Have you ever tried

The Virus

and just couldn't successfully fight it?  Well, you can do a variation that is less finger-threatening (still hurts 11 days later).

Start about 6-7 feet left of the first bolt.  You can get a #0.75 Camalot/orange Alien in right off the ground if you want.  You can move up and gain the slopey horizontal.  Note, if you use the grungy chimney or back step, it will feel 5.9.  If not, 10-.  Green & yellow Aliens fit.  Step right to the big starting hold for The Virus.  You can clip the 2nd bolt.  Traverse to the arete.  Continue up as for

The Virus

past 2 bolts.  An optional #8 BD wire (or possibly a red Alien) fits above the last bolt, if you want.  Rap.

Variation to The Virus

Brown Cloud Arête

Pee on Dee

Deck Chairs on the Titanic

Crack (right of Interface)

Thick Crust

Louise Arete

Fork and Spoon

Interface Arete

Thelma

Interface aka Slab Left

Protection From the Virus

New River Gorge Homesick Blues

Crack/Chimney

Kid's Climb

Right of Interface

Baggins' Blunt Arete

Easy Face to Crack

John Adams' Adams Apple

Pee on Me

Punkin Puss & Mushmouse aka Bow of the Titanic

Wide Crack

Ypsilon

The Ark

Volobee (aka Jolobee)

Unknown Route

Tiny Pillar

Crack (2 left of Interface)

Axis of Weasels

Of Sound Mind and Body

Bolted Line

Pee Into the Wind

Top Rope Face (aka Rising Passion)

Unknown Crack

Solo Route aka Life Raft

Bullet The Brown Cloud

Anti-viral

Unknown Crack (Right of The Virus)

Unknown left of Left Slab

Chimney Route

Tenacious

Chimney

Retro-Crack

Old Roof Route aka Lemons, Limes, and Tangerines

Christmas Night

Crack

Killian's Dead

Iraqi Road

Big Dihedral

Louise

Tiny Face

Windy Days

The Virus

This wide crack is right of the

Big Dihedral

and left of

The Virus

.  Climb up to a "cave" and then exit with some precarious "looking" moves.  This climb has some fun finger jams and stems.  At the top, you can traverse right and use the bolt anchors on

The Virus

.  It is #6 in the topo =>

Climb the pillar just left of

Pee on Dee

, about 15 yards west of

Deck Chairs on the Titanic

. Wimps and leaders can go left around and up to the ledge, and clip the first bolt. Otherwise, start directly on the arete. Move up to the ledge above the first bolt, and then continue on the right side of the face.

Addendum: over the years, this route has gotten fairly polished.

This is a great little climb that mixes up some crack climbing with face climbing.  It comes up under a roof to make an exciting conclusion.

This is a nice textured but steep slab that looks easier than it is. Fun bulges on lower part make the thin crimps at the top more work. You can do a 10a start straight from straight below the bolt, or you can do the 8 variation via the crack on the left. Squeeze onto the ledge, and then move right to follow the thin crack.  Move past the 4th bolt and go left and then up.

Eds. This route has polished up over the years, and on warm days it can feel perhaps a bit "greasy".

This is an obvious line not listed in Rolfson's

Golden Climbs

or in Hubbel's

Front Range Crags

that surely has been climbed.  It has an interesting finish that is trickier than it looks from the ground.

It might not be worth it unless you're itching for something different.

Climb the crack.  Be careful with the hollow looking pillar on the left.  The crux comes where the crack peters out.

This is the furthest right route in the Brown Cloud Rocks area.  It is to the right of

Thelma

and

Louise

.  The name may not be correct. I forget where I got the name.  It's a route to do if you've done all or nearly all the rest.

Hike around to the back to put longer slings (48") on the 3 bolts (2 have weird hangers).  Climb up and perhaps slightly left of the rope.  There used to be a super fragile block, but it's gone with a light foot tap.  If you stem back to the rock to the left at the crux, it'll feel noticeably easier.

