Kangaroo Tail

This seldom climbed route has a 1-star start with a 3-star finish. Two stars all in all, I suppose.

This climb starts on the upper ledge of Rincon, above the crag's namesake climb. It takes the large, left-facing dihedral at the right side of the massive inset, just right of the climb Bat's Ass Dihedral.

Up and left of the finish of Rincon one can find a huge rockhouse. The left side has a right-facing corner with a huge, wedged flake (Bat's Ass Dihedral) and the right side has a left-facing corner with a tree at the base (Kangaroo Tail). Kangaroo Tail is just a few feet left of Cuban Bluegrass, and Ventura Highway is just to the right of Cuban Bluegrass.

Set a belay at the base of the smaller pine near the base of the corner so that if you take a tumble you can't drag you and your partner off the ledge for a 250' ride to the base of the wall. Get in to the corner and make a few odd moves to clasp a 12" square chock, set well into the small inset, maybe 8' up the route. Perhaps you can fiddle in a small ballnut or RP from a stance on this, but I thought it was bad gear. One move more will get you to a so-so baby Alien, then another to a stopper. Until you are pretty high up, a ground fall seems possible from crux moves (5.9+) Once past this initial section, the rock is clean and solid and the gear is good. Sink a few good cams (hand-sized) in the crack in the corner and move up to near the roof. Use a long sling on the final gear here to avoid drag- you will go pretty far right in a moment (though it's not obvious now). Just before the roof stem out right around the arete and up (2nd crux, 5.9) to a good under-cling on a solid flake. Set gear with a long runner and go up and slightly right up and over the top (3rd crux, 5.9). Belay from a tree back and left, not the skinny thing in front of you.

Walk off to the far left, passing the 'Over the Hill' walk-off on the way down. Before passing Over The Hill, you will see an attractive, right-facing corner going up one more tier. This is a good route called Brevitata (11c). It's fun & has a fixed pin at the crux, and is probably over-graded.

Up on the upper tier of Rincon Wall, on top of and further left the top of the Rincon Route. This is the left-facing dihedral to a roof between the 'Routes Bat's Ass Dihedral' and 'Cuban Bluegrass.'

Runout at the bottom to get established on a so-so chock-stone (be gentle!) and then a micronut to a tiny Alien or TCU before getting up and onto a good ledge with good rock and good pro. A groundfall might be a reality for the first few body lengths, and it would be a really bad place for it.

Rack: RPs, maybe a small ball-nut or two, and then some tiny and medium Aliens, then a #1 and #2 Camalot. The top belay is from a good tree up and left.