New Frontier

New Frontier is an adventurous outing that has some really great climbing on the last pitch which weaves an improbable path through one of the biggest roof systems in Millbrook. Surprisingly, there is little roof climbing at all - rather a series wildly exposed corners and traverses that are almost reminiscent of features one might find on granite. Unfortunately this fun pitch is guarded by one-to-two pitches of dirty, loose rock. If only there were a way to rap in and just sample the upper bit...

For this route to deserve the classic status it has been given in various guidebooks, I really think it would take a ton more traffic to clean it up, but what do I know?

Rap down to the GT Ledge and find your way to the base of the route which can be identified by a patch of yellow, broken rock with a long, 3' deep roof about 30' off the ground. Above this roof is a long, narrow right-facing corner and to the right of this corner are two large bushes, one above the other. Your goal is to pull through the roof directly below this corner, and then climb the corner squeezing past the bushes on your right, eventually working back left and up into the massive right-facing corners and roofs at the top of the wall.

P1: Climb hollow, yellow rock and pull the low roof with some difficulty. Climb easily up the right-facing corner above, passing the first bush. At the second bush, step left out of the corner, around the arete, and onto a narrow ramp that leads up and left underneath a double-tiered, clean white roof - this is the "Gottlieb Variation" (recommended) - the original route continues all the way up to the top of the corner. Climb through the center of the clean white roof at a thin crack and pull up to a long, shale-filled horizontal. Traverse straight left for 25' in this horizontal to a series of huge, frightening, stacked blocks. Gingerly climb up over these and belay on a small ledge at the base of a large, clean right-facing corner capped by a massive roof. This is a long pitch and to do it without rope drag one must runner their gear extremely well. Otherwise an intermediate belay may be required. Also, despite guidebook descriptions, the Gottlieb Variation is well-protected and only about 5.9. All in all, this pitch checks in at mid-5.10 and possibly R due to loose rock, but there is adequate pro.

P2: Climb up the corner above and undercling and crimp rightwards around the roof. It may be best to use extra long runners here or back clean all of this gear to eliminate rope drag on the crux. Continue up flakey rock to an incut slot (crucial large nut and/or 1" cam - Red Alien or 0.5 Camalot is perfect). Get ready: Bust a series of powerful moves on great side pulls to gain a hanging corner with a thin crack and more gear. A fall from here would be massive, but if you miss the small slab it would be otherwise clean. If you hit the slab... well... it could be 5.11 R, but it's hard to say. The important consideration is you're doing the crux of the whole climb pretty far out (10+ feet) from your last pieces. Once in the corner, arrange great gear and work up to the next roof, traverse left out the roof and around an incredibly exposed arete. Continue up another corner and once again work left out the roof and around another, even more exposed arete. Continue up the final corner and mantle over the top onto pine needles and duff. All of the climbing post-crux is well protected. 5.11b-ish, R-ish.

Like most things in Millbrook, it's complicated to find, but the upper south-facing face and arete of Nectar Vector is very obvious from above and New Frontier tops out about 5 feet climber's right from the arete at a notch.

Single set from 0.33" (Black Alien/00 C3) to #2 Camalot, doubles of the small stuff, a set of wires, plenty of slings. No RP's needed.