This is an obscure link-up of several obvious formations.

P1 - climb from the ground to the top of the first spire, 10R, 10 feet.

P2 - traverse left to the next spire, 12 X, 10-15 feet.

P3 - downclimb from the spire, and traverse left then back up to a semi-hanging stance in a fist/wide hands crack, 11d R, 15 feet.

P4 - take the chimney-esque feature to the summit, WI5, A3+, 15 feet.

Stick to the arete, to the left of

Interface

, not in the crack further left. There is enough chalk that clearly folks have done this, but it hasn't been on the list.

This is not too bad. The bolts may be out on the face, but most of the route is climbed on the far side of the arete. Basically follow the chalk up. There are lots of good resting points and confidence building holds.

Eds. note, the anchor is in a detached block.

This route ascends a wide, textured face in the middle of the Brown Cloud area. Scramble to a ledge 10 feet off the ground, then start the route.

Note, over the years, this route has become quite rounded in places.

Start just left of

Lemons, Limes, and Tangerines

following the bolts over the left half of the roof. There's a massively chalked up and bomber undercling at the start of the route (but it is basically worthless when climbing it). We had some discussion about the best or proper way to turn the roof. Our conclusion was that as long as you're reaching up to the ledge on the left side (~3 feet above the roof) from where you're coming from, it's the route. Continue up the thin left face.

This route is to the left of

Kid's Climb

. Follow the line up through the bolts to the anchors with rap rings. Have fun!

Addendum: this route may have originally been intended to follow the bolt line making it probably 5.11. However, it is rather apparent that one can head left after the 2nd bolt to make it a moderate lead for most folks. Originally, the 2nd bolt was the 1st fixed gear on the route requiring some less-than-perfectly-solid gear placement and a bit more anxiety to starting the route.

This is another line that had chalk on it...well it needed to be climbed.  It offers an easy line to do if you find

Thelma

and/or

Louise

a bit slick or difficult.

Find a couple nice hand jams down low.  Pull into the chimney. Face climb upwards.

This is on the lean side of a star.

This route lies at the east end of brown cloud, just as the cliffs turn the corner. Start up a crack, then move left at a ledge and follow the 3 bolts up. The face moves are committing. Have fun!

This is an entry for a line that has been done for at least 20 years now, but there is a questionable section for pro that might be worth warning leaders who may fall here.

Start to the right of

Interface

by maybe 15 feet in a crack.  Head up.  You may be tempted to put in some small cams just to the left of the big crack, maybe 10-15 feet up, but beware that that block may not be anchored well.  If possible, don't fall here.  Move up and left onto better holds and better protected features.  Clip the anchors for

Interface aka Slab Left

.

This is an obvious, little, very squeezed line that sort of begs to be climbed.  It's probably been done by one of the original N. Table developers - Hart brothers, Berk brothers, Trout, Nelson, Wright, or maybe Bilbo himself.  The name is obviously a silly name which can be replaced by a real name when it becomes available...

The Hobbit

just came out in DVD.

You can lead this protecting with predominantly small cams up to a #1 Camalot or...after doing one of the routes to the right (

Virus

,

Variation of the Virus

, or

Thick Crust

), you can set a directional up high in the crack and toprope the blunt arete.  If you avoid the chimney to the right, you can make it more interesting.  The crux is near the top where the crack can take a tiny bite out of you.

This is probably only for those who have done most of the normal routes up there and are looking for an abnormal one.

Climb the featured face just right of

Louise

. Then climb a v-shaped dihedral to the top. Traverse left to

Louise's

anchors. This is a much more aesthetic line than the wonky bolt job on

Louise

.

Follow the crack that runs up and right, just right of

Killian's Dead

and

Deck Chairs

. Try to use only the crack at the top (crux), and not bail out to the dihedral corner on the right.

