Description

Passing Lane is located just right of the Overpass arete.  Start up a fun, blocky face past three bolts.  The route's crux is gaining the slabby face above the fourth bolt.  Rolofson's guide suggests that this route could use an additional bolt, but I thought that it was well protected all the way to the anchors.  It is a fun route.  Again, a there's a little rope drag if you top rope or lower off this one. 

There is a very large, very loose block right below the anchors.  It can easily be avoided on the left, but care should be taken not to yard on it... UPDATE 7/21/06: the large block is now gone; looks like there is just dirt where it was....

The only interesting part of this route is the 4th bolt, which is really only interesting because you're going to the hospital if you don't make it.  Above the ledge is maybe 5.7 and run out about 20 feet from the last bolt to the anchor. 

I don't often post about routes that suck, but this just wasn't much fun.  The bolts sort of lead you over to the right, which makes for a somewhat tricky traverse back left to make it over the bulge.  Don't fall on the crux, it will be painful.  Really, this route is just not worth doing. 

It's a fun one.  If you are a solid 5.9 climber you've got nothing to worry about.  The fourth bolt is sketchy but there's a good ledge to hold on to while you clip into it.  Over the crux it's easy but you can make it a little more difficult by staying to the right. 

Based on all the beta about ledge fall potential at bolt 4, I took a couple cams with me.  But didn't feel the need for additional protection with the positive hand holds working to the bolt.  However, there are only 6 bolts then about 20 ft of runout from b6 to the top anchors, unless you clip a 7th bolt that seems to be off route to the left (part of Overpass?).  So you may want to place some gear even though it's easy terrain up there. 

Last Thursday August 11th a party of two boys and a girl climbing Passing Lane left a purple Wired Bliss TCU and two BD quickdraws in a crack at the base of Deuces Wild.  If you are one of these guys, we have your gear!  Write us back to danielg@fis.ucm.es to give them back to you. 

Didn't feel runout to me.  I traversed right at the third bolt and came up to the fourth bolt from the left like the newest guide says.  Didn't seem runout to me, nor did it seem to have a terrible ledge fall on it.  You can also go a little right at the third bolt, which I have done also, and it seems to be just a little more difficult but not by much.  The final bolt, I believe, is out to the left and may seem at first like it is for another route, but there were some climbers to the route on the left, and they didn't use it.  Nonetheless, the climbing from there on is 5.4ish, and it can be easily skipped to reduce drag if you have someone following. 

Bolts 5 and 6 are still there.  Bolt 7 is still off to the left and actually on the adjacent route, so there are really just 6 bolts on this route with 20 ft of easy runout to the anchors if you don't use that 7th bolt (which could be in use by others).  No X rating, and a PG-13 because of slight ledge-fall at B4 is stretching it. 

Nice warm-up, I placed a small stopper in between bolts 3 and 4 to mitigate the ledgefall potential.  It really isn't that hard to make the 4th clip, but the feet are getting kinda slippery there and shit happens.