Scramble out left on the ledge below Very Nice Crack, then keep moving left to a single wave bolt anchor.  Belay here, then climb the obvious right facing corner.  Actually really good climbing; just short.  Harder than it looks; I thought it was going to be 5.5.

Double Creature Feature

Pretty Good Face

Forty Six and 2

'Lectra Crack

Cozened Stone

Double Dynos

Tintinabulation

Mixed up Crack

The Lord's Prayer

Final Frontier

Rippopotamus

Lateralus

Pump it Up

Project

Very Nice Crack

Boar War

The Friend Zone

Stick clip then power out the low roof.  It was wet when I sent it so the grade is approximate.

Stick-clip the stainless eyebolt, jump for the starting jug, then climb the face just left of Very Nice Crack.  Close, but totally separate climbing, and an easy way to set up a TR on V Nice Crack if you don't have gear giving you a great two-for one.

The route opens with some very "thin" technical climbing to the 1st crux. A fairly difficult traverse left after clipping the 2nd bolt leads to the really cool lie-back flake and the 3rd bolt. Thin face climbing past the 3rd bolt leads to good holds to clip the 4th and final bolt, (do not fear the space between 3rd & 4th bolts, good holds make clipping the 4th bolt easy, especially if you utilize the ancient art of "technique").   A final "crimpy" crux, which has been called a "show stopper", stands between you and the anchors! Some are calling for a grade of 12d/13a.

High up in the gully, on the left side is a very nice looking finger crack with a steep start that leads up to an arete. Long thought to be an abandoned project, recently this was given a scrub, a bolt at the top and bottom and given an "FA" and a name. Oops. It turns out this was previously climbed by Tim Gotwols and Chris Hassig in the early 1980's  and later given an anchor by Brady Libby. Fun climbing, with a pumpy steep section..worth the extra hike up if you are in the area and it protects well with only a small handful of gear.  

  The original line traversed in to the base of the crack via a thin seam (probably bumps the grade up a little), and then escaped left near the top, with the second doing the direct finish with a top belay. The added bolt at the bottom protects a fun direct start and the one at the top protects the final run to the anchors.

This route is the second from left off the ledge left of Boar War. Climb on eye bolts with a technical slab crux at the 2nd bolt. Move left under fins of rock after 4th bolt until you can climb up onto a ledge. Make stemming\chimney moves to navigate the large corner as it widens and flares. Make a thoughtful move out of the corner to the left and up onto a small ledge. Clip the high bolt below a roof and prepare to make the stellar finishing moves to the anchor!

This route starts just right of Cozened Stone from the same ledge. This route may feel like 12b if you're tall or 12c if you are short. 

   Climb a short headwall on the right end of the starting ledge past an eye bolt to a sloping ledge, continue up a short, steep wall and slab following the line of eye bolts left of the corner. Climb up and left under the roof and clip the 2 bolts in the 10' roof. Unlock the "mean little boulder problem" moves out the roof, (crux)and onto the steep face above. Climb the "Rad face" on pristine, Waimea quality stone with cool moves to a final crux and the anchors.

This is Chloe Quinn's route. I was lucky to come across it, while checking out the Northwest Passage for the first time. It is located to the left of "Cozenedstone"(one of her other popular routes). It starts off by working your way up a ramp to a steep bulge. Clip the third draw and commit to working your way up the bulge. Continue upwards, until you come to the last section of steep climbing to the anchors!

Not a bad little climb. I am surprised I never noticed it before. If it was a little cleaner at the start I would say it was a must do at the grade but alas I cant imagine it will see the traffic it would need to keep it clean. 

  Anyway, a little careful stemming at the beginning gets you to the crack proper. Until then there isn't much in the way of gear. Maybe 10 ft up is your first piece?  

  Once you hit the crack it is all jams and jugs to the top with maybe 1 or 2 tricks thrown in there.  

  Note: The anchor is 2 bolts and a couple of quick links and there is a fixed rope tied through the links right now. this makes it tricky for using it as an anchor for lowering or rappelling. I chose to rap the fixed line. my belayer kept me on belay as I cleaned so that if the weather ravaged rope broke I wouldn't have a ground fall.

When you hit the Very Nice Crack wall, go left and start behind a big boulder. Stick-clip, then follow the right-angling crack/seam past a low boulder problem, a mantle move, and a technical crux.  My high school friend Jason "Lord" Peterson flew in from Alaska for a visit and started cleaning it but decided it was too hard.

