Here’s one of the easier routes we can climb to set up harder top ropes, near the beginning of the Trapps cliff in the Gunks. Double Chin is only 5.5, and you can set up top ropes from there to some much harder and pumpy 5.9 and 5.10 climbers.
Location: Gunks – Trapps
These climbs are in the popular Uberfall area, just to the left of Doug’s Roof, a favorite place to boulder, practice building anchors and sheltering from rain.
Easier route: Double Chin 5.5 G **
Despite it’s 5.5 rating, the consensus from my friends thought it was more like 5.6. There are a lot of high steps, and an awkward overhanging corner chimney at the end of the 1st (and only) pitch. But despite its dank look, it’s not bad and there’s plenty of places for gear. At the top is a tree with slings for an anchor with rap rings.
Harder route: Something Scary 5.10a/b PG-R
Just 8 feet to the right of Double Chin is a 5.10 face to an overhang. It’s a straight line down and can be set up with a directional by traversing right of the Double Chin anchor. The traverse is easy, but very dirty. We managed to get a green camalot in a crack for the directional, but there wasn’t a lot of other gear placements right there. The face to the first overhang is pretty easy. My daughter got a hands-free rest in one spot. But she didn’t make it over the 2nd crux overhang. She said the holds weren’t good and were covered in lichen. I doubt this line is climbed very often.
Harder route; Double Clutch 5.9+ G *
If you traverse even further right from Double Chin, you can set up an anchor on Double Clutch, which ascends past the 2nd overhang just to the right of the triangle shaped rock stuck under the overhang. The gear was good over this climb, I could put in a 3 point anchor for a directional. There’s also a slung tree on the way down where you can put another directional to better protect the difficult crux at the start. This climb starts the same as Eyebrow (5.6), but then does a hand traverse right towards the massive Doug’s Roof, and then up at a cleft in the roof. It’s very strenuous and reachy for us moderate climbers. You may have to dyno to move to the next stance above the roof. I was tired so I skipped this move and went up the start of Eyebrow, then moved right to join Double Clutch. The holds above the triangle shaped rock under the roof are excellent, and there are some holds above the lip of the roof, but I couldn’t get the energy to make it over. My friend threw his leg way up over the lip to gain the roof. I’d like to go back and try this again someday when I’m fresh and feeling strong. This climb has a couple of strenuous cruxes and is not for the weak static climber like myself.
- Sudha at the crux start of Double Clutch
