This is a neat route with challenging cruxes that I feel needed to be cleared up. While it was given 5.11+ my partner and I disagree and find it to be on par or harder than other LGR 12s.

Pitch 1 climb up the grey slab to where the wall steepens and begins to overhang. Begin to route find through the bulges aiming for the big jug ear. After that one more tricky section puts you on a great belay ledge where you’ll build an anchor 5.11

Pitch 2 Climb right off the belay and into a boulder problem with a bolt. Continue up the overhanging face to the left with another tricky crux. After this climb up and make a gear belay at a sloping stance 5.12

Pitch 3 Climb up shallow crack into the groove bouncing around and finding pro with short runs. Locate the double bolt belay under the overhanging bulge 5.10

Pitch 4 Sneak up to the overhang and make sure to take time getting bomber pro as this boulder problem is much harder than it appears as well as its “given” grade. Crank over the bulge with the crack on slopers and head up to the tree line. Build belay off left and up of tree island if you want a bonus pitch. This pitch was listed as 11b in guidebooks. On rappel we determined you could probably climb the right side of the roof at an easier grade but going straight up from the belay through the roof is solid. I felt it was harder than the actual crux pitch. 5.11+

Pitch 5 this wasn’t an original pitch but it made sense to keep climbing.... climb up to eyebrows on the right and crank through the face on poor holds with pro well below you or continue right and you can traverse around and over this section. Climb up the water groove above. 5.11

2 raps off trees back to the bolted anchor. From bolted anchor rap “to the ground”. Chances are if you made it up the route you’ve got it together but two 60s will not put you in walking territory. Down climb 20’ of slab to the apron.

Mainline Express

A great old school, all gear route, with some fun climbing on a cool part of the wall. The crux is not protected well and it’s in your best interest to do it first try.

Pitch 1 climb up face to a dark (loose) right facing flake. Pass this and build an anchor at the ledge 5.10 60’

Pitch 2 head left off the belay passing the more flakes to a great horizontal rail. Build anchor under steep groove 5.9 90’

Pitch 3 I broke this pitch into two pitches like a wuss for communication with the wind... you can too. Head up the alarmingly steep groove onto easier slab.  (Optional belay). Then tackle the steep bulge above. After the Boulder problem head up groove then trend left to build a belay in the next groove to the left. The right groove is bouffant direct and I have not climbed it. 5.10+ 160’

Pitch 4 climb straight off the belay up the super fun groove and belay at tree ledge. 190’ 5.10

Pitch 5 two ways that this can be done the first being a 200’ traverse from the bottom of the tree ledge straight left to anchors on Prey. Or you can climb up and left and find the upper anchors of Prey below the hangout on top with the small wooden bench.

Rappel prey in 3 (if traversing in) or 4 (if topping out and coming down) double rope lengths.

Bouffant Curl

Really, really cool water groove/face climbing.  This route was originally rated 5.10R.  Its still pretty R (P1) but probably PG13 with small gear.

P1:  Business starts pretty soon on this pitch.  Not much warming up.  Start directly below the obvious, beautiful black water groove.  Climb directly up to a stance at a cool, horizontal crack feature.  Get a good .3 or .4 C4 here and move directly left below a steep groove.  Carefully climb up the groove looking for a yellow TCU out left in an eyebrow.  Move up to a right leaning crack with good gear.  Wander right to a stance and get more good gear.  Step back left into the groove and climb hard 5.10 friction up to the belay.  This part is probably PG13.  Belay at the obvious horizontal w/.5 to #2 cams below a steep bulge. 5.10, 60 feet.

P2:  This pitch is positively amazing. Climb the steep water groove left and then back right up in to the groove.  Get a good .75 and then dance back and forth across the groove on amazing edges, knobs and slopers searching for gear.  Its all there. Exit on to a lower angled slab under a bulge.  Fire the bulge with good gear to a large sloping ledge and climb some of the coolest holds on the glass for 80 or 90 feet to a big horizontal belay.  Belay here with .5 to #2 cams. 5.10, 140 feet.

P3.  Climb up and right 40'to the bolt anchor on Irish Jig and rap with two 60s to the ground.

Ruby Tuesday

This route shares the first pitch with Aerospace Cadet. If I recall correctly it was done in 81/82 .  It starts about 50 feet left of Out to Lunch.

