Hogge's Logbook (254 ascents)

Beta spoilers: reaching the tufas is done a million ways. Careful foot placement helps reach the lefthand finger sloper. Then I found it more controlled to move left foot (which was off left) back under me into a previously used pocket, then right hand goes to palm the tufa right of the big one, then casually bumps to the big one.

For me and big people, I think it's key to solve the upper crux by smearing right foot on teh big tufa near its top, then power into a left foot stem on The Stain's big horn to help snatch the left slot.

On grading, this route has two power cruxes but requires less power than Never Was (11d) and Moss Cervasa (11c-12a???), but that's when totally wired with perfect foot choice.

I think this and the left route rate the same, though entirely different styles. They both might be 10a but going with 10b but looking forward to seeing more opinions.

Trick beta for 11b (see spoilers below).

Development notes:CTM's routes committee was understandably wary of the big choss band; this was the worst spot compared to neighboring routes. I promised to put many laps on this route before bolting, over a year or more. It shed some baseball sized rock but nothing major and it seemed to be solid.

Beta:work up and right to the real positive little ledge on the neighboring route. Double knee bar is possible in the cave area, but it's sharp; wear jeans. The tricky beta is the anchor clip: use a lefthand jug just over roof to work right handto a jug block sidepull inside the last cave area. set a right kneebar with knee against your right fist. Or if you are wearing jeans, there might be a kneebar on rock. left hand clips the anchors.

On the hard end of 11b but less finish pump than The Stain.

I have probably the best opening mantel beta worked out and do exotic finishing beta: ONSIGHTING SPOILER ALERT...To gain the ledge: both hands palm the ledge's edge. RF smears since there's nothing else. LF high toe hook the ledge, far left. Quickly mantle weight over hands, throwing yourself horizontal with head facing south. Come out of that by pancaking the roof. Finishing beta: LH ball, RH slot just past the arete; here lots of people go RH to the flat sloper but I hate that. So LF high, hunker low and do a left-arcing dyno, LH hitting the jug ledge. The arc gives you more time to push with the legs and pull on that RH sidepull.

Never worked this more than one weekend at a time, with months/year between tries. Wasn't expecting to send it! Hard 11a or easy 11b but that's if you know all the holds. Head game route through the last crux.

So far thought it felt similar to prototype's steep section. I'll get back on it to see if it feels easier. Yesterday before sending it, I had notes that said 10d-11a and that may have set me thinking of a modest downgrade rather than consider 10b.

Stick clip bolt 2, which is an unneeded permadraw that's likely to get used elsewhere. So I climbed to the easy part and just lowered of the perma, uninterested in the Class 4 looking finish. MY BAD: later I learned there is a shrine with interesting objects up there. Downgrading to 11b, what Vino probably originally said, from my run and another guy's opinion plus Karl & Emily's inputs.

Beta spoiler: use the obvious starting holds. Right hand is a sidepull. Move RH up on that sidepull crack to the top to make more room for the scrunch feet. Feet stem, LH cross to bad slopey crimp, then bump to slightly better crimp, then smack the ledge out left.

Time to downgrade to agree with the 11b opinions. Beta spoilers follow: kind of hard start. its a nice endurance route all the way through clipping both anchors. Easier than another endu route, The Stain. Also easier than MR's Insane Whisperings. Your grading should assume a bit of beta on the start: preset left foot on a microledge under the roof. Start hands on what you can reach right of the tufa and snatch the right block jug. Fun pumpy anchor clip has to be executed without hesitation. Grade is maybe 11a start plus pump anchor clip.

Great sustained route; lots of 5.10-5.11a moves/clips add up alot to an endurance grade. Katrina was bolted first, so in fairness it owns the brown slot far left of its bolt line, followed by the right-pointing flake near its bolt line, followed by the hueco between both routes. Stained CAN be climbed without the right-pointing flake, but many people go that path. Stained "direct" should borrow the brown slot (near its boltline, likely used right-handed) and the hueco between the routes.

To assess your own grade for Stained, I think you have to climb all the way to the clifftop and waist-clip both anchors. If you clip from the lower jugs, you might pump out trying to clip anchors and fall REAL FAR. For me, I was pumped less than on entirely-wired-Anger (Insanity Wall).

IMO the last bolt is too low. It's a hard clip and creates a big runout to the anchors. The natural clipping hold is the hueco.

Beta spoiler: I love the few routes where a crux require you to move an appendage up, then down before proceeding up. The power crux of this route is the opening deadpoint. Opinions range 5.10a-c so I'm tacking on a 10b for now. I'll check your Ascent grade opinions to finetune. If you feel the middle is the crux, you may have missed the trick beta. With right foot in the cave, you're high enough to get the thin right hand gaston crimp. Now bring right foot back down to an obvious ledge to free your left foot up and left to a knob. Right foot goes back to the cave. Next move (not sure which hand) goes high to a finger jug. All this takes me zero power, maybe 5.7-8. If short people can't reach that finger jug without spending more power than the opening move, the grade should be set height-dependent.