Oxygen Masks and Float Cushions is a fairly long pitch with some good sections of climbing and some surprisingly awkward moves.  The pitch is somewhat untraveled and still has lichen on it but would clean up more with time.  This is the most solid pitch on this crag but lacks the great climbing that is found on

Aviatrix

.

Start 7 meters left of the start of

Flight Attendant

, climbing up and left below a roof into a crack system.  Continue up and slightly left towards a few bushes in the crack. At the first bush, you can easily pass with no real problem by going right.  Traverse up and right on a good finger traverse into a crack system a few meters right of the bush.  Once in this crack, head up and very slightly right into a crack through a small bulge with good gear and good jams for a final crux before continuing directly up to the large belay tree.

Oxygen Masks and Float Cushions

Flight Attendant

Aviatrix

This is the best climb on the crag, a measured compliment.  The 2-star rating already assumes that you don't mind some runouts and obscure climbing; If you did not tolerate that, you would not be here, after all.  As such, these are not considered detractors from the rather good climbing that is found on this route.

Start at the left edge of the main face of the crag, at the low point facing the river.  Just left of this on a left-facing slab (aka a 'ramp' in Gillett's book) and climb up some runout but easy rock (5.6) and into a left-facing corner. Protect the climb and head up into a set of 2 corners onto a loose and crumbly looking tower of stone.  Protection behind this would be dubious, but it seems solid to climb on, and not difficult. Our ascent had one of us going right onto the main face around the corner and climbing unprotected and harder moves, but at least there was no chance of dropping rock down on the belayer....  This might be the better route anyway.  In any case, intersect the arete's right side from one way or the other at the area just above the top of the pillar and climb the face past a single bolt (and infrequent gear) to the top.  Slopers dominate this slightly less than vertical face.  Footwork or folly (fall-y) are your options.

If some loose blocks bother you, then this climb should not get a star at all.  Then again, if loose blocks bother you, why are you at this crag?  This particular climb is the loosest of them, however, and is a borderline bomb.  Gillett even refers to a portion of this route as a 'talus hopping groove' and fails to even mention the pile encountered topping out which must be negotiated to get to the belay tree.  It can be safe, and nothing was eminently loose, but this is no route for inexperienced leaders.

At the far right side of the North Face of the Stewardess Convention Crag, start up and into a short, right-facing corner.  Climb up that corner past the steep section and into the stacked blocks and towers, heading up to a second right-facing corner above.  Climb that corner to the end at an arete and pick and choose your way left to a very large belay tree. Watch out for where your rope runs and also protect the top of the climb before the traverse very carefully to avoid "sweeping" the top down onto the belayer/second if the rope shifts.

We cleaned this climb up quite a bit, but it may regrow-refill a bit if nobody gets back on it for years.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Stewardess Convention Crag