Climb up a light-colored streak of rock. Mantel up and right over a bulge to a gear belay. Rating was around 9+.

Second pitch traverses up and left across orange rock to a bolt, backed up with natural gear for a bely below a multi-tiered overhanging water groove. Which is left of the Aerospace water groove. Rating was about 10-.

Third pitch goes straight up the overhanging tiered water groove which is juggy initially. However getting over the lip into the water groove above is cruxy. It then climbs about 50 feet on up the water groove to a natural belay. Last pitch finishes up easy ground to the top.

Labia

Much steeper than it looks; the pump is good the moves are better! The route climbs up and left through steep eyebrows with good pro and a couple of bolts to ease the mind. The crux comes after the second bolt. After these moves you head out right to  the anchors of Out To Lunch.

Le Pump

This section of the Sun Wall is quite intimidating.  Aerospace Cadet is one of the easier routes up through the bulges.

Weird climbing on the second pitch.  Big bulgy slopers moves and mantles.  Good pro when you need it.

Aerospace Cadet

This is a very cool line and a must do if you're into steep brows and good rock! With the addition of 2 key bolt placements (placed several years after the FA) it is safer but still requires a keen eye for protecting eyebrows.

P-1

Start on Nick Danger. Climb to the bolt (where the pin used to be), but instead of moving left, step up and right to horizontal which takes a #1 tcu. Move directly right here onto the eyebrow laced face (don't climb the groove, which is harder). Continue up the moderate face (~10'right of groove) getting lots of gear (some shallow) to a bolt below the bulge. Climb straight up to a # .75 camalot in a jug/brow. Crank the deadpoint-type move and continue on steep jugs, passing a #1 tcu and another bolt to the ledge. Belay on gear. 5.10++

P-2

Pull a mini bulge via small flake a little to the left. Continue up the center of the face to end with all the other lines at the large ledge with the Irish Jig rap anchors. ~ 5.8

Paco Bell

A fun single pitch route that would rate higher - IMO - if it had it's own anchors. The hard climbing is in the first half of the route. Start inside the left-facing dihedral and pull on to the upper face past the last fixed pin as the corner transitions to a roof. The leftward traverse (after the second bolt) to the anchors above Le Pump is much easier (.8-ish) but heady.  Make sure your second is solid or they could take a big swing.

Way Rad

Best route name ever.  This is a beautiful piece of stone and one of the coolest routes in North Carolina.  This climb requires a nice mix of power, finesse, and a bit of boldness.  MUCH harder to lead than toprope, fall above the crux and its pretty much a mandatory 20 footer with slab smacking potential.  The top eases off technically but pro is scant and thin.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Pitch 1 climb the immaculate corner with a thin crack in the back. Small ball nuts, RPs, micro brass, and cam hooks will help. Hand placed beaks could work too. Beefy bolt belay on a ledge. 100’

Pitch 2 climb the bolt ladder up and right with some hook moves in between over the first water groove to the second. Climb up groove through eyebrows utilizing aid and free climbing. Eventually you will gain a large slot for .75-1” units. Above this by a few feet is a #3 placement. Drop back down and build belay in the 1” slot 120’

Pitch 3 leave the hooks and extra cams at the belay and free climb directly up the groove to a huge ledge with some trees and belay 180’

Pitch 4 class out the ramp system and scramble to the top. 200’

In both guide books that cover this route it is described to exit out right of the second groove onto the face of pitch 2 and staying right for the remainder of the route. I did not do this as the groove looked like it would provide more pro and better climbing. It’s very possible going right is easier... I would say the free climbing is still not far off from the 5.9 range. Both books also describe this pitch as A2+... just get out of your aiders a little as this is definitely not an A2+ pitch and goes very clean. It’s just good fun, old fashioned, shenanigans climbing. To descend walk along the tree line climbers right and you will find a hikers trail that goes down to the rock with a spot to hang out and currently has a bench up there. The rappels for prey are 40’ down at 12:30/1:00 from the bench. 4 double rope raps more or less straight down to the ground.

Psychedelic Delusions of The Digital Man

I am in the process of adding some routes that I have seen reported with some FA inaccuracies in the newest Selected Climbs of North Carolina guide book. "Titties and Beer" is an example of this. The Shull/Lambert guide reports Randy Mann was on the FA of this route when it was actually Ted Anderson who was on the FA. It is important to recognize Ted as the name for this route was inspired by Ted and comes from a Zappa song. Ted Anderson is a huge Zappa fan and we listened to a lot of Zappa when enroute to our "many" climbing adventures together.  We were also, of course, big fans of the objects of this song...

