This climb was very tense and physical, but more from the unknown nature of the chimney at the bottom, than the real wide climbing at the top.  Luckily the bottom is very good 5.8 and the rest is well protected. 

 Chimney to the pinch, place a large cam and work up and around.  The wide crack above is sustained except for a welcome rest stance on a huge horn.   Don't get too excited about the final #2 hand crack, it's hard, too.  The belay cave really feels like an oasis after all that thrashing and shimmying. 

 Best piece to belay off is a #6 overhead, but there are lots of options for the creative mind. 

Amber Oasis

A Horse with No Name

Sunny Side Girl

Monkey Paws

Dietary Constrictions

A Tan Camel

The Silk Road

Watchtower Intrigue

Shadow Corner

P1: Climb the parallel crack system in the slot to the notch.  5.7P2: Wrap around to the north face; ascend black rock to the summit. 5.5The descent is a work in progress. We down-led two pitches (4th class/5.4ish) to rappel from nuts above A Camel. With cord, tree rappels can be arranged at about 80’ and 160’ on P1.

This thing is so good.  Thin start to a hand crack.  It's hard to find a #2 crack harder than 5.10, but this thing is steep enough for a moment to warrant it in my opinion.

 Above the steep (and sharp!) bulge the climbing eases into a wide #5/#6 crack surrounded by huge hugs(jugs!) in the 5.8 range.  Bump a big cam and place intermittent gear and sling horns as backup.  

  Above the easy stuff one final treat awaits.  A short offwidth in a flared corner gets you home to the belay ledge and bomber rope anchor.

Yet another harder-than-it-looks crack. Though in places it is wide, stemming will prevent the need for true struggling. In places it is a little sandy & fragile. Up the crack to belay on ledge below oak trees. Escape (5.6ish) up and (climber’s) left past oak trees to rappel station above Sunny Side Girl.

Climb the wide crack, negotiating a tricky crux midway.  The upper chimney can be climbed without touching any of the large chockstones, even though they look mostly secure. Mostly.  

Belay off large tree and scramble up to Sunny Side Girl anchor to rappel. 

It’s a long mile you’ll be walking for this one. Fun climbing; too short and contrived to be a destination, but if you’re looking for a short warm-down at the end of the day, this could be it. Too bad it’s not next to Topless Twins…

 Gain the black face by an awkward ramp, a step right onto the face below the black face, haul on the jug to the crack on the right to the ledge below the black face, and over the bulge.

 The descent is a work in progress; we down-led 150’ to the level of the Slot Club Wall walk-offs. It may be easier to continue upward to a rappel anchor on the climbs to the left or down-climb the  short cracks on the left.

A nice line that is marred by P2’s poor rock quality at the crux and a sizeable block perched on a sloping ledge.

 P1 Gain the far (climber’s) left end of a ledge system at a clump of oak trees—left variation is chimney & crack w/ start in oak trees, right variation is face climbing just left of a chockstone filled chimney guarded by fewer oaks; possible belay. Continue up the corner and the ramp to climber’s left of the corner. Belay at base of black headwall; if continuing up, position the anchor out of the way of catastrophic rockfall. Possible escape left to A Horse with No Name or rappels from oak trees. P2 Up suspect cracks in the corner; tiptoe around the block; up a narrow ramp a few feet; up the steep corner to easier climbing arching out left. Up a wide crack; traverse right to belay on spacious ledges.

 The descent is a work in progress. 150’ downlead will get you to a rappel anchor above the possible oak tree belay of P1

Intriguing moves up the face to gain the corner/crack; intriguing moves up the crack; step right onto the ramp/corner, possibly intriguing; intriguing moves up this; step back left with good feet and left/up to the curious “I should have brought the #6” triangular cutout; intriguing moves up out of the triangle and past exquisite black rock; traverse left to the Shadow Corner/Silk Road ledge system. Rappel from oak trees or continue up another route.

Stellar, overhanging hand crack to thin hands and then offwidth/chimney finish.

 If rappelling in a single rap to the ground, arrange the pull so the rope doesn’t pile up on the ledge and rubble system at the start of P2; possible 2nd rappel from oak trees on ledge system at the start.

Up and climber’s left of the Slot Club Wall is a hidden corridor with perhaps a dozen climbs, including at least two destination cracks: Sunny Side Girl and Shadow Corner. The left wall (lots of morning sun) is characterized by cracks that tend to the wide; the right is corners, ramps, and faces. The area gets pretty good sun exposure in January.

 There is plenty of evidence of turn of the century ascents; if you have route names, FA info, or know who stamped ‘G’ on their bail nuts, chirp and I’ll include the appropriate history.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Amber Oasis