North America, United States, Wyoming - Tetons, Nez Perce, Lemon Crack

Publication Year: 1971.

Nez Perce, Lemon Crack. This new route (III, F9, A3), climbed on August 1, 1969, by Peter Cleveland and Michael Yokell, is on the same cliff as the “Big Bluff’ route which was established some ten years ago. The route starts in a cave below a white face containing a large, lemon-shaped block; this face lies directly above and south of the Platforms in Garnet Canyon. The first pitch involves A3 nailing up over the roof and onto the ‘lemon’, then up 30 feet more (F8) to a good ledge with grass. The next F9 lead first drops down to the right and around a corner to a ledge and then diagonals up and right past the tip of a large pine tree (which grows from the ground at the start) to a ledge. Easier ledges then allowed a traverse to the right and up to the base of an open-book. This book was avoided by traversing again to the right and up 30 feet to a large sloping ledge below a second overhanging open-book which diagonals up to the left. This was climbed using aid (A2). Above, a very difficult tension traverse to the right permitted an exit onto a good ledge. After belaying from further around the corner to the right, they continued up on difficult (F7) rock, bypassing overhangs on the left. The seventh lead was up easy rock to the top. The climb was continuously interesting, containing a surprising amount of free climbing for a face which overhangs slightly from bottom to top.