A very unusual route for the creek, but one that caught my eye for long enough that I was willing to give it the effort. A beautiful splitter into a varnished knife edge arete. I spent the better part of a day blowing brass stoppers out of the seam to the left to get the bolts in.

The route begins with a nice section of ringlocks that quickly drops to fingers and then tips. Place a high cam or two and then step right on crimps to the knife edge arete. 3 bolts of incredibly desperate, insecure arete slapping, heel hooking and laybacking will bring you to a final stance, where if you get your body properly balanced, you can clip the chains. This route demands precise footwork, balance and belief.

This route is like non-other I have climbed, so grading it is difficult. I took me many days over the course of 5 creek seasons to finally do it.

The Wind Rider

Use Your Head

Hor D'oeuvres

Skip to the End

Padded Cell

Nutter

Funny Farm

M.C.'s Hammer

I've Seen Worse

The Clean Spaniard

R.O.U.S

Unknown OW (bombay flare left of wiggins routes)

Unknown (fists to off fists)

The Fire Swamp

Big hair hard Dick

Inigo Montoya

Back to the Beginning

Nurse Rachet

Pit of Despair

Inconceivable

To The Pain

Jumping the Shark

Are There Rocks Ahead

Loony Bin

Prince Humperdinky

Storming the Castle

Prepare To Die

Brute Squad

Prepare for Disappointment

Lightning Sand

A Hug from Andre

The Iron Lady Tower

True Love

Wiggins I

Queen of Slime

Man In Black

Wiggins II

Six Fingerd Man

Unknown (lower angle tight hand crack right of Wiggins)

Mawwage

Lobotomy

Clandestine

Unknown OW on far right

Battle of Wits

Unknown (way right of wiggins finger to fist obtuse corner)

Memories of Seth

Unknown (easy hand crack right of Wiggins)

Farm Boy

Mini Cave

The Dirty Spaniard

Iocane Powder

Barlage / Lawlor

Andre The Giant

Vinciny

As you wish

Kelley Route 1

The Original Prepare to Die

Puzzle Factory

Fairy Dust

Ophidiophobia

Dread Pirate Roberts

Fezzik

Gilder

Princess Buttercup

Broken Brain

Insane in the Membrane

Offwidth Your Head

O.C.D.

Str8 Jacket

Interesting moderate climb that can be divided into 3 sections: starts with a thin hand crack in the left facing corner, once on top of the pillar, the character of the climb changes and it becomes a chimney with some features for feet and another deeply inset smaller crack on the right; the top section is a splitter #1 BD size crack.

A flake leading into a shallow left facing flake. A mixture of finger/hands sizes, and laybacking.

Very long route that has tons of variation. The route starts in tight hands and quickly widens to wide hands or fists. Climb the splitter up to a wide pod that you can squeeze into (crux). Go straight up the flared crack then cross the face of the broken pillar to a crack on the left, climb this for 10' and then switch back into the right crack--bring runners or run it out until you can place in the right crack to avoid rope drag. The top half of the route follows this crack which is flared and varies in size greatly, and a vertical jug flake appears on the left side. Place gear either in the flare and extend it or behind the flake, but be wary of the rock quality. Climb this feature for a long while until you top out on a ledge with the anchor. The anchor is a bolt and piton with chains. Use two ropes to get down.

The first half of the climb is amazing splitter crack climbing, once you get to the squeeze pod the climbing gets awkward and changes in character drastically. Likewise, the gear in the splitter is fantastic, but much less bomber in the upper half.

This route climbs a short, fun corner that begins with easy poddy hands and narrows to less than tips.  An exciting finishing move guards the top of the pillar.

Start by climbing up the same easy 5th class as its neighbor (Loony Bin) but move right to the obvious left facing fingers corner. We moved here to belay. Climb the left facing corner with tin fingers and tips. Continue liebacking passing a short wide spot. Easy hand jamming brings you to a ramp of sorts bringing you to the "padded cell." Climb the bombay to a wedge with mostly hands to the anchor.

This a good finger crack in a right facing corner.  It would be better if you didn't have to climb an offwidth to get to it.  The finger crack is mostly .5's with maybe on or two .4's at the start.

