40 feet up, and above veer slightly left past another bolt protecting a smooth bulge.  Easy terrain ends at grey-colored anchors.

High on the Vector Madness Wall is an overhanging prow with two short but outrageous bolted lines well worth the walk for BCC aficionados dabbling in the low end of 5.12.

Zach's Theorem

is the left line, taking the biggest set of overhangs on Vector Madness Wall -- some of the best air in the Storm Mountain area (hence, IMO, three stars although short).  It starts off a large ledge (with two Metolius rap anchors) down and right of the overhang.  George thinks this is 12a, but its boulder-problem crux has continuously kicked my butt and his rating would drop the 12a grade on

Doubling the Cube

, which I pinned my ego to last year, so I'm compelled to give

ZT

a harder grade.  Time will tell whether the table is set for yet another piece of humble pie.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Vector Madness Wall