This route is located on the South face of The Babylon Crag. It is a little ways up a gully and at close range reveals a very parallel, almost Indian Creek quality crack (for the first 15' or so, anyway), that gradually widens from rattly fingers to wide hands in the space of 25 feet. The steadily overhanging face gives way to a scooped ledge that continues up a perfect low-angle hand crack to a horn. It felt pretty sandbagged at the grade to me, so perhaps a more -ahem- modern consensus awaits.

It now continues into a bolted finish that is described in a neighboring route description.

All American Hand Crack

PFM (Pure F$%^&*! Magic)

Box Tops

Left For Dead

Tahoe Queen

All American Arete

Babylon

Far East

In A Strange Land

Proof Of Purchase

Climb the broken corner up, over, and around bulges.   There are some interesting sections, but as a stand alone climb there are better at this crag. There is a very good splitter hand crack that leads to the top of All American Hand Crack.  This is an easier alternative to get to the Arrete.

Let me know of first ascent info if you know of it.

Climb the corner to the right of Proof of Purchase.  It starts as low angle 5.5 but moves into 5.8 and steeper territory going around a roof and into the main corner.  It heads to the top of this and then goes right up a steeper wall through thin cracks to the chain.  A 70M rope is needed to lower or rappel from the chains

This route climbs the bolted face (steep slab) 10 feet to the left of proof of purchase.  It is thin, technical, and very sustained.  Start about 10 feet to the left of the corner and surmount the small 4" ledge then climb the face past the first bolt (recommended stick clip).  Move left on the least steep part of the slab through easy climbing to clip the 2nd bolt(optional gear here recommended).  Now move through the line of 7 bolts to the top first veering slightly left then right then left.  You are climbing on the only usable holds (for me anyway) on the face. Thankfully there are some good stances from which you can rest.

I've seen a couple of folks get suckered into some larger holds about 2.5-4' left of the bolt line at and above the 2nd bolt.  These holds are very loose and some large Platter size plates have pulled off when folks have veered too far into those holds.  The shape of the bottom of the wall makes any rockfall head straight for the belayer.  The holds within roughly 2' of the bolt line are very solid and all the loose rock has been cleaned.

This is the left most line on the wall.  Its designated as .10+ left of the .9 chimney on Laine's topo.  The line follows a varied and slightly overhanging finger to fist crack (taking the right hand branch of the crack) before turning a slab and heading up to the chains.  The anchors appeared along with several others several months earlier, but in our exploration of the crag it had never appeared to be climbed.  It was just as dirty when climbed in May as it was in the fall of 2013 when it was toproped. If there was an earlier ascent please let me know and I'll make the change.

Speaking of dirty, with some traffic and effort, this thing will clean up into a 3 star classic steep crack climb and may become a little easier.  It will make the hike out to Babylon all the more worth while.  There is a left branch O/W variation that looks classic as well that to my knowledge has remained unclimbed on lead.

This is a solid slab rout that sits between All American and Far East.  It starts up some cracks then finishes up the near vertical face with one ledge upon to rest before the angle becomes less vertical and the climbing eases.

This is the bolted second pitch of or extension to All American Hand Crack. It goes straight up the arete past three bolts to a two bolt anchor at the top. Run it out from the anchor at the top of All American Hand Crack to the ledge.  Step up on a block and clip the first bolt, then climb straight up the arete to anchor at the top (Now properly Equiped with Rings).

You can also climb to the top and finish the pitch from both All American Hand Crack and the corner to the left of the arete.

Striking steep pocketed finger crack in the middle of the white streak of the west face.

A left facing hand crack formed from a slightly separated block marks the lower half of the route. Beginning with a wide hands roof with great feet, curve around the roof up the hand crack until gaining the top of the block. From here a bit of unprotected face climbing leads to protection and broken cracks to the anchors.

Start the climb at the right side of the beautiful slab to lookers left of All American Hand Crack.  The climb starts up the corner and then on a shallow slab makes moves out on to the face.  3 old style bolts are followed (these need to be replaced due to rust and questionable nature of the bolts) to more natural gear placements in cracks below a roof.  A no hands mantle well out from the first bolt to continuous slab climbing is the crux.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Babylon Crag