Black Mamba, 5.10, 3 Pitches

Overview/Approach

Black Mamba is a short route (essentially one outstanding long pitch of wide) worth doing if you are in the vicinity of the outstanding Twix, Cradle and Stone route to the west of Epinephrine.  The 5.7 approach chimney pitch that gets you to the base of Twix is the same approach you would use to access Black Mamba.  Continue along the wall after the chimney pitch and pass the base of Twix and continue until you are below an obvious well-varnished right facing off-width corner above.  Scramble up a ledge to a fixed belay or climb directly to it via a 5.8 pitch of climbing up intermittent seams and jugs.  From the fixed belay, climb the off-width with relatively easy chicken wing technique (for the grade) and plenty of features to utilize for your feet and fingers along the way.  You pull out of the chasm via a constriction and can belay at a fixed rap there or continue for one long fun pitch by entering the chimney above and utilizing chimney technique to the outside and walking a #6 up.  Eventually you land another fixed rap that can be rapped with a single 80m or double ropes to the base of the ramp or rap the route itself with a single 60m.

Approach as you would for Epinephrine.  Just beyond Epi's start is a left facing, bolted, wide chimney.  Climb it to the top.  Unrope and scramble up a short gully to the base of the wall above.  Continue along the base of the wall past the Twix, Cradle and Stone route and continue in total for approximatly 15 minutes, looking up left for the heavily varnished right facing off-width corner.  You can 5th class it up a left leaning ramp to the fixed belay below the corner proper or climb directly up to it via a 5.7-5.8 crack seam system in the face directly below said corner.

Route Description

1^st Pitch- 60’-5^th Class/ Most competent parties will be comfortable soloing up a left leaning ledge to the first fixed belay below the crux off-width pitch. Or climb directly from the ground to the first fixed rap, it would make for a mellow 5.7-8 lead. 

2^nd Pitch- 90’- 5.10/ The next two pitches can be easily combined.  This is a fun and sustained wide pitch on solid varnish.  Enter the left facing wide corner and climb through a steep hand/fist constriction just below the next fixed belay/rap (semi-hanging).  Climb the crack left side in.  The only OW technique I really used was a left chicken wing from time to time.  This is a heavily featured pitch and many times you can semi-chimney climb up the wide.  I placed a #.1, #.5, #2, #3 and #4. Walked the #4 a bit.

3^rd Pitch- 60’-5.9/ Climb up into the true chimney above.  A #6 protects deeper in, but I suggest climbing closer to the outside utilizing the heavily featured face for your feet and chimney up the pitch with more room to maneuver.  Typical trade off, lessor gear, but easier climbing.  There is a good small piece early, but after that it is a bit run out until it pinches down to a #4 crack before a small ledge at a fixed rap/belay.  The climbing eases in the chimney as you progress via more featured face.

Optional 4^th-5^th Pitches- 150’-5.9/ Termed “loose and contrived” by one of the FAers at MP.com, therefore we chose to avoid these last two pitches despite my propensity for always completing a route.  They leave the corner for a face to the left and are not in keeping with the corner.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

A single 60m rope raps the route but it would be preferable to stay out of the corner on rap.  Double ropes or a single 80m rope gets you back to the base of the ramp.

Essential Gear

Single to #4 + a #6.  Shoulder length slings.  Route is fully shaded all year.