After we did the first ascent & named it Titties & Beer this route got dubbed "the world's hardest 5.8". The story behind that is after we did the first ascent we were telling Jeep Gaskin, Grover Cable & some other friends about the new route. They asked us how hard we thought the route was. We thought about it and it seemed pretty easy compared to some of the scarefests we had done & were doing on the Glass and elsewhere and we also thought 5.10 was about the hardest we could climb back then. So off the cuff I said "Oh, it's probably  about 5.8." Future ascents later confirmed that I might have had understated the rating a bit. Hence it became dubbed "The worlds hardest 5.8"  Goes to show its always good to have a concensus on ratings.... The 5.8 climber might need a beer or two after climbing the sensational, voluptuous, undulations on this route.

Regardless of the original stated rating, for its grade it is a very cool route with a lot of character for a Looking Glass climb. We originally did the route by starting from the left on the upper slab and traversing to underneath the prominent crack system where we placed a bolt and belayed. We also later added a 10+ or 11- R/X direct start that we toproped at first and I led at one point. This variation climbed direct up a step slab off the ground with little or no pro to below the belay below the crack. The route has some hard moves to gain the crack and that is what I thought was the crux on the FA. Continue on up the crack and belay near the top. From there move out left a bit to find a spot where you can move thru the bulges and start trending right and then up. It has been a long time since I have done the route but follow the natural line to the top. You might consult the guide book if you want a more accurate description of where the route goes.

Titties and Beer  (aka "World's Hardest 5.8")

A var. of Patrick Ewing.

Belay at the base of the P. Ewing hand crack.

Climb the hand crack to the 2nd bolt of PE.  For Scotty Pippen, go straight up past the 2nd bolt to a 3rd bolt at very crisp positive crimps.  Power over the bolt thru shallow bulges and good gear being careful with the "potato chip" hold. Mantle thur another bulge at the base of a final bulge.  Clip the bolt and make a long reach to an eyebrow and step over on the low angled face.  Climb 5.6 'brows to a good .4 C4 and traverse back left to the gear belay at the top of PE P2.  Two #2 camalots are nice at the belay.  Finish on PE.

Scotty Pippen

The best water groove ever. With TCU's (which they didn't have on the first ascent) the route may or may not deserve a solid R rating depending on how brittle your bones are / how lucky you are, but for all the cruxes you are a above your pro making for commiting climbing. The final crux bulge is a potential ankle breaker due to the fall onto a 65 or 70 degree slab from a vertical bulge when your feet are about 6 feet above gear.

P1: Climb steep groove past numerous horizontals to an easy roof, then climb groove past 3 bolts to a gear belay with hand sized cams in a horizontal (5.10d) - I found the crux of this pitch to be the hardest single move on the climb

P2: Climb groove and then the face left of the groove past 3 bolts. After the 3rd bolt a small hybrid alien or probably a small TCU in a horizontal in the groove protects what used to have been a runout to the 2 bolt anchor. (5.11a)

P3: Climb sustained laurel knob style stemming groove past 2 bolts until the terrain eases. continue up to a steep bulge protected by gear in a horizontal at the base. Though you are not especially far above your gear, this bulge might be the most dangerous part of the climb due to the slick rock and potential ankle breaking / ankle spraining fall. The bomb flake is no longer there. Continue up to 2 bolt anchor to the left atop which is part of prey (the route you rappel to get down) (5.11b)

P4: continue up easy groove to top (5.8)

The Legendary Nuclear Bomb

A long over looked classic that deserves a go!

Climb eyebrows with gear and sculpted edges. Watch the rock change from polished granite to pebbly sand paper ending at a two bolt anchor.

Two Legged Snake

P1:  Slab up to a right leaning hand crack.  Jam crack to it's end and climb face past two bolts. At the 2nd bolt, place gear out left and crux hard left to a great belay ledge with #1/#2 Camalots. 5.10. 80 feet.

P2:  From the belay, move back right 10 feet to a slick/featured grove.  Place gear at your feet and climb straight up the groove to more gear and better holds.  Continue up the groove for 20 more feet and move 10/15 feet left under the bulge into a clean groove aiming for a bolt at the top of the groove.  Crux up the steep groove to the bolt and climb 40 feet to a belay under a bulge. 5.10. 80 feet.  (I promise its not 150' as mentioned in the guide.)

