Absorption

Appropriately named, Absorption starts sucking you in before you have raced across the hardpan. An easy approach lures you to its base.

P1: The rock quality is superb on the first pitch, as long as you don't venture into the salt crystals and mud deposits that reside on the left side of the dihedral. Although solid in many places, the occasional chunk of mud will dislodge when pulled on. Easy climbing builds your confidence and warms you up. Finger cracks and face moves take you higher up, where the absorption process becomes complete. Hands turn to fists as the crack begins to turn from an easy left to more vertical right. Throw in some roofs and chimneying and you are nearly enveloped. Release yourslef from the crack's grasp and escape to the ledge just underneath and left of a tiny pine growing out of the face.

P2: Climb/chimney upwards. You can back up the buttonhead with a cam placement behind you and keep moving upwards. Pass a two chain anchor (that's used for belaying the hard sport routes above you) and keep moving up the crack/face. You'll find a set of anchors relatively near the top of the crack for a belay.

P3: From here, move upwards generally following the crack and rounding out the roof. However (!), do not continue up the chimney/gully that cuts left (unless you are topping out). After the crack proper ends, you are apparently supposed to traverse way right to a belay on a ledge for Long Shadow.

Descent: 3 raps on Long Shadow. This can be done with a 70m rope with taking care on the final rappel.

Most apparent natural line at Ibex. You can spot it from across the Tule Hardpan. It is an obvious, right-trending crack that starts fingers and ends up a chimney. Absorption resides in the shadow of the huge overhang on Shadow Buttress and is the inside corner of the dihedral.

Medium to large cams, a fixed nut protects a difficult sequence (missing). There is no other permanent hardware on the first pitch. The belay consists of a bolt and chain. There is a bolt without a hanger slung with webbing and a leaver biner. The first bolt on the second pitch is easy to see from the belay.