Funny Farm is another great line, adding to the growing list at the Cliffs of Insanity.  Start with fingers in a corner that gradually tapers down to tips with pods and then nothing.  Clip a bolt on the right face and make suprisingly tricky and sequential moves to get through the crux.  Continue up hands and big hands for another 25' until it is possible to stem out right to a nice finger crack on the right wall.  Steep fingers with occasional pods for your hands and feet will take you to the anchor.  This route may be a classic, check it out.

This route starts with 5-easy stemming with a tips crack up to a stunning fists to hands to off fingers splitter.  Cruxy right below the chains.

Cool route with hero layback finish (above a bolt)!

Start with funky pulling on flakes to gain shallow hand crack. Use face holds and transition into right finger crack in the corner, utilizing face holds and small ledges to keep this relatively moderate. Clip the bolt from a nice stance and bust out a layback sprint to the the anchors!

Just left of the Dirty Spaniard. This corner route is clean and fun. Tight fingers to a lay back section just below blocks then tight hands finish out at the top of The Dirty Spaniard.

crux right off the ground. sum ow moves in to a sweet chimney room go up in to the guts of the formation till it opens up 2.0 out left an work your way out right to the anchors ..

This is a nice battle for OW lovers.  The crux is transitioning into the off-width from the roof.  After the roof, there is a nice section of arm-bars/stacks until the crack gradually narrows to fists/hands.  I don't imagine this baby sees a lot of ascents but there is a good anchor at the top as of 08.

Super long route, mostly #4s with a section of #5s through an overlap.

Splitter fingers to OW on beautiful stone. Starts up splitter fingers above a really nice bush on a ledge. Two metolius rap anchors up high.

bolder off the ground small TCUs in tight crack grab JUGS on the arit sport climb on rad holds up the arit pro in small crak on left then move to the left on mor face holds under 15 foot roof fingers to thin hands an cuped hands mantel on to ledge out right an yer dun!!!!!

This new route ascends the overhanging sloping crack on the pillar which forms the mini cave. The route traverses out of the cave and around the corner and then climbs the arete of the pillar passing two bolts and ending in a scoop near the top of the pillar.

fist er to off the ground then hands and easy climbing to the top

You will never escape the Pit of Despair, the chains are far too thick!

Offset splitter! Initial 25' squeeze chimney leads to a good ledge. It could be wise to bring your belayer up to here for the next bit. Bouldery face move past a bolt leads to nice rest. Followed by desperate tips move. Then sweet fingers to pod, followed by off fingers sprint to the anchor ledge.

Torturous!

Second pitch from hands to squeeze (to rim?) has let to be climbed....

A right facing enduro corner with a roof at the end which is just sandy enough to make you over-grip and pump out.  There is a good reason to go for it at the roof...

Pitch 1: is just to the left of True Love and Mawwage. Starts in a blocky corner to some sweet stemming to a splitter that goes through a notch into some more blocky climbing to the belay.

Pitch 2: Goes up the obvious clean OW splitter to the anchors on the right side.

Can be rapped with a 70, a 60 MIGHT make it

This route lies on the south side of a small buttress/pillar sticking out from the main wall.  The crack generally follows the line of a reverse question mark.  Begin up a left facing dihedral with a 4 inch crack.  Go past a pod and follow the crack as it narrows to a fingercrack and juts horizontally back left and then back vertically to bolt anchors.

Fist to OW squeeze and some hand fist stacks heel toe great rock... Would have kept on going but the "rocks" over head stopped me from pushing it..

Fun climbing on less than perfect rock. 2 star rock with 5 star fun factor. Scramble up easy 5th class to a bench. Climb a steep left facing corner with big hands to a double crack/flake system. Move right climbing a steep flake with hands and pinches. A finally body length on soft stone brings you to a stance and the anchor. Note: We went back to put on a second pitch but backed off do to a creepy feeling on a semi detached roof block.

Short tips laybacking gain a corner change just before the anchors. Pull down not out on the block next to the anchors.

Follow ledge system to a tight left facing ebony corner. Climb fingers to off fingers in overhanging closed corner to a tips and face crux up a small headwall. Anchor at lip on left of crack.

A fun thin hands start brings you into a flaring corner.  Work the crack laden corner, using the arete to a final off-fingers finish to the anchors.

