The right side of Motherlode Rock's north face is home to this fine route up the striking northwest arete, which from the west looks like the head of a giant lizard.

Start in a shallow right-facing corner around and right from

Smackdown

and climb up and slightly left to a stance atop a pillar. Above the pillar the climb goes slightly right to gain the arete proper which goes slabby after a few moves and leads to the base of a short headwall. The next moves are the crux and involve moving off a good left hand in a shallow corner as your right hand pinches the arete to gain a horizontal (the Lizard's mouth) and then the anchors (these last moves are somewhat reachy).

Good exposure, enjoyable movement and quality rock make this a route to seek out on this portion of Motherlode Rock.

Whiptail

Smackdown

Power Keg

Boom Sauce

Powder Keg

Short Fuse

Fun Police

Nitroglycerine

Grizzly Wizard

Climb a short vertical face (crux) which quickly slabs out at the second bolt. From here the climb wanders up the slab to a steep finish, which involves handrailing out right along a horizontal crack to a shared anchor with Whiptail.

The name comes from a slab-smacking fall, which earned a fractured ankle, by one of the members of the FA party.

Start on Powder Keg, work your way up through the first 2 bolts, match the jug and traverse right over the outcropping and pull the Crux on Nitro G.

Heel hook and compression your way across the lip.

Start up a broken arete and stem/chimney up onto a slab bordered by a steep left wall. Continue up the slab to where the corner steepens and stem/lieback your way to the top.

Up a slippery slab to some good holds under the roof and then power out the somewhat reachy roof with a wild sequence to finish on easy slab to anchors - fun!

One of the first lines on the Motherlode Wall, this was orignally done with just two bolts (the second and third) and no anchors but later retro-bolted to make a popular and often done route.

The first half of this route involves slab climbing past two bolts which leads to a short but gently overhanging headwall where the crux is to be found.

A sequential series of moves past the third bolt gain the last bolt and the crux, which involves a strenuous lieback to gain a jug, and then the anchors.

There's a bit of rope drag on the lip so it's best to rap off as opposed to lowering.

Bolted route left of

Short Fuse

, slab climbing with a smear crux near the top around the 8th bolt. A great warm-up or first lead.

Easy slab climbing leads to a high first bolt under a small roof, where the tricky crux is found. After the crux the climbing eases and continues up the slabby arete past two more bolts to a final bolt that's shared with the route

Powder Keg

just to the left.

This is the finger crack corner between Nitroglycerine and Short Fuse. Start up arete of Nitro to overhang, then climb up right into corner. Avoid dirt and plants. Up into corner finger crack and over the top. Two anchors exist, one left (better pull), one right (better if rapping off/single climb).

Fun.

Please inform me of the name/details of the route if you have the info.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Motherlode Rock - North Face