I am sure that this route has been done before as I know that I had bouldered this little sliver of rock out in the past, so I am sure that others have done the same. Nonetheless, start 5 feet right of

Windy Days

. I climb directly up the face via thin moves past the first bolt for a more challenging start. Then climb up easy rock placing good gear to a fun finger crack and good gear to an obvious, small ledge on the right. Clip the second bolt above the ledge and climb to the chain anchors.

Follow the arete left of

Deck Chairs on the Titanic

.  Start left of a hand crack and move out on to the arete.

This is the wide crack to the right of

Volobee (aka Jolobee)

.  It is probably of

limited interest to most climbers

, but there are some offwidth bits that help you keep grounded.

Wander up easy scrambling or take the obvious arete (unprotected) to the base of the wide crack.  Move up the crack where you will find it harder if you use only crack technique.  Up near the top, the crack flares and begs you to armbar.  Top out on the ledge right of

Volobee (aka Jolobee)

.

This is an obvious line just left of

Volobee (aka Jolobee)

.  It ascends a corner and has two possible finishes.  A loose knob at the split point suggests that it has not been ascended.  The name is in honor of David Laurienti who prematurely was sadly taken from us on Ypsilon in RMNP.

Start up with some scrambling to the base of the dihedral.  Don't fill that right sidepull with a cam.  Move up on to a small nook which has a fair bit of dirt that came down after cleaning above.  It could use a brooming, but we forgot that in the car.  Continue up to the fork in the Y where you may be able to get a yellow Alien.

Going left is more difficult and involves limited hand holds, stemming, and some balance.  Once atop the block, you can reach down and clip the anchor bolts for

Bullet The Brown Cloud

.

Going right is less tricky, and you can get another piece in before finishing up left of the anchors of

Volobee (aka Jolobee)

.

This route resembles more of an alpine type route with a chimney, chockstone small overhang, stemming, and jamming the crack. Well as close to alpine as North Table will ever get. This route is very well-protected. It's not the best route you will ever do, but it is a fun adventurous trad lead that is worth the time.

Scramble up about 20 feet to the base of the clean face. A series of thin edges takes you to the crux at the last bolt.  Look for a sidepull about 2 feet right of the bolt and using the edge to the left make a last thin move to reach the ledge and anchor.

FA info was taken from "North Table Mountain" by Jason Haas and Ben Schneider.

This one-move-wonder is the bolted line in between

Unknown Crack (Right of The Virus)

, and

New River Gorge Homesick Blues

. Climbers under 6' will struggle to reach the first bolt which protects the early and only crux. At 6'2", I had a long blind reach from underneath the roof to get the first bolt. Once you have the first bolt, gain a high left crimp and whatever feet you can, and dyno up to a huge jug. Once you've pulled the roof the rest of the route is probably 5.7 or 5.8.

This a tiny line up a wee pillar that just might call out to you to climb it.  It is a better TR problem.

Climb up the face utilizing a sloping right foot hold.  There is a precarious slap higher up that may spit you off if you don't hit it first go; hence, it's not a good route to lead on gear...I tried.

This is a decent little line 2 routes left of

Interface

.  It ascends a lieback to a short, right-facing dihedral.  It is often chalked up.

This line takes the second crack system left of the "

Brown Cloud Arete

" (left of the crack with the prominent chockstone). Start in a shallow, right-facing corner that turns into a straight-in handcrack on the face above.  Belay on a good ledge on top, then walk off to the east.

Eds. note, you can traverse right to the anchor of

Brown Cloud Arête

and lower.

This is a route that most North Table climbers won't like, in fact, and probably will detest.  It involves offwidth, chimney, and mental gymnastics.  So, don't bother with it unless you want something different...like a bit of adventure.