Awesome offwidth that turns into a squeeze about half way up.

Also know as

Shrieking Eels

, This route climbs a finger splitter behind a huge pillar leaning against the wall. Begin by climbing into a slot with hollow rock and clip a bolt on the right. Pull out of the slot and follow the splitter up into the window at the top of the pillar.

Link cracks up to the base of the #2s corner, figure out how to get out of the chimney into the finger crack, and do more improbable moves into the second chimney under the roof.

80m required to rappel

A small tower that gives easy pickings for those who collect tower ascents.

P1) Climb grooves on the east side of the tower to the notch. 5.7.

P2) Follow a line of bolts trending left to the summit. C1.

I wouldn't have even known this route was there if I wasn't at the base of Puzzle Factory.  True Love has a small plaque at its base and is better than it looks.  The rock can be a little soft in spots but the movement is interesting and the gear is bomber.  The climbing is a combination of jamming and face holds and is worth getting on at least once.

This is an awesome, awesome, awesome splitter fist crack.  Even if you don't like fist cracks, do this climb.  It is really good!

2 bolts off the ground through a powerful, difficult, tips crack boulder problem leads to a wider pod section with good gear in the back. Rest up then pull out onto the jagged finger crack splitting the face and punch it into the enduro corner above. Save some gas for clipping the chains!

Any info on route name/FA would be appreciated - and kudos as this is another Insanity classic!

Man In Black is a great finger crack through two corner changes with some cool face holds near the anchor.  It is located near a trio of good-looking routes on the left-center side of the wall.

The book describes the route as thin hands to tips, but it really goes thin hands to tips and then gradually widens to big hands.  There is one drilled pin in the middle, right before the tips.

fun moves off the ground to a good stance then charge it for the black metolius soft shuts

This route is very fun and feels a bit more adventurous than many routes at the Creek. It's sandy in many places, and climbers should be especially careful of loose rock in the 2nd half of the route.

Climb thin hands down through the sizes to tips (mostly #1 & .75 size) to reach a large sandy ledge about half-way. Be careful surmounting this ledge as there's a lot of loose rock on it. Continue up the chimney and into the crack on the right, passing a couple sandy bulges and squirm your way through the last squeeze to the anchor.

As of 3/29/19 there was a 2 bolt anchor with several pieces of faded webbing and a new-ish looking dyneema runner. Bring a runner or cord to leave if you're unsure about the condition of the anchor material.

Hands in a corner to big hands in a flare with anchors on the right side of the crack. Plenty of edges and jugs in the flare.

You might feel like you've had a Lobotomy after climbing this OW to finger endurance fest!  Easy stemming gives way to #6 Camalot fist stacks in a flare followed by some knee rests.  Next comes the dreaded #4's with steep hand stacking that gradually tapers down to fists, hands, ringlocks and finally fingers at the anchor.  Bring your A-game!

Levi has a great eye and linked up finger cracks to a sweet stem box for the FA. There will be at least a second pitch to this one and the climbing will be at least 5.12 when freed.

Full 80m rappel

This a description for an unknown EXCELLENT wide one as far right on Cliffs of Insanity as you can go. It may be the last route on the right at the time of posting this.

Starts in a squeeze chimney (if you are small or on TR), If large or on lead you have to awkwardly climb size 8 OW / face for ten feet to top out a small block. After the block there is one move of size 3, then goes to size 4 through 5 until you reach a huge pod where a 6 just fits in the bottom. From here move into the pod and a life-saving beautiful size 3 handcrack appears on the left. climb the handcrack until it disappears and move through an overhanging fist to off-fist "roof" to the anchors. The route reminds me of a much wider spaghetti western for some reason, probably due to the accessory skinnier crack coming in at the perfect moment.

When I climbed this on 11/27/2021 it was sandy as hell and had a ton of golfball - baseball sized rocks we cleaned out of the handcrack. Still going to be some loose stuff, wear a helemt!! This will clean up beautifully and be a sought after wideboy after more traffic. A fantastic line get on it!!!!

The route follows a funky, shallow right facing corner. Start up a .75 crack (crux) to a rest, then climb a good but sometimes awkward to jam hand crack. Pass a mini roof and continue to a ledge and the anchor above Skip to the End.

