Indian Rock Video Project
Beginner's Crack is not the large diagonal crack on the right side of The Pit. (See Map 1.) That is known as Transportation. Even as early as the Fifties Transportation was used for getting up and down the rock and not as a climb per se. Since the preferred descent from Beginner's Crack is down Transportation, new climbers should start by climbing up and down Transportation a few times to gain confidence for the descent.
Beginner's crack is the vertical seam about 6 feet left of Transportation
on the right side of The Pit. The problem is quite high, around
20 feet. Therefore real beginners might benefit from a top rope.
There is a pole somewhat back from the top of Beginner's Crack
to serve as an anchor if desired. However, even though it is
high, it is a reasonable beginning boulder problem. The crux is
getting over a short blank section for the feet, ending on a good
ledge about 8 feet off the ground. This is high enough to cause
pause, but reasonable to jump from if you don't figure it out,
as long as you push off so as not to clip the rock on the way
down. Most beginning boulderers get stuck with their hands on
good holds and feet on two sloping, slippery footholds, with the
blank section just high enough to keep them from getting their
feet up on the next good foothold, a small ledge on the left (as
shown in the video). A pad and/or a good spot is useful, but control
is probably more important, to down climb or jump safely. After
getting past the blank section there are lots of good holds making
the next dozen feet more intimidating than hard. One can finish
the problem by topping out slightly left, or at about 20' height
follow a small ledge system for the feet heading right to the
top of Transportation and the descent.
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