To the right of

Tenacious

, hidden in the shadows, is an offwidth that becomes a chimney.  Hop up onto a flat-topped block.  Step left into a crack, and gain a ledge.  Now, it gets interesting.  Place an old style #5 Camalot without a quickdraw or sling.  Fish out the holds, including the chockstones, left foot triangle, sloping ramp. Despite the decent stem, it's hard to get anything to protect you from the stem position.  Arm bar, step up, and don't blow this move.  Once above the chockstones, a #3 Bigbro fits well deep.  Continue up more easily.

You won't want to do this without big gear for a lead.  I backed off the 1st time with a #4 Camalot as my biggest piece.

This is a little line to the right of

Interface

that sports 3 bolts.

Clipping the first bolt may be tricky.  If in doubt, place a cam in the crack to the left of the start.  Move up delicately paying attention to your feet and clip the first bolt.  Continue up, clip the second bolt, move slightly right, and then go up to the top of this climb.  Alternatively, you can move left after the 2nd bolt.

It is worth a run.

This obvious natural line has no doubt been climbed for decades but surprisingly doesn't appear in the guidebook. The crux come a few feet off the ground, pulling out of the chimney. After that, it follows a fingers-to-hands crack. There's a fun jamming move that takes you within scrambling distance of the clifftop, where you can build with natural pro or use one of the neighboring sport anchors (using the

Pee on Dee

anchor will require a short, easy downclimb).

Our interpretation is that you climb up the face to the roof at which point you swing out onto the arete and reach way up (crux) for a good hold. Finish by coming back toward the center of the face.

This crack is not listed in the new Haas/Schneider guide.  It looked like a fun crack and it has anchors, so I gave it a go.  It is likely a Dan Hare route, or that is my guess anyway.

Climb the fist crack in the block starting at an obvious undercling hold.  Once atop the block step across a small chasm and engage the face above.  The crack protects well with small nuts.  The crux seems to be getting up to the small roof and then pulling over it.  This is a fun and challenging gear route.

This is a fun top rope or highball boulder problem.  The face of the boulder has several horizontal seams which provide adequate but small holds.  The crux is halfway up and involves throwing for the biggest horizontal edge on the face.  Avoid the left arete at the top to keep the difficulty consistent.

Bullet The Brown Cloud follows the arete that forms the West face of the large dihedral hosting

Deck Chairs on the Titanic

. Start off with a funky move to a wide ledge and the first clip. Work the face edges and the arete simultaneously to catch the second clip - this is an interesting series of moves needing some precision in the foot-work. Pull onto a big ledge from the far left side, grab a clip, one more move, and the anchors.

This is a nice problem, a little funky, but worth doing if you are up in this sector. Joe Desimone once did this by straddling the arete the entire way, which had the advantage of avoiding the two ledges. If the standard way starts to feel harder than easy 5.11, then try moving left along the angling edge. This will just about deposit you in the dihedral.

This is yet another short trad line to the left of

Protection From The Virus

.  It sort of oddly resembles

Belly Up

, but it is shorter and has more lichen and less jamming.  This probably will appeal to those who ask, "does that go?"

Move up a right-facing dihedral.  There is a large block which is likely fairly stable at its top.  The crack on the right looks more inviting from afar. Still it will accept yellow and red Aliens.  Move right and finish with some awkward moves.  There is an anchor bolt above which can be backed up by a #2 Camalot or by reaching down to the anchor bolts of

Protection From The Virus

.

You can walk off to the right.

I don't know the name of this route, but it definitely has been done before seeing as there are anchors for it at the top and it is a pretty obvious line.  If you know name or FA, let me know.

The first 10 feet are fairly overhanging and definitely the crux of the route.  You can use a #0.5 Camalot to protect the overhanging moves. Once past the overhang, it gets substantially easier.  Cruise up the right-angling, shallow crack to the anchors.

This ascends a hand crack around arete from

Left Slab

.  It is a good, short intro to hand crack climbing.

Climb the grubby chimney between

New River Gorge Homesick Blues

and

Kid's Climb

. This chimney climbs much better than it appears. Surprisingly, it doesn't have more loose rock (it still has some)! Near the top, traverse right to

Kid's Climb's

anchors.

