Chris McNamara
SuperTopo staff member
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The American Safe Climbing Assn. may have replaced anchor bolts on this climb. To find out visit the ASCA Replacement Page
The ASCA is a non-profit organization dedicated to replacing unsafe anchors. To learn about helping the ASCA click here
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Ben Townsend
Advanced climber
Mill Valley, CA
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On 7/23/01, the bolts on the pitch above the flake were in bad condition. Many of the hangers had been hammered semi-flat (including one on the belay at the top of that pitch), and although they were all clippable, they did not inspire a lot of confidence. A NPS climbing ranger inspected the pitch shortly after we finished it, but it's not clear what action NPS might take, if any.
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Tad
Intermediate climber
Mill Valley, CA
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Good route for getting some confidence on a lieback flake, and its 5.4 rating and "4th" approach are good lessons in Tuolumne grading.
Not as well known: Great place to practice calf-burning .10 & .11 face - look to the anchors to the right, partway up the route - set a TR (top belay), lower, work the face that's the big white area in the photo on this site.
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Lincoln
Mountain climber
Nepal
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Anyone got any idea why those bolts above the flake seem to have been flattened and then bent back up? I haven't had a chance to get up and take a look, but that's the word on the street. I've always liked that route, and I'm curious as to why someone would trash it. I think I know one of the guys who put it up, and he is quite possibly the kindest man on the planet, so I can't imagine why anyone would want to chop his route... just curious.
-Link
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Greg Barnes
climber
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To answer Lincoln, the bolts were flattened because the route was rap-bolted with a power drill straight over the start of Eunuch (which had only one bolt, the nasty 1/4" bolt which is about the 5th bolt on the current thing). The second pitch was then placed through blank polish to make it 5.10 and highly contrived, and the crack at the top has bolts right next to it. So that's why someone flattened a few hangers. Didn't do a good job, and the route is still there, and I thought the bolts were OK, especially since there are so many of them. Fun route, but I bail left to the 3rd pitch anchors of West Country (5.8) rather than do the direct (contrived) finish at 5.10. Greg
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Chris Alonso
Intermediate climber
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I climbed WestCountry this morning (the route to the left of Hermaphrodite) and from the route could see the bolts still there on the 3rd pitch of Hflake. There are chopped bolts below and left of Hflake (between Hflake and WestCountry), which may have been a cause of confusion?
The dome is dry. There is some snow on the top - which makes the long walkoff a little wet, (but it still beats the hell outta the deathslab normal descent in my humble opinion).
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Greg Barnes
climber
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No, those chopped bolts - actually hangerless bolt studs - are from a different (additional) bolted route. You'll find two studs under a flake just right of the belay for the first pitch of West Country.
The third pitch bolts are all still there, many flattened and re-bent, including anchor bolts. Still, this is one of the best protected easier slabs in Tuolumne. No fixed chains on the top of that pitch, we left slings and rap rings there a few days ago.
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abe
Novice climber
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"Deathslab descent" off of Stately Pleasure? No way.
For some reason I love that slab descent.
Can be a bit trickly in spots, you can rap off the tree at the steepest spot. But I wouldn't call it a deathslab by any means.
Gotta love friction in the meadows.
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radical
Intermediate climber
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Yup, I agree Abe..A little hasty rap to start ya off if ya have to, but after that it is is all fun. Like getting two routes in one.
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RopeGirl
Novice climber
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As of 6/10/02, the bolts at the top of Hflake appeared in good shape and the bolts up pitch 3 were okay although the hanger on one is loose.
Of the three belay station bolts, at the top of pitch 3, the two outside hangers were good, but the middle hanger is still bent out enough that I couldn't get a screw-gate into it. However, one of my thinner 'biners fit okay for that middle bolt and with the other two feeling secure, I wasn't concerned.
The slings and rap rings are still there.
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5.10b4me
Advanced climber
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the easy descent between Stately Pleasure and Harlequin domes looks horrendous, i.e. the bushwack from hell. anybody done this?
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bob
Novice climber
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"the easy descent between Stately Pleasure and Harlequin domes looks horrendous, i.e. the bushwack from hell. anybody done this?"
Yeah, it's not that bad. But why bother? Climb through the notch at the top of the headwall above the slabs descent, and walk west down slabs till close to the bottom, then cut back south toward the road. Much quicker and easier than going down the slabs or between S.P. and Harlequin.
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Rich the Brit
Trad climber
San Ramon, CA
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A lot of confusion above about current status of the bolts on the Boltway at the top of the flake. I climbed this route Sun 8/17/03 - here is latest status.
2 pitches from the top off the flake to the top of the dome:
The first is tightly bolted as per topo. All bