- Edit (TBD)
Description
A route that almost has it all! Mal Bouche takes the obvious finger crack out the large roof system that bisects the majority of the Upper Tier. Below the roof is incipient crack/face climbing reminiscent of Gunks face climbing. Above the roof is a fantastic moderate off-finger to thin-hand crack.
Climb the incipient crack system (small gear, tricky placements) with increasing difficulty into a small right-facing corner which leads through a bulge to a bolt and an overhang. Collect yourself and breakthrough one more overhang to easier terrain, a stance, and a fixed anchor. Lowering off this fixed anchor makes this pitch 5.11a with G/PG gear (i.e. the gear is good, but it is tricky to place and it is comprised of tiny pieces).
If you elect to continue, you're faced with a roof finger crack boulder problem to turn the lip of the roof (crux). Once established on the face, enjoy the pleasant crack to the top of the cliff and a fixed anchor.
Alternatively if you feel like a puppet caught up in your strings trying to pull through the roof, consider the "Happy Puppet" variation which moderately bypasses the roof and climbs enjoyable face climbing to the shared fixed anchor.
Var. "The Happy Puppet" 5.8+ G: From the mid-point fixed anchor. Traverse right under the roof 20' feet to the right end of the shrubby ledge. Gain the face and climb up and left past some left-facing flakes to a glue-in bolt (run-out, but easy). Fun technical face climbing past two more glue-ins leads to the top of the cliff and the shared fixed anchor.
Location
Start: 20ft left of Chockstone (Ledangier) at an incipient crack/seam system that meanders into a short left-facing corner that breaches a bulge under two small overhangs.
Descent: Rappel from the fixed anchor.
Protection
Gear: RPs, micro cams to 1" (.75 Camalot). Double pieces in the .5-.75 Camalot size range would be helpful for the upper moderate crack. If using the mid-station as a point of protection, prudent extension is necessary to prevent significant rope drag at the lip of the roof once above the crux.