Moby Grape is a great climb, and pitch 1 is probably one of the best pitches in the canyon. This is a must do for any visitors, and is one of my favorites in the canyon.

Moby Grape (5.7), Elevenmile Dome

Approach / Location

Elevenmile Done is the first major rock formation you pass as you drive through the canyon. It is located on the right-hand side of the road. Moby Grape is located around the right side of the dome - look for a prominent dihedral (you can't miss it) that divides the dome roughly in half.

Route Description

Pitch 1: Climb a short slab to the beginning of the dihedral. Continue up the dihedral using holds on both the face and on the wall to the left. The crack provides excellent protection all of the way up. At the top, the face bulges out somewhat - place good pro and then pull the bulge to a stance just below the headwall. These are the best moves on the route. There are a pair of cold shuts located just below the roof that make for an awkward transition as the anchors.

Pitch 2: Make an awkward but fun step across the dihedral to the adjacent face. Climb under the overhang and then angle up and left on the slabs above. There are a number of options here. I climbed straight through the slabs having no idea where the anchor was located. You can work left a little more than I did and climb up a shallow dihedral. Once below the upper overhangs, traverse further left, around a large boulder, to a bolted anchor. This anchor was farther down the face than I expected it to be, and required some searching.

Pitch 3: Climb up through a notch to the left of the anchors. The technical climbing ends pretty quickly, and the rest is 4th class slabs to the summit.

Photos from Along the Route:

Start of the Route

Starting up the Dihedral

1/2 Way up the Dihedral

Below the Crux

At the Crux

Looking Down P1

Summit Belay

View from the Top

Descent

Walk off to the left and then follow a gully down to the main road that will take you back to the base of the climb.

Essential Gear

Standard trad rack with cams to a #3 Camalot. The second pitch wanders and is somewhat unprotected. A couple of long runners will come in handy. We climbed the on double ropes, but a single rope will work just fine.

External Links

Mountainproject: Moby Grape (5.7)

Images