Finding the cliff is very easy. Just after the Narrows, about 10 miles up the canyon, Nip and Tuck is seen on the right just off the road. The first feature is an obvious overhung panel with a crack. This is the location for routes such as Gyro Captain, Mr. Spiffy, and Mr. Stiffy as well as the problem Caddis Continuing west you encounter some slabby walls at the base of which are located a few problems such as Ulysses' Journey V8. The Barrio is located around the corner, further west, and is an obvious right angling slot.
Take care with both parking and pulling out as the cliff is on a bend.
Tuck Bouldering
Miscellaneous low problems can be arranged on the short wall/slab right of the overhang.
Mr Spiffy Direct Start V9
FA?
Start up the obvious vertical crack at the base of the overhanging panel. The crux is getting established with your feet above the horizontal crack. After achieving this head up for death or glory on Gyro Captain or Mr Spiffy, 12b and 13a (toprope practice advised), or jump, or move right to the ledge
Caddis V10
FA Charlie Bentley
This well-known problem starts on the left arete of the striking overhanging panel, just a few yards from the road. Start standing and execute hard crimpy moves to a break and better holds. Decision time. Most will jump or otherwise bail. The bold will continue up the flake to the easier climbing above. You can also rope up for this at 13b/c, though the crux is still the boulder problem.
Nip Bouldering
The next problems are found about 100 yards west, upstream, near the left end of Nip, the left of the two roadside crags
Sloping Arete V5(?)
Start sitting on the underclings and work your way up the arete. It appears that you can step left and down climb the ramp on the side. Otherwise be prepared to go up a ways.
Ulysses Journey V8? (Justin Jaeger's description--more specifics welcome)
FA Matt Beebe
"Immediately to the right of the unknown pin scar dihedral, ascend the slightly overhanging face utilizing thin sharp crimps in a faint seam trending left towards the same finishing ledge of the dihedral problem with an equally perplexing blank section before getting there. While the landing of this problem is fairly good, its height makes the upper section committing."
This problem looks very serious with a complex retreat route. I have some doubts about the V8 rating.
The Dihedral Problem V?
A serious and steep undertaking out the overhanging dihedral left of UJ. More info needed.
The Barrio
Looking up the slot of the Barrio
This area is found just around the corner from Nip and is readily recognized by a low diagonaling slot that runs about 50 feet or more from left to right. The full traverse is reckoned to be in the V10 range with variations possible. Problems that go directly through the slot have been done. See Justin's descriptions below. Be aware that at the top of the slot, there is a 40 foot drop behind you. It seems clear that this feature has not had the full Morrison treatment in terms of hard contrived problems so let me know what you find.
"Barrio Traverse V8/10ish
Start on the low left side of the long overhang and traverse right. The ground follows you up like every typical Boulder-area traverse! Top out/finish at the far right of the overhang feature after approximately a bazillion moves."
Barrio Direct Life V8ish
An old chalk arrow used to point the way for this somewhat contrived, vertical problem [it's been brushed since]. Not quite half way through the traverse, locate a unique scooped incut edge in an otherwise blank section of the steep roof. This full-pad edge fits all four fingers and points towards the right. Once you've located this hold, scuttle under the overhang, find obvious starting holds, and sit start into this scoop/edge with your right hand, via a burly cross over. Work feet up and throw left to a distant and fairly blind jug section. Slopers may be used as intermediates. Continue up via good incut edges trending slightly right to victory jugs. Drop off or top out the chossy cliff.
Barrio Direct Right V.hardish. For this variation, sit start so as to get the scoop edge with your left hand and power up on difficult holds to reach fairly thin edges that lead slightly back left towards the finish of 'direct left.' After the crux [moving up off the left hand scoop edge], avoid moving into the jugs off right."
3 comments:
Here's what I remember from the first season at the Barrio. Kevin Myers put in all the work to clean out the slot and reinforce the holds, and John Dunne pulled off some big hollow blocks about 2/3 of the way along the traverse later.
1. Choss Boss (V10; FA: Charley Bentley): This was the original way the full traverse was done. Start low and left in the standard spot and then stay high and right across the lip of the first cave, coming into the traverse on the juggy bit past the (now-standard) low, dyno crux. I'm not sure how Charley finished, low or high again through the second crux bit closer the top of the slot -- but I believe he stayed high.
2. Barrio Traverse (V8/9/10: FA: Matt Samet/Pete Zoller): Again, not entirely sure on the FA, and I doubt Pete remembers either. But either he or I first linked the low traverse across the cave (dyno crux) through the end. I recall staying low at the second crux, on the rightward span move that's now changed a couple times, with holds breaking, reglued (?), this-that...
3. MLGL (V?, 5.14; FA: Matt Samet, 1999): I spent a whole summer working this, because it was too wet to climb anywhere else, or too hot, or I was too lazy. You do the low traverse of the lower cave through the dyno crux. Now, without moving up and right to shake on the big jugs, detour left along slots in a fingertip seam (holds above the seam are off) until you join the lip of the cave, where Choss Boss comes in.
Reverse along the lip crux of Choss Boss, downclimb back to the start of the Barrio Traverse, then (without stepping off!) do the Barrio Traverse in its entirety (with low finish).
4. Deuto Finish (V5): Stay high, spanning across crimps, at the very far right end of the Barrio Traverse. Can be tacked onto any of the other traverses. Bad landing.
Other problems:
5. Warm-up Slab (V0/1, with variants): Down below the Barrio slot mid-section, this high, slabby face with a bad landing.
Thanks for the rich detail, Matt. I will incorporate this comment into the main text.
Is Barrio Direct Left the same as the Cave Problem referenced on 8a.nu?
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