Dow Williams - Sep 9, 2017 3:32 pm Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2017
Tobin's Dihedral
One of the finer 5.10 trad leads in all of the Needles. The guide references one to three C4#5’s, I took three but only used two. The crux climbing happens as it moves from #5 to #4. If I led it again, I would prefer to have three #4’s. The guide also references triple #2’s and #3’s but doubles would suffice in that range. I took a single on down from that and could have used double #.75’s to #1’s. So I suggest a single rack to #5. Doubles from #.5 to #5’s with triple #4’s if I was going to go the full 200’ and finish the left side of the tower. The dihedral itself ends at 115’ where you can traverse a dike left to a fixed anchor and barely top rope the dihedral with a 70m rope. If you are just 2nding the route, you might lay back most of it. If you are leading the route, you can stem the first 30’+. By the time you commit to the crack it will mostly be C4#4 size where one of your feet are going to be able to lock in. Switching back and forth which way you are facing along with hand and/or fist stacks will get you through the crux. By the time you hit the wide pod, scooped out features show up on the left wall. When the pod bites down, you are into hands again. The last few meters the corner narrows down to #1 to #.75 and is a bit dirty. You can continue the low angled vegetated corner to another short steep section to finish or you can traverse out left to a fixed anchor where the route can be top roped with a 70m. During hot summer days, this corner shades itself until noon. I did encounter a rattlesnake at the base in 2017.
Dow Williams - Sep 9, 2017 3:32 pm Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2017
Tobin's DihedralOne of the finer 5.10 trad leads in all of the Needles. The guide references one to three C4#5’s, I took three but only used two. The crux climbing happens as it moves from #5 to #4. If I led it again, I would prefer to have three #4’s. The guide also references triple #2’s and #3’s but doubles would suffice in that range. I took a single on down from that and could have used double #.75’s to #1’s. So I suggest a single rack to #5. Doubles from #.5 to #5’s with triple #4’s if I was going to go the full 200’ and finish the left side of the tower. The dihedral itself ends at 115’ where you can traverse a dike left to a fixed anchor and barely top rope the dihedral with a 70m rope. If you are just 2nding the route, you might lay back most of it. If you are leading the route, you can stem the first 30’+. By the time you commit to the crack it will mostly be C4#4 size where one of your feet are going to be able to lock in. Switching back and forth which way you are facing along with hand and/or fist stacks will get you through the crux. By the time you hit the wide pod, scooped out features show up on the left wall. When the pod bites down, you are into hands again. The last few meters the corner narrows down to #1 to #.75 and is a bit dirty. You can continue the low angled vegetated corner to another short steep section to finish or you can traverse out left to a fixed anchor where the route can be top roped with a 70m. During hot summer days, this corner shades itself until noon. I did encounter a rattlesnake at the base in 2017.