Start up the steep left side of a buttress on the left side of an alcove. Said alcove is then about 40 yards from the super-easy access to the top. This is a fun route. Some easy step up moves, and then a dyno opportunity from small but positive crimpers to the ledge. To truly climb the route, do not go up the left side from here. Instead, move right and follow the bolts directly up the face. Another cool dynamic move opportunity to a left-hand ledge about 10 feet below the bolts.

Note, over the years, this route has become quite polished in places, especially at the start.

This is a cop-out route when you try to lead the face to the right and cluck leftward.  It is on the lean side of a star, but hey, some folks say there aren't too many chimneys to play on around these parts, so I reckon here's one.

You can get a #2 Camalot near the ground.  Chimney above the 3rd class gully.  Find small gear like a medium wire, #0 TCU, small Aliens, and wriggle upward.  You can TR

the face to the right

off your anchor for this.

Climb the thin crack just left of the "

Pee on Dee

" bolts, remaining fiercely independent until throwing in a perfect hand jam on the left side of the roof and topping out just above the "

Pee on Dee

" bolt anchor.

An easier variation can be done by stepping left into the chimney at the roof (5.8).

I did a free ascent of this route using trad gear on 11/6/04 and named it "Retro-Crack" as a juxtapose to "

Tony Bubbs Little Stick

".

Start on the right face of a slab with a fun roof about 15 feet off the ground. Work up towards the right corner, up and over onto the ledge. Stay on the face, and work the crimp moves (crux). Move straight up; you're finished when you can reach into the large crack on the right side.

Note, over the years, this route has become quite polished in places, but the polish factor is reduced during cooler months of the year.

Climb the broken chimney just left of

Louise Arete

. It is a fun kid's climb and is in the shade most of the afternoon.

This is a short crack line that goes just right of

Kid's Climb

in a briefly inviting finger crack that opens wider at times.  The crux may be not smashing your left toes into pokey rock on the left (ow!) and possibly trusting that top directional.

There is evidence of prior passage with a chopped purple sling at the top.

FWIW, there is no mention of this line in P. Hubbel's

Front Range Crags

, M. Rolofson's

1995 Boulder Sport Climber's Guide

, or M. Rolofson's

Golden Rock Climbs

.

Climb the crack running up and slightly left, just to the right of

Deck Chairs on the Titanic

. This is a good primer for hand jamming technique.

Left of the "

Brown Cloud Arete

" are three crack systems.  These mark the leftmost end of the "Brown Cloud Crags" section of cliff.  This route takes the lefthand of these three crack systems up a right-facing corner to the top of the wall.  The climbing is moderate and the gear is good, making this a suitable introduction to leading gear routes.

Walk off to the east.

Eds. There is an obvious independent start in the double crack system to the left.

Climb the crack up the dihedral with the clean right side face and large horizontal slash 2/3 of the way up. Solid finger and hand jams with some nice jugs as a break are throughout the climb. The layback move above the slash is the crux move.

It is #8 in the photo to the right =>

Climb up the face using the arete on the right side past the second bolt if necessary. The 5.10 variation goes straight up the face w/out using the arete at all. Note: the cold shuts on this climb and many around Table are being worn thin.

This is a fun, if brief, line that ascends a blocky face with a high crux that is harder than it looks.

Fire up blocky terrain.  Near the top, balance your way to the top utilizing the arete blob.

This route lies in the back right of a small alcove just west of

Deck Chairs on the Titanic

. Start on the right side of the alcove, about 10 yards to the right of

Pee on Dee

, and move up to the nice ledge.  Follow the crack up and left. You can't use the huge ledge at the top of the climb on the left side - you can use the crack, but no feet or hands on the top of it.

This is a short sport climb with a bouldery crux right after the 1st bolt.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Brown Cloud Rocks