Has anyone done this recently? If you did, did you find the "jagged offwidth" that is supposed to make up the crux of the pitch? We did it last weekend and traversed out left from the upper belay ledge, onto the face where Han's Puss and Feast of Fools p3 goes. Definitely no off width out there. The traverse is exciting. It goes around this wizard hat looking detached flake and up onto a steep face.

There was the obvious big right facing corner off that upper ledge, which looks good, but supposedly the pitch goes left of there.

RR

The offwidth is right off the ledge, about 20 feet or so left od where the first pitch ends. Can't miss it. It is a bit contrived to climb the pitch using the crack.

Wow we didn't see any offwidth at all, although we did scramble up to the higher ledge. Is that where we went wrong?

Yes. Scrambling up on the ledge was the line of the first ascent and puts you above the offwidth.

Let's also put this "off-width" in perspective:

1) the crack is barely wide enough to constitute an off-width - I kinda remember around 5", but it might be a little more or a little less.

2) It is a *single move* and, as is often the case with Gunks cracks, easily succumbs to a layback step.

Ahh so we side stepped it eh? Well all's well that ends well I suppose. Has anyone done the upper corner? It would be left of Man's Quest For Flight.

Let's also put this "off-width" in perspective:


Gosh, I am so sorry. I promise never, never to make that mistake again.

Rob,

Is the upper corner you're referring to the one at the start of the Traverse of the Clods? If so, you can continue up through the ceilings above. Difficult.

no Frank I think you're talking about the corner and ceilings of Man's Quest For Flight P2. This is a BIG corner about 25' left of the start of Traverse of The Clods, and at the very back of that higher ledge. It actually looks fairly fun, clean, and around 5.6 or 7ish

Yep. That's what I remember as the last pitch of Silhouette.

i pretty much always finish it the way rob described...never had any clue where the second pitch was 'supposed' to go...just took the obvious route to the top....the money is the first pitch with the direct variation....

Where is the off-width that Dana describes in relation to the off-width that starts the third pitch of Hans' Puss? Sounds very similar to me.

Steve where the hell are you these days? If you're around why are we not getting out and climbing?

Seth, I think I have a clear picture now of where this off width is. When you finish the first pitch on the GT ledge, instead of scrambling up to the ledge 15 feet higher and climbing from there you step left on the GT and climb a short wall underneath that ledge. I think people are saying the off width is there. Sounds liek I didn't miss much.

I think we're talking about the same off-width. Dick describes this as the beginning of P3 of Hans' Puss. It is a 5.5 pitch that goes up the off-width or scrambles up to the ledge from the right, then heads straight up the right-facing corner to a funky flake that iirc you undercling left to exit to the top.

Silhouette by contrast in Dick's book goes diagonally to the left on the face outside the corner that Hans' Puss ascends.

I'm just now looking at Swain's book and in the photo he has these pitches reversed. Silhouette goes up the right-facing corner and Hans' Puss goes diagonally up the face to the left.

Now that I think I know the off-width in question: it is short and easy, you didn't miss much.

Edited to add: but reading Swain's descriptions of the two routes, he seems to agree with Dick about where they go... another case of his lines in the photo being a little off.

Hmmm.....this now warrants further investigation. I thought I saw the last pitch of Hans' Puss when i finished Sillhouette...off to the left of us. I will admit to never having done P2 and 3 of Hans's Puss. It's now high time.

For what it is worth, I ended P3 of Sillhouette on the same clean streak that Feast of Fools tops out on.

rob-
i'm in california most of the time...davis...flat, dusty, boring...but yos is 3-3.5 hrs...tahoe stuff between 1.5 and 2.5 hrs...east side 4.5ish to 5.5ish depending on season...not so bad....

right now i'm actually in cape town....i'll be on the east coast from sept 13 to 20...should be in the gunks a few days...i'll drop a line...we should get out...lot of routes i never got on that i'd like to check out

Sorry Dude, I'll be in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia on all of those days. That sucks

have fun up there....you should get a boat and go find some huge unclimbed cliff up there....just read a good article about one in the new alpine journal i think

and i'll catch you next time i'm back east....or get your ass out to california and we'll do a wall or something in yos.....or i'll meet you in zion sometime....or moab for towers!