Cucumbers

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 37.22300°N / 118.598°W
Additional Information Route Type: Trad Climbing
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Additional Information Time Required: Half a day
Additional Information Rock Difficulty: 5.10a (YDS)
Additional Information Number of Pitches: 3
Additional Information Grade: II
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

Cucumbers was one of the first routes put up on the crag. The first ascent was done by Doug Robinson and Dennis Henneck in 1969. It starts in a prominent left-facing corner on the west side of the prow, then finishes up cracks and a short chimney for the last two pitches. The first pitch is the money pitch. Bring some tiny nuts.

Approach

Toil up talus for 20-30 minutes to the toe of the crag, then head up and right until it is possible to scramble up and left to a large ledge below the obvious left-facing dihedral that forms the first pitch. The overhanging corner with a chockstone on the right side of the ledge is the start of the route.

Route Description

Pitch 1: Gymnastic climbing with big hands up high, but scant feet will get you out of the corner and onto a ledge at the base of the dihedral. Climb this (5.10a, very thin to start) to a comfortable belay about 100' higher. Features on the right wall (sometimes behind you) can be helpful both for progress and protection.


Pitch 2: Continue more or less straight up following a crack system (5.9) to a steep headwall. Traverse left a few meters to the corner and belay. Hand to fist sized cams are needed for the anchor. The pitch protects with mostly smaller gear (<1"). Doubles in the smaller cams and small nuts are useful. The West Face route traverses in from the left and shares most of this pitch.


Pitch 3: A short chimney (5.8) leads to easier climbing. When possible head up and left to a short gully which leads to the top.

Essential Gear

A 50m rope is adequate for the climb, but a 60m (or doubles) is needed to rap off the back, and a 70m (or doubles) is needed to rap the face. Small nuts to around .75", double cams to around 1", and single cams above that to 3".


Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.