P3:  Traverse right 30 feet to a deep water groove.  Stem up the groove until the terrain backs off and move right 100 feet until you can belay from two bolts above Irish Jig. 5.9, 150 feet

Pat Ewing

Steep 'brows with techy gear and good holds make this a worthy outing on the far right of the Sun Wall.  Head up Southender and get gear high and right of the eyebrow infested wall.  Drop back down and blast left over the bulge with good holds and some TCUs.  Follow the path of least resistance to a large ledge with a belay on the left side. P2.  Crank a bulge to a horizontal and climb great holds to a the bolt belay. Probably will be dirty so bring a brush.

Irish Jig

Not actually dangerous except for one or two heady moves at the start of P1.

P1, 5.10a. Spicy moves lead to a pin and a bolt.  Trend up and right on "eyebrows" to a deep horizontal 15" below a bulge system and belay on 1 to 2" gear. 100" (or link P1 and P2).

P2, 5.10.  Crank straight off the belay into the bulge system with a #1 camalot for pro.  Pull the bulge with a sloper or two to great incuts and great pro.  Fight the pump and head for stacked pins.  As the angle changes slab up to horizontal and belay with small to med gear. 120"

P3, 5.8. Climb off the belay heading up and right for bolted anchors on Irish Jig. 100"

Rejoyce in your send of this Sun Wall Classic.

Nick Danger

First Pitch crux is easy to bypass by pulling on gear, making it 5.11 A0.

1. Climb the short arete to the roost, then clip the bolt in the roof.  A hard boulder problem (crux) and a juggy eyebrow mantle gets you past the lip. Head up and right, clipping a couple more bolts, to the belay (100')

2. Climb sustained and sketchy eyebrows up through the darker rock passing two bolts to another bolted belay.  Gear on this pitch must often be placed from difficult stances. Double ropes would be helpful. (5.11+, 100')

3. A short hand crack leads to a nerve-wracking slab.  Follow the obvious water groove - with three bolts - through the bulges above. Easier climbing above for quite a ways to the third belay. (5.10, 180')

4. A full rope length of "5.6" leads to the top.  I have not climbed this pitch.

Prey

Out To Lunch

A super testpiece of "brow" climbing.  The crux is down low pulling a move off the "spoon" hold but things stay exciting all the way to the top as each hard move comes just before clipping the next bolt.

Beautiful moves but may need a bit of brushing off before a send can take place since its rarely climbed and the water streak may be a little dirty.

Predator

Climbs a sustained crimpy face past a bolt and piton. Then breaks out left under a roof heading towards fixed gear. Then heads up and gently right from bashy past more gear to a two bolt anchor.

Black Out

This route is an Odyssey, and seems right on par for what a Sun Wall route should be.  This is probably one of the easier routes on this wall to start out on.

P1:  The Shull/Lambert topo shows a gradual rightward rising traverse to get to the crack.  Don't do this.  From the rack-up spot below Prey traverse straight right on a 3rd class slab until you are directly below the crack, then go straight up on eyebrows.  You'll have to make a couple committing slab moves with gear at your feet, but you shouldn't hit the slab if you fall.  If it seems dangerous, you're in the wrong spot.

P2:  Climb the obvious and well protected crack.  It takes lots of hand sized pieces. When the crack ends, exit to the right (a little spicey) to a bolted belay on a sloping ramp.

P3:  Traverse left back to the crack from the belay.  Do a hard high-step/layback to get back in the crack (harder for short folks)...this was a little scary with gear at your feet and a slab below.  There are 2 hammered hexes in the crack you can use for pro once established in the crack. Clip a bolt then traverse left into the water groove.  This is the crux if you're tall, I thought the move right at the start of the pitch (liebacking up to the crack) was harder than this section. Once in the water groove, climb up and then to the right to belay in an obvious scoop.

P4:  Climb easy eyebrows on the right until the rope runs out.  The topo calls this "5.9", but it's much easier.  Maybe 5.6 or 5.7.

Rap down Prey with 2 ropes.  At the top, look for two bolts to the left of the Odyssey near two dead trees.  I can't remember if it was 2 or 3 raps...it seems like 2, but I could be wrong.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Sun Wall