Grey Elk's Big Rack

This is an interesting climb that goes from great in some spots to poor in others. Each of the cruxes has its own character, but in every case, it would be height-dependent. The assigned grade here is for a male of average height. Each crux would get harder just below that limit and quite hard for someone substantially shorter.

P1 (5.10): start off (presumably, and this is consistent with the info here for '

Blind Trust

') on the right line of bolts above the ground on good incuts and jugs though an overhang. The line is less technical than the one to the left ('

Blind Trust

') but has longer reaches and requires harder-lockoffs. Climb up past 3 bolts to gear opportunity, mostly cams, but also a few nuts.

An anchor will appear to the left, and this can be a belay if you worry about your second, or you can continue perhaps 10 meters more up and right through some choss and then back left to yet another bolted anchor.

Perhaps the best option is to cross over to the left past this anchor into what is likely the top of

Blind Trust

and climb the upper shallow, right-facing corner of that (5.9) to the second anchor. In any case, link it up to the next pitch to avoid P2 being a 30' pitch.

P2 (5.11a): from the second anchor, look up into a tiny (shallow), left-facing corner with 2 bolts and climb up into that. Clip up from a good stance and do the crux with a long reach right to a reasonable hold. Step up into balancy territory, and get established before placing more gear, a medium stopper, if memory serves me well.

Continue up and right onto a ramp at 5.9 or so. You can continue up and left to the top at 5.9 trad to merge with the '

Young and the Rackless

' passing a 4" placement or two along the way, but the route proper bends sharply to the right to another bolted belay.

Belay here or continue on the next pitch.

P3 (5.11a): continue up to the left most of the 2 bolts and put a 2' runner on it, then put a draw on the second runner. Climb left past these and slightly further left still (long reach again, and insecure as you pull up) continuing slightly left to some good holds and gear before coming back to the right. Move right to an obvious ramp and then up past the left side of a small tree and on to the rap anchors of '

Young and the Rackless

.'

A 70m rope will get you down to the belay above the "2nd" (listed here as first) pitch, and then to the ground. A 60m will require you to stop at the first anchor down, before the second 5.11a pitch, then again a belay or two down from there, necessitating 3 raps in all.

Just to the left of the obvious line,

Nighthawk

, Grey Elk starts on one of two short bolted lines, presumably the right of these after sorting through the somewhat conflicting data in the D'Antonio book (are we to believe the text or topo?) and the Rolofson book (which does not include both lines, and is therefore not 100% clear).

A line of cracks goes up above from there and into 2 more mixed pitches.

This is a mixed climb with some bolts at each hard crux and gear to 3" with optional 4", especially if going left to avoid the top mixed pitch, as that is 5.9 with 4" gear in spots.