Start by pulling through a roof on finger locks (don’t  miss the perfect three finger pocket out right). Once established above the roof, pull a few more moves of fingers and face holds and work up onto a ledge where an off fingers donuts splitter starts. There are some suspect blocks here but they seem pretty solid. Work up the beautiful off fingers splitter for several moves utilizing a few key face holds and gain a pod. Work from the first pod to the second pod and pull onto a ledge and clip the anchor.

Fingers to fists in an obtuse corner. Ends at a single bolt on top of a pillar.

Ramble up the easy ramp and climb the striking splitter. The first half or so is a steep, slightly wavy #1 crack with some fun moves. The crux comes near the top where the crack narrows to 0.5 for a short stretch with no feet. Tricky moves get you into the final short section of offwidth with a finger crack inside which can be protected with a 0.3 cam.

Tight hands to hands in a right facing corner. After a short but loose/sandy boulder problem, climb 20 feet of #1 Camalots to where the corner geometry becomes more acute and widens slightly to perfect #2 Camalots.

This route is about as easy as it gets at the Creek and should be good tight hands to perfect hand jams for anyone whose hands aren't freakishly big.

Climb a short section of offwidth in a small right facing corner to a  thin hands splitter that becomes flared at the top.  Enter a large slot with a hand crack in the back and an awesome offwidth flake.  For a 5.10+ variation climb only the offwidth.

right facing corner baggy fingers to thin hands' then boomber JUG befor the anchors

Right-facing corner. Starts fingers/off-fingers and widens to thin and tight hands.

Climb twin cracks: fist splitter on the right and tips/finger flake on the left.  Soft for the grade.

Climbs a long right facing corner, starts with a couple funky moves in less-than-stellar rock before entering a great, long section of wide 1s to tight 2s in really good rock.  Pinches down from .75s to tips as you clip the chains.

We found that a 70 meter rope did not quite reach the ground, requiring a few feet of downclimbing.  Knot your ends!

A fun Short route on good stone that you'll wish were longer. From off fingers to finger tips with occasional feet.

boulder move off the ground in to easy climbing to cool moves to the bolts

Left facing corner.  some really crisp jamming. place a cam right off so if you slip you don't pull the "ASSSSSSSSSSSSS YOUUUUUUUUU WIIIIIIISH" move an roll down the hill.. their is a hand jam right wen you think 5.11- ? a #2 can be placed in the pod that has sed hand jam.

Great splitter hands that pitches you out of the crack a lot.  Goes through a small roof near the top with sketchy block below the roof.

Nice looking big hands crack in a left facing corner. Low angle through the #4 part keeps it moderate.

The anchors are far back on a spacious ledge, I can only assume because someone was envisioning a 2nd pitch (maybe it's been done - see below). Because of this, you'll probably want to rap, and it's not a great one for TR laps.

(Editor's note on second pitch below)

The second pitch is a short wide-fist crack to a stance somewhat in a bombay chimney. 40 ft.  5.10a/b. ** (2 stars using MP’s 4 star system)

The rap from the P2 anchor to the ground is 120 to 125 ft, so it’s not practical using a 70 m rope without some down climbing.

Protection: (1) #3, (several) #4’s with a mix of new and old sizes, (1 or more) #5 Camalots.

FA: Kent Pease and Dominique, March 2015.

An easier version of Ruby's Cafe. Changing corners on purple and green camalots.

Start in a flared chimney to an obtuse OW corner, ending at 2 bolt anchor.

Named Ophidiophobia (irrational fear of snakes) after the rattlesnake that wouldn't leave the base of the route and that I was accidentally lowered directly on top of.

P1) Hard moves off the ground and a sequence-y crux lead into sustained and interesting hands and wide-hands. Some of the most fun movement I've done on a Creek climb. 5.11+ 130'

P2) Pull the #3s roof, go through all the sizes down to tips, then a right-angling hand crack to a great ledge. 5.11+ 80'

Lead both pitches as one for a full-value route! Sling pieces in the chimney and the rope drag will be minimal.

Might be able to rap twice with a 70m, but this was put up with an 80.

Splitter that widens from fingers to hands with twin cracks through blocks near the bottom.

