Waddle on good hands and feet to a hands free rest below a laser cut right facing corner. Techy foot work, delicate crimping and hairspray poise plant you at a rightward traverse. Mississippi halfstep to the good flake and bounce between slopers and crimps. Grab the ancient tablet and read your fate with a slap to a nice flat bar. Finish to the top and protect your tail from the sting!

Perfect Perm

Empire of the Sun

Slugshow

Raggedy Anne

Soul on Ice

Sweatshop

Sideshow

Young Cynics

The Biology of Small Appliances

Earwax

The Black Flag of the Schwarzer Kamin

Raggedy Andy

The Antidote

Tree-studded House of Helene

Killslug

This stunning arete is the rightmost route on the Earwax Wall.

Five bolts of very technical and insecure 5.11+ arete climbing leads to a crux and then more 5.11+ to the chains.

Climb the first 35' of The Antidote--then follow the left hand line of bolts for engaging face climbing up to a jug below the crux of Soul On Ice.  At this point, join Soul On Ice. All SOI crux bolts replaced.  Not sure about grading--likely easier for tall & lean climbers.  I definitely put in lots of TR work and then a few burns for the red-point.  Send it! and leave comments.

Climb the direct start to Killslug situated just right of the enormous block leaning against the wall.  This variation climbs directly into the finish of Sideshow.  Currently, this climb is filthy and will require a scrubbing.  Haven't been on it.  But, the crux is likely in line with the overall style, thin edging.

Just before the final slab of Soul on Ice, clip a bolt out left and angle that direction to the anchor of Young Cynics.  This is arguably the best 11+ at Earwax.  Excellent.  This route was scrubbed on March 8th, 2014.

Overhung climbing on mostly positive holds leads over a bulge to very continuous micro-edging on the more gradual headwall. Extremely thin at the crux. This is quintessential Index sport climbing: thin, desperate, and requiring an absolute fusion of poise and raw power. Awesome!

Shocking! another amazing route at the high garden! Once guarded by a potent dose of mixed metal exploding-bolt-hanger mayhem, this route has again been scrubbed and rebolted back into feasibility.

Two potential starts see you a nice vertical bar via decent feet and creative crimping. Utilizing some amorphous crystal pockets, pirouette through a crux, and work into a big flake. Easier climbing leads to chains.

A fantastic sport climb using small edges and sidepulls to move across a disquietingly blank-looking wall. The moves all work out and its easier than it appears from the ground. Watch out for the sting in the tail, with a cruxy sequence coming just before the chains.

The large roofs above will keep this climb dry for a bit during the rain.

Thin edging straight up and over the roof (crux) to the belay on Earwax.

Slightly dicey climbing off the ground leads to better protected but thin climbing through discontinuous cracks to a steep section through a bulge. The technical crux is just below the bulge, but a pumpy section still lurks above.

One can stop at the Young Cynics anchor at 75 or continue to another anchor for a slightly longer pitch.

Continuous thin edging up a slightly less than vertical wall. The most thoughtful part may be between the 2nd and 4th bolt, but the climbing never really eases up. Despite it being relatively short, expect to get pumped near the end. No good rests, but lots of good holds.

Start by gaining the top of the large flake resting against the wall. Take Ben's direct start from the base to get the most fun from the pitch. But an easier way is on the left side if you so desire. From the top of the flake, start on Sideshow, using its first two bolts. After the second bolt, veer left to the base of a groove and crack feature, then go up. Finish about 10' right of where Domestic violence crosses the roof.

You can probably traverse left to the Domestic roof and continue up that route, if the bottom part of Domestic is seeping.

Technically a variation to Soul on Ice, this has enough good climbing to stand on its own. Easier than Soul on Ice. Heads left right above the bulge at, I believe, the 7th bolt of Soul on Ice. Steep, sequential climbing leads to the Young Cynics belay.

This brilliant route tackles the center portion of an 85 degree slab sandwiched between Biology of Small Appliances and Soul on Ice. Though I haven't tried the route as of yet, I did spend 5 hours on feb 2nd, 2014 scrubbing off a thick and tenacious layer of debris. Beneath all the detritus I found a farrago of perfectly sculpted holds. It is likely that the Antidote saw one or two ascents back in 1990. Can't believe such a gem has been ignored for so many years.

The second free route to be put up on Earwax Wall, earlier went by a different, somewhat violent name.

Follows a crack up the face, then goes over roof at right-facing corner, and then follows the crack up and right (crux). Lots of face holds going up to the roof, the crack often just serving as a place for pro. A slight reach at the roof to a sinker hand jam, and then the crack thins out. The hardest part is above the roof, so save some of that hatred of Helene to channel your energies here.

If the part below the roof is wet, you can climb into the route from the Black Flag route just to the right, joining Helene at the roof.

Thin edging in the first bit ends at a rest crossing the Sideshow route. Cruxy moves up to and over the roof and some thin face above lead to anchors. The pitch possibly continues past more bolts and natural gear to a higher anchor, but this appears overgrown.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Earwax Wall