The route provides some fun, wide crack climbing and never feels thrutchy. Lower angled at the bottom with plentiful face holds and a convenient foot rail up higher where it steepens.

Use the bolt anchors atop Gravity Kills to belay.

Chiller

Cruise Control

La Paws

Pablo Cruise

Bear Pause

Bear's Choice

Benevolent Bruin

Bear Elegance

Henry's M.F.

Bear Stroll

Bear Essence

Lost my Nut

Gravity Kills

Ursa Major

Climbs a dark slab past two bolts to a crux lieback as the rock steepens.

Best to belay on the ledge and rappel rather than lowering.

A runout start above an unforgiving landing makes getting to the first bolt an exciting proposition, but once the security of the first bolt is reached the protection is fairly good overall. Once past the crux, between bolts one and two, make a slight runout to a flake/stance and clip one last bolt that protects friction moves to the top.

The loose rock that earlier plagued this climb is gone, but it's still a heads up route (a stick clip would eliminate the runout start) with some good slab climbing.

Start by frictioning up to a set of parallel cracks. Once in the cracks, work to the left most crack and up to a ledge. Once at the ledge, move right and up a slot crack in the skyline above. A variation has been done to this route by traversing LEFT onto

Ursa Major

just after encountering the ledge and climbing past two bolts to the chained anchor.

This toprope problem climbs the vertical face/buttress just left of

Cruise Control

.

Decent steep friction climbing on this route but it's a little close to Cruise Control to have bolts.

Start as for Bear Essence, at the squeeze chimney formed by the main wall and the boulder in front.  Work up across the first right-slanting crack to a nice ledge/ramp.  From here the two climbs part company.  Follow this second right-slanting crack through a little exposure and a few nice jams.  Finish in the notch above and use the 2 bolt anchor for Ursa Major.  Fun lead for the aspiring trad climber and fairly easy for the grade.  Rappel to descend.

This is on the right side of the west face and easily identified as a right-facing flake system.

Enjoyable moves up the flake gain a ledge, after which a few easy face moves reach the top of the rock. Downclimb to the climber's right or rappel off bolts on one of the neighboring climbs.

Unprotected steep slab (crux) leads to a bolt about 15' up and a slanting ledge system a little higher. Continue up the face above past one more bolt and then cut right to finish in a hand/fist crack; belay and rap from anchors atop Ursa Major.

Start on the block just left of Bears Choice.  Follow the discontinuous crack system towards the middle of three small trees.  When comfortable, stem/traverse into the upper right-slanting crack (the crux), above the rightmost tree.  Mixed face and crack climbing leads to a large belay ledge, same as for Bears Choice.  To descend, either scramble left to the anchor for Ursa Major and rappel, or head over and right, using the south face descent.

This seldom done toprope problem climbs the southeast corner of a large blocky boulder located in front of Lost Orbit's West Face, very near the climb

Bear Essence

.

Increasingly difficult moves lead to the crux near the top of the route and finally a good jug at the very top. This might be a good highball boulder problem for those so inclined.

Scramble up the opposite side of the boulder to access the 2 bolt anchor atop the route.

Start as per Bear Essence and Bear Pause stemming the main wall and large boulder sitting next to it. Arrive at a slanting ledge and follow it all the way until it's end at a vertical hand crack which is the finish of Bear Elegance. Can be sewn up to prevent a follower swinging across slab or possibly decking.

Start by stemming off a boulder (easier) or climbing directly from the ground (harder), and then climb easy face (0.4" cam here) to a ledge system below a smooth section of slab. The upper slab involves delicate moves between the bolts, and while well protected is still somewhat exciting.

Much better than it looks, this is an enjoyable slab route despite the lackluster start.

Climb up a ledge to set a nut below the giant flake then go left and stem across said flake to get to the crack follow the slight right facing crack and take the split to the right to the top.

Tenuous and thin slab moves past the first bolt start things off, but the difficulty quickly eases at the second bolt. Higher move past a small ledge and head up and right to finish up steep slab with interesting movement.

Sometime around 2014 (?) a number of chipped holds appeared low on this route - avoiding them is highly recommended and does not affect the rating.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Lost Orbit Rock - West Face