Up and left of the other routes at the top of the hill.  The new trail from the buffalo pit ends up here. Climb the bulge at cracks to the easier face above

Angle out right through the low roof. Grab the small tree to top out.  It is short, but it might be the steepest 9 in Rumney.

Kind of a mini version of Venus on a Halfshell. Fun climbing; I just wish it kept going and was in a more accessible location.   Climb out on the juggy rail and clip your first bolt then throw your right foot up and press into a long reach for a crimpy flake (take care not to rip it off, please) Clip again and continue into a crimpy sequence that gets you to good holds where you can now move left and get a shake. Up high and left gets you to the start of a series of cool pockets angling back right that ends with a pop with bad feet to the anchor clipping jug.  

  Great for getting away from the crowds. Short but engaging.

Listed as having been done on TR but not bolted or led. Anybody know whether there is any plan for this to be finished or named in it's current state?

It's name speaks true indeed. This is the "very nice crack" to the left of the mouth of the Northwest Passage Gully. 

  From the ledge grunt through tough fingers and ring-locks up a steep start to a wider and more moderate top on perfect hands and fists... top it out and belay from the top... This would be a 4 star route if it was cleaner and had a lower off anchor (edit- brand new glue-in top anchors added)... the bottom is nice and clean the top out is very dirty... 

  Definitely a contender for the best crack at rumney but Blackjack still wins it every time...

An interesting varied route that works through a slab, a roof and an airy arete. 

  The right most of the Passage climbs. Start from the ledge on the right side of the beginning of the Northwest Passage gully and belay from the single bolt anchor, or start lower for the newly added direct start that doesn't make it harder but adds a few draws to your rack and rope drag. Either start is slabby and technical and will deposit you at the difficult roof crux. Crimps and footwork will help you prevail. After a fun pull out of the roof (though it might be tough for shorter folks) you get to a no hand stance and look up at the finishing arete. It was covered in lichen but i cleaned off the holds you need so it climbs well presently. Fun climbing (around 5.11) on flakes and crimps puts you at the chains.   

  recommend

Fun route! Solid rock, Fun moves on really interesting holds. And it's right next to one of the best cracks at rumney. if you dont like hiking, don't come out here but if you don't like crowds, it's worth it. 

  Reach up to the nice rail and hand traverse left till you can make crux moves up and right and in to the better holds. Climb big moves up the steep wall on good holds. One last tricky section makes the top less than easy. 

Note- This area was also known as the NW Passage for a time. Up hill from the Northwest Territories, just left of the Prudential Crag, there is a steep gully with routes on either side.  Mostly known for its namesake Very Nice Crack in the past, or as an obscure way to get to the top of the hill, Very Nice Crag has been getting some recent new routing activity. As such, it is getting a heading of its own and a few routes formerly placed within the Northwest Territories or Prudential, like Very Nice Crack and Boar War are now organized here.  

  This is a nice place to get away from the crowds, with a mixture of grades and styles, with some quality routes hidden here. Also, since it is near the trail heading to Prudential and the higher crags, the long 5.9+, Cozened Stone, makes a good stop for a warm-up for harder routes.  

  Low on the right side of the gully, which is the left side of the Prudential formation, off a ledge above the lower Prudential wall, are three sport routes; two twelves, The Boar War and Double Ds 12b, which tackles the bulging roof and cool face above, and the above mentioned Cozened Stone.  

  A little higher up, to the left of the gully, is a short cave like area, which is great for escaping a passing shower or as a place to drop your extra stuff before heading higher. If you follow the stone steps to the right around the cave, above is a cluster of five routes centered around Very Nice Crack, that begin off the ledge, including Dave Quinn's great technical crimpy face route Forty Six and 2 and a couple of short bouldery 5.11s. 

  If you make the effort to continue up the gully a little more, near the top are two quality lines on the left side, 'Lectra Crack 5.9+ (worth bringing the handful of gear you need) and a new 12a bolted face climb Lateralus. 

  Note - If you are trying to hike around to above the Summit Crag, and not already up in the gully, rather than taking the passage, you would probably be better taking the trail hooking left under the cave and around right up an easy slab up onto the ridge. It brings you up above Flea Surgeon. From there you are on your own :)

Description

Protection

Routes in The Very Nice Crag