The Obelisk, Northwest Corner. Don Palmer, Jack Bedell and I climbed a new route on the Obelisk’s northwest comer on June 19. Starting near the left edge of the west face, we ascended 3½ pitches of easy, delightful face-climbing to gain a notch behind a small tower. From there, a spectacular hand crack shoots up and left across a white wall on the north face. Steep face-climbing on wildly eroded knobs alongside the crack provided excitement as some of the holds had a tendency to break. At the top of the crack, we traversed a few feet right and followed a steep prow to easier ground and the top. (III, 5.8.)

David Harden