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Behind the elephant's ear

Area
Sector
Pitches
FAGrade
Grade
Length
Bolts
Top
Setters
year
St Catherine
Ras el Qalb
12
E1 5a, 4b, 4a, 5b, 3c, 3c, -, 4b, 5a, -, 5a, 4c
6b+
250
trad
Richard Waltham, Jonathan Prager
2009

2-star i) 35m, 5a. Ascend the chimney with increasing difficulty until some bold bridging enables a flake and crack to the right to be gained. Ascend this, worrying, to a belay ledge (blocks) ii) 10m, 4b. Pull into the slanting chimney above and climb more easily to belay on the right. iii) 15m, 4a. Pull into the cleft and climb up and leftwards to belay on a large ledge. (easy escape off left ) iv) 30m, 5b. Initial steep jamming leads to groove/flake (some hollow/friable rock) to a belay back right beneath a crack. v) 30m, 3c. Easier climbing up the crack leads to a terrace/ledge. vi) 20m, 3c. Climb the flared crack formed by the large blocky flakes. Continue rightwards to the base of the chimneys which lead to the overhang above. vii) 20m, -. Spurn the chimneys in favour of the *** cave – walk through/down to belay on the large chockstone/boulder on the outside edge of the cavern, beneath a scalloped slab. viii) 15m, 4b. A bold pitch, protectionless, up the slab leads to a cave belaylevel with an obvious traverse line. ix) 15m, 5a. An intimidating and cramped traverse leads around the arête ( there is a big hidden hold around the arête). Continue until bridging across the chimney is possible. Belay. x) 20m, -. Climb out into the rib and up a slabby groove. xi) 25m, 5a. Climb corner crack, the right hand crack of three, (jam then layback) to easy scramble leftwards. xii) 15m, 4c. Short jam crack and then finger crack leads to final steps to summit

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