Spring Vacation (College Rock Chimney)

This is the very first climb I ever did at College Rock, in March of 2003, in my sneakers, so keep your sneakers (or hikers) on, and just do it, you know you want to. I routinely do this as my very last climb of the day for top access to retrieve my anchors. Free-up-and-downclimbing the chimney for top access is so much more "core" than simply scrambling up either end of the crag, don't you think?

In the corner formed by the buttress and "Send Money" face, climb up to an obvious ledge on easy holds, go over the "nutcracker" flake into the offwidth, and continue up the chimney to the top, using holds inside the chimney and just outside on the butress. Did you find the knee-bar? Downclimbing is more challenging, so of course you haven't really "finished" the route unless you do that too.

A little less than halfway down the crag southward (just after the 5.11 roof face), is the first prominent right-facing buttress. behind this buttress is the College Rock Chimney, a sorta-fun highball in an offwidth, with a couple awkward moves adding a bit of low-grade spice.

Are you kidding? This is 5.0! What protection? DON'T JUMP OFF. Oh alright, set your anchor using features in the rock above the chimney. Some longish slings might be required.