Pressure Drop - Index

[DCramer]

A friend and I gave this route a cursory cleaning. It is fully climbable right now but could use a bit more work. (minor brushing, some junk near the top and a pesky bush growing at the base.) I have no idea why this route is so neglected. Definitely one of the best cracks around. Perfect ring and finger jams. Very easy to TR.

 

…and, unlike 25years ago, it’s pretty shady all day.

[TimL]

Somebody climb the friggin route. This is the second time DC has cleaned it in I don't know how many years. Great route to do after Davis Holland, or a good warm-up for Clay. Reallyt good finger locks as DC said, although the top out is a little dirty from what I can remember.

 

DC. I'll give it another go in a couple weeks.

[lancegranite]

I led Pressure Drop years ago.

You are right, it is a good TR/ short lead.

We had to clean the line, and as I recall the top out was really dirty/ wierd?

 

So many Index routes fall into the catagory of usually dirty but good... too bad.

 

Others:

Palatable thrill

Tatoosh

Fools gold

Kieths crack

Hips and valleys

Pork chop torpedo

Sweets for manuel

Them

Index air force

Magic fern

End run

[mattp]

Even though it doesn't necessarily look mossy, P-1 of Beetle Bailey gets a letter grade easier with a good wire brushing, though I suppose repeated brushing might actually polish in such a way as to make it harder.

[DCramer]

A couple months ago the Garden Wall had a scrub down. A Touch Too Much is pretty clean now. Weed-B-Gone is climbable but a few minutes more of scrubbing would help out. The top of Knob Job is still pretty mossy.

 

The Garden Wall is an easy place to set up TRs. Perhaps the best way to TR Touch is to use the anchors on top of WBG. Rap down and set a directional on Touch to minimize a big swing. I think the set of anchors directly above the start of Touch were placed by sport rappelers and are not really located well for climbing use.

[pope]

I have no idea why this route is so neglected. Definitely one of the best cracks around. Perfect ring and finger jams. Very easy to TR.

 

 

And as a bonus, you can tell your buddies you climbed a 5.11 crack (although it's Squamish 10b).

[miller]

Thanks for the work! Climbed it a few days ago - great finger crack - too bad it doesn't keep going.

 

Very easy to TR. Big tree at the top about 30 seconds from the main trail.

 

I found the guidebook directions to be somewhat misleading: From near the base of waterfall at Upper Wall (right where the trail ends) there is a trail heading off to the left (left when looking downhill). It becomes fairly well-defined pretty quickly. In about a minute or two, it goes downhill and right underneath a small crag in the forest. Look for a tree on the right with a cairn at the base (of course the cairn may or may not be there). If you find yourself beneath the small crag on the trail, you went too far. From the tree, walk down through ferns and mossy rocks (not bushwhacking) and right to the base of the crag about a minute off of the main trail - the clean, beautiful finger crack is obvious.

 

Pretty soft 11a IMHO - but harder than Squamish 10b. If you're unsure - short cruxes, good pro, clean falls. Good fun. Top is still a bit grungy but if you got through the bottom then you wont have a problem. Too bad it is considered unethical to bulldoze/napalm all of the trees and shizzle at the top of the route, 'cause that is why this thing will never stay clean =)

[pope]

Pretty soft 11a IMHO - but harder than Squamish 10b.

 

Anybody who can top-rope Caboose can probably lead Pressure Drop.