This comment is from Stewart Green from the Nose page:  "Around the corner to the left [of the Nose] is "Alabama Crack." There are two starts to it. Climb up and left from the slab below the Nose roof to a belay shelf below Alabama Crack or from the gully below the crack, climb up and right past a couple old fixed Harvey pitons (5.9) to the belay shelf. Jam the crack 50 feet to a [ledge] with a 2-bolt rappel anchor that Brian Shelton and I put in a year ago."

I climbed this today by climbing up to the Nose roof, clipping a blue sling fixed to a piton and wired nut underneath the roof, then traversing left under a nice flake to the large ledge on the corner of the formation and beneath the Alabama.  I belayed here off a fixed piton, and a couple cams (1", 1/2") to avoid rope drag for the upper section.

There are some scary loose blocks above the 2-bolt anchor which could seriously injure your belayer or possibly damage the rope if they were dislodged.  Some people might consider only climbing this to the 2-bolt anchor for this reason.

I did not see any pins protecting a left start, as mentioned by Stewart.

Alabama Crack

Alabama Crack Direct

The Nose

Climb an easy runout to the obvious, lower roof from just right of the slabby wall underneath

Alabama Crack

. If you're feeling bold, try the slab. Place a few pieces, then pull the crux roof, a V4 boulder problem. From there, finish through

Alabama Crack

.

This is the obvious crack up to and through the large roof on The Nose (aka Mid-Columbine Buttress).

It starts out easy and crumbly, but then the rock gets really good.  Fingers and thin hands lead to pretty good feet getting out towards the lip of the roof, then get ready for steep, painful hand jams through the roof.  There were a couple fixed nuts above the roof, which I equipped with a cordelette and rap rings (maybe 7 years ago), or you can continue up the corner and cracks above to the top of the pillar.  If just going up to the fixed anchor, it's about 80 feet.  I guess maybe 180 feet to the top.  I assume it would be bad rope drag to do it all in one pitch.

The other cracks on the pillar look ok too, but I've never climbed 'em.  The rating given is somewhat old school - others might find it more like 10a/b (?).

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Nose (aka Mid-Columbine Buttress)