Index Town Wall - Great Northern Slab (Twin Cracks), August 2002
After a lazy Sunday morning in August, AG, I both felt the need to go play out in the sunshine and make the most of what was left of the day. Needing a change of scenery, we decided to check out the crags near the town of Index. Being unfamiliar with the area, we settled on climbing what I think is the easiest route - "Twin Cracks" on the Great Northern Slab (5.6). Soon we were at the base of the slab trying to figure out how to get around the tough looking 5.8 fist crack.
We bypassed the short but difficult 5.8 fist crack pitch by scrambling up a gully to the right. Agata set up the belay and I headed up the silly 5.0 pitch to a ledge below the Twin Cracks. Enormous metal anchors indicate that you have reached the belay. The next (2nd) pitch was by far the most interesting and involved a tricky move to get in position below the twin finger cracks. Nut placements were painfully obvious and following the slanting crack system was really quite enjoyable. I set up a top belay for Agata at the chains directly above the cracks. With Agata belaying, I then set out for the final pitch to the top of the slab.
After rapping back down the route, we set up a top rope above the 5.8 fist crack and took turns climbing it. With much grunting and sweating, I eventually managed to sratch my way up and over the crack using lie-back moves instead of painful fist jams. The sunlight was now beginning to fade. We finished off our belay beers and called it a day. There's a lot more to be explored here and we'll be back sometime soon.
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