I wouldn't call it "one of the most G-rated traverses in the gunks" - that's silly. For a 5.7 leader it's a gnarly traverse with difficult gear to place, for sure. The pins will probably rip on a fall. The climb is harder than 5.7+ if you have to hang out and place 2-3 cams to make it "G".

Replace the pins? Either way ok by me (most here seem to say no).

The fact that the moves are difficult doesn't make the gear any less G. Ignore the pins. Place solid cams.

Out of curiosity....does anyone here do any aid? Has anyone repeated the old aid line on Thin Slabs Direct? About 1/2 way out the traverse, there is a (very) thin crack that goes up to and all the way out the huge roof above. It's rated old school A3.

do you think it would have gone hammerless? hmm.

The climb is harder than 5.7+ if you have to hang out and place 2-3 cams to make it "G".

Is this not one of the central problems in appropriately grading trad climbs?

One of the guidebook authors - I forget if it's DW or TS - defines PG gear as gear which is "difficult to place". Hanging off a heel hook on a crux traverse meets that definition.

Who's heel hooking on Thin Slabs Direct?

Dangler... Yes, but Thin Slabs? Umm...

The new Williams says "G" simply means lots of gear and short falls. Difficulty or strenuous placements are separately noted and not taken into account for the gear rating.

"A protection grade has nothing to do with how difficult or strenuous it might be to place that protection; it is telling the climber about the level of security that a placement is likely to offer." from page xxi of the new Williams guide.

A quick glance through my bookshelf suggests that the "difficult to place" criterion is Mellor's.

I've told many people of numerous Gunks 5.9s that are very safe if you hang out to get the gear but can become very dicey if you skip the placements. I consider it part of climbing at that grade, not as affecting the gear rating.

But one could always define it differently, as long as it's clear what it means.