5. Elias V9 *Start: Slightly left of Scratching Post with
hands matched on a diagonal, thin flake. (Or, from a later, harder
sequence, match hands on the undercling found at the bottom edge of the boulder.)
Go:
Straight up. The only hold used from Scratching Post is
the small sloper initially used for the left hand on that problem. Here it becomes a right hand hold. Avoid the
good hold higher up onScratching Post.
When first climbed, the crux involved sticking an almost non-existant
sloped hold. This move was extremely height-related: too tall or too short made the move much harder. Later,
a key hold for the left hand broke after the third ascent. It was later climbed with an entirely new (and harder)
sequence.
6. Private Angel V7 ***
Start: In the middle of steep main face.
Right hand high on an obvious undercling hold, the left on a shallow, thin horizontal crimper.
Go:
Straight up with a difficult move to get established into the undercling. Continue up past tiny crimper to a shallow,
thin crack/slot. Fire for the top and mantle.
This long-anticpated route proved to be not quite as hard as some
thought it would be. A difficult sequence to unravel none-the-less. Sought after for years, the first known ascent
went to a visiting climber on his first day at Cat Rock. Until the development of Worthless Boulder, it was widely
considered the best boulder problem in the city.
7. The Dawg V5 **
Start: On
the left side of the main face where there is a small depression at knee-level. An obvious pinch/sidepull for the right
hand and a tiny, dished out crimper for the left.
Go: Either move halfway up Fancy
Feast and then right one step, or (a much nicer beginning) angle up and
diagonal slightly right from the opening move of Fancy Feast past two hard-to-hold irregular crimps. Continue to the same shallow crack/slot
hold found on Private Angel (for
the right hand on this problem) and make a big move for the top. Mantle.
Though not quite as aesthetic
and extreme as Private Angel, it is a classic face climb requiring
significant finger strength and excellent fotwork. Originally created as a variation to Fancy
Feast, the version of this problem as worked out by Komba and Yuki (diagonally up right from the start) is truly
a route that stands on its own.
Variation: Kitty
Litter V6 After getting established on the upper crimps, traverse right across Private Angel and Elias.
Exit via the notch.
