A recent No Star tick, True Grit, despite its appearance, offered consistently exciting and engaging climbing--an acquired taste, if you will.  From a ledge located a few body lengths to the south of Sacrifice (5.10d, L. Wheeler, J. Newsome, 1980), climb a right-leaning handcrack leading to a series of thin, friable flakes.  Hold your breath as you lieback the wafer-thinness to a stance from where it is possible to traverse right and into a steep gully.  Surmount a short section of squeeze then climb past a few keyed-in pillars to a stance with a cordelette anchor and maillon.  This one might clean up nicely with about a million more ascents.

True Grit (Var.)

Check the Technique

Sit and Spin

Grumpy Old Men

Sacrifice

Expect No Mercy

Separation Anxiety

Last of The Summer Wine

Textbook Variation

Flippin' the Bird

Eastwind Crack

Warhorse

Empty Plate

Fat Boy Slim

This is a nice offwidth to hand crack.  It has just enough features and chimneying to make it a non-suffer type of offwidth.  Much less of a thrutch than the ow on Crescent Crack (for reference).

Check the Technique was the first route to be opened on the Perseverance Wall.  Climb the right-leaning, fist-to-offwidth crack along the left side of the obvious flake-pillar.  From a stance atop the flake, step left onto the beautiful slab past perfect diorite knobs and four bolts to an arching arete.  Lieback this feature to an alcove; a large, slung horn provides a belay.  This route is dedicated to the memory of Guru--Hip-Hop pioneer and MC founder of the seminal duo, Gang Starr--who passed away just days after it was established.  RIP!

Sit and Spin, the obvious left-leaning handcrack bisecting the face of the Perseverance Wall, is a nice moderate in this newly developed area.  Climb the sharp but good handcrack to the crux bulge and pod.  Continue up and left through a wide groove to some thin gear and jugs, then more hands to the belay alcove and sling anchor atop Flippin the Bird.

If you hike up to that offwidth you might as well climb this too.  Nice arete climbing on good rock with a fun mantle or two and lots of nice palming and red granite arete jug hauling.

Super fun route with high flow moves. Start on a small flake then do a couple of moves on surprising chicken heads and edges to get into the crack system proper.

The finger crack has loads of gear that can be hard to see at the crux. Its all there so try and scope it out first. Finish on the surprisingly fun huge-block-flake-thing using wide gear.

This route may have the most fitting name I have ever come across. This route is continuous and difficult.

P1: Start at the base of the Standard Thumb route near the chimney.  Belay here or scramble up into the gulley above the chimney.  The first crack leads up and left directly above the chimney.  There are two crack systems from here, take the cleaner, right one.  Climb up some broken rock out of the gulley into an awesome handcrack.  Follow the crack up to a two-bolt anchor next to some bushes  You will be at the base of the dihedral.  5.7+

P2: Follow the dihedral, it cleans up the higher you go.  Optional belay at a single bolt halfway up the dihedral near a bush. 5.10

P3: Continue up the dihedral through the bombay chimney. Exit above the chimney onto a ledge with two bolts, some old-ish slings, and a couple leaver-biners.  It is possible to link P2 and P3 with a 60 m rope.

Descent: Double rope rappel from the top of P3 will put you back in the gulley above the chimney. Use the optional rap station here in the gulley or downclimb back to the base. There is another optional rappel below the gulley, above and right (climbers right) of the chimney to get down the slabs.

A cool story from bsmoot about the route:

In the early 80s Les Ellison was leading the final pitch of Expect No Mercy 5.10d, a continuous three-pitch line on the West Wind Buttress (LCC) with Steve Carruthers. The third pitch is an awkward-leaning wide crack. Les decided to go all out by swinging into a layback instead of jamming. Knowing he likely had to run it out 25 feet or more to the top, he committed to the barn-door layback. Inching higher and higher above his last piece, he was unable to find a possible rest or foot hold to place protection. The edge of the crack was slightly rounded, which only added to the difficulty. With dwindling strength he struggled to an elusive "thank-God" hold. One move shy, his foot popped, causing him to plunge nearly sixty feet. The cart-wheeling, out-of-control fall landed him even with the belay. Steve, who was using a hip-belay, was badly burned on his hip and brake hand, but he held on! Les suffered a head laceration that would eventually require 10 stitches. Gathering his wits, Les successfully re-led the pitch, this time jamming the crack.

Separation Anxiety ascends an improbable line of spectacular, in-cut diorite knobs through the center of the Perseverance Wall.  The boldness of this ground-up, first ascent cannot be overplayed; having never drilled--ever, Dan, aka "Little," aka "Strong," continued upward, into the unknown, and the uncleaned...  Execute big moves between spaced chickenheads, passing two bolts, careful to keep the separation anxiety at bay!  Launch into the upper slab, using a few long runners to sling the diorite--hang a few of those big cams from having warmed up on Check the Technique to keep them from lifting!  The climbing here eases up significantly but remains fun and engaging the entire way.  Clip the third--and last--bolt, pass a shallow, bottoming horizontal near the top of the slab, then trend right--toward the shared sling anchor atop Check the Technique.  Rap or lower--beware of rope drag across the slab!

Up the right leaning corner with growing difficulty to a good stance.

Finish up the slab with less difficulty.

Lower corner in shade by 11am. Total route shade by mid/late afternoon.

Flippin' the Bird climbs up two very detached/hollow sounding flakes to a fun mantel on a large chicken head on the thinnest part of the upper flake. From there continue to go up chicken heads slinging them as you go. Transition left to the flaring flake and gain the right diagonal crack which will lead you to the top where you can trav over to Check the Technique to rap.  (There used to be slings, but apparently are gone.  Not surprising since we put them there 12+ years ago.)

The name comes from the obvious rock formation above and the three rather large birds circling overhead waiting to pick our carcasses should the detached flakes not held.

On a recent ascent, many bushes were cleaned out and this makes for a fun very long 1st and 2nd pitch up a fun right facing dihedral. More traffic would clean it up more, but probably doesn't get many ascents.

We climbed to the top of EXPECT NO MERCY and then on to EMPTY PLATE

Pitch #1: Climb the first pitch of Standard Thumb to the gully belay. Belay at a two bolt belay. 5.6, 140'.

Pitch #2: Continue in the gully on the Standard Thumb route to a two bolt belay. 5.7.

Pitch #3: Here, ascend out of the Gully onto Westwind Buttress past three bolts on a steep blank section to a thin crack/seam. The seam ends and you will pass more fixed bolts to mixed ground to a two bolt belay on a ledge. 5.9, A2. 110'.

Pitch #4. Turn the corner to the left and climb the thin steep crack and sling chicken heads and clip bolts to a small airy ledge with a two bolt belay. 5.7, A1. 90'.

Pitch #5: Fun climbing passing the knobs and 7 bolts to the end of  the climb...just 15 feet below the actual summit. The rock quality deteriorates the higher up one climbs...the last pitch didn't deliver as promised...an empty plate. 5.8, A1

This route is good fun.  It has a stellar start in the wide crack, kind of an overhanging off-width (fat boy) and then climbs the right leaning crack that doesn't offer the climber much of anything (slim).  It pulls through a great face section and then onto the slab of Check the Technique.  At time of write up, it has one pin, but may be replaced with a bolt at some point.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Westwind Buttress