Agreed it's not a good route, but the 5.7 is the awkward, chimneyish start to get established on the traverse, not the traverse under the flake itself, precisely because of that foot rail.

Never Never Land - you and others may not like it, but it's excellent preparation for routes in other areas - many routes in Tuolumne Meadows and Free Blast on El Cap immediately come to mind.

Never Never Land also isn't over above the face. The headwall exit left is steep, tricky to figure, and a little run out. The opening face moves are no gimme, either.

It's way more than just the crux.

Great Retro, you just advised me of one route in the Valley to avoid. Yeah I guess i didn't find the opening chimneyish 5.7 to be that bad...oh well, still didn't like it.

I have to say, as an overall line, Grand Central is a bit....pieced together. Not terrible, but certainly that the fabulous 3 star 5.9 it is touted as being.

i agree w Rob on never never land. ultra polished. all the stuff i did in the valley tuolumne were cracks nothing like nnl

ah, well you missed 90% of the fun. There is no grip quite like standing on nothing, way TF above the last bolt and with another mile or so to go. That said, I don't have the head for that stuff these days. I used to lap that stuff up but it just evaporated. Odd that.

C'mon RR! The NNL gear is much closer than in tuolumne though the ground is too. i like to sketch myself on it once a year when its cool. Run a more direct line in one pitch on grand central.

agree with shockleys, disneyland, overhanging layback, city lights, belly roll, bloody bush, turdland, something not that interesting

3 doves is better than arrow/limelight. travels/strickly/shockleys cures the flaws in all of those for a 3 star outing.

Wunsch and I fixed that years ago. It's called Penn Station in the guidebook and has a separate top to the right of the the Grand Central finish, but I think the route is best done as Grand Central direct, i.e. follow the Penn Station start to the beginning of the steep wall that forms the first crux of Grand Central and then carry on up Grand Central from there. Grade is maybe 10a or 10b, plus every good bit of the regular Grand Central route. Pro is probably PG, G for the hardest part.

What's the point of going to Tuolumne if all you're going to do are crack routes?

that's what i dig. dig it

RG,
I looked at Penn Station's first pitch as a var. start to Grand Central and, as a line, it looks good from the ground. But I held off because Dick called it 10 b/c, PG, which for me is a push. You're giving it a slightly easier grading all around. Second thoughts on the matter?

And put me in the column of someone who likes GC. The crux in the middle is good, thin climbing and despite what Dick sez, the final roof doesn't have to be hard for the shorter climber.