Start in a corner that starts as hands and quickly narrows down to a seam. Carefully make your way up to the roof using some face holds and flakes, don't fall you have been climbing up a large flake that may or may not hold gear (may add a bolt at some point). Climb out the huge roof starting with good hands that eventually widens to off width. Don't want to give away the finish, lead bolt protects the exit moves out the roof and keeps your gear from being sucked up the crack.

Scramble over some choss, 10 ft, in to a nice crisp 1.5 inch crack in a corner with feet.

Climb cups to fists in a slot and gain a nice hands splitter on the left wall.  Climb hands until you reach a large pod and then choose your own adventure: the pod is awkward and sandy or climb the the hand crack to the right.

This is a mega classic.  The first half of the climb starts as a not-easy finger crack before getting into a series of hand cracks through pods.  The first two pods are easy to jam around; the final, which has a bolt near it, requires one move of leavittation.

This puts you at the base of an awesome headwall, and one of the steepest splitters at the Creek.  Go from good hands, to thin hands, to ringlocks, to hard finger stacks as the pump builds!  The splitter is a bit offset, so you can't really go hand-over-hand, and every move is harder than the one before it.  You will see how it lured Tommy Caldwell into a layback right before he took that famous whipper a few years back.  The final mantle from a mediocre fingerlock feels like the crux.  I have heard this climb described as "like Rock Lobster, but 30 degrees overhung."!

Fists quickly turn to bomber knees and then tight squeeze. The crux comes navigating the bulge. I thought this was a great route to practice the wider end of the wide spectrum and could just barely fit my booty in at the top. A few little chockstones off the deck and a little silt up high keep this from being a three star route but it's hella fun anyway!

Very surprised that this route hasn't been done till now!  Starts with an easy offwidth that quickly turns to big hands in a left facing corner.  From a comfortable stance continue up a tight corner with perfect hands until it is possible to step right below a large flake.  Climb an overhanging crack on the right side of the flake that goes from big hands to fists to hand stacks before topping out on a block thats sitting on top of the flake (this block may be loose so it might be advisable to jam around it instead of pulling on it?).

A fun route. Shortly after the start climb short secure but sketchy looking flake to a block roof. Skirt the roof to the left. Cruise some hand jams to a steep off fingers and hands bulge. Mantle the bulge. Climb the obvious wedge with mostly hands and big hands to the anchor.

Warning there is route beta in this post for all you onsighters out there.

This route is simply stunning!  Josh Janes saw the line and showed it to Tom and three trips later we had put up a mega classic!  The route starts up a dirty sandy corner for about 15' but don't worry the choss ends here.  Once above the corner the true climbing begins with a interesting offwidth that is formed by two arete's pointing towards each other.  There is a hidden #1 Camalot placement inside this offwidth near the bottom that you can see if you stick your head into the crack (you'll need a sling for sure on this piece).  After that we placed two bolts to protect the rest of the wide section.

From the top of the wide crack (There is a great kneebar, no hands rest here by the way) the crack changes to thin fingers in an open right facing corner.  Layback and jam up this corner with increasing difficulty as the corner gets smaller and so does the crack.  Place a final high piece (.2 Camalot) from a tips stance and try to gather your strength for the crux.

The crux moves are strenuous and powerful but here's the beta.  Walk your feet up high on the left face of the corner while liebacking hard off the tips crack.  Make a big reach with your right hand to a good face hold and gaston off it.  From the gaston move your feet up some more and make another big reach with your left hand back to the crack where it opens up again to fingers.  A couple more moves will get you firmly in the crack with some feet.  From here the climbing eases and the crack widens to hands and the anchor.

The second pitch is not as hard, probably clocking in at about 11- but it would be a shame to miss with classic position and exposure.  From the anchor chimney up about a body length to a good hand crack.  Hand traverse out right to an airy stance and follow a large ovehanging right facing corner up to a roof.  Big hands and/or fists get you over the roof and into a perfect chimney with nothing but air below.  Climb up about 10 to 15 feet of unprotected but easy chimney to a great belay stance on the right.

Two 70m ropes will get you to the ground from the top of the second pitch with a fully free hanging rappel.  Make sure you rap off the right side from the second anchor and not through the chimney.  Two 60m ropes are needed to get down from the first anchor.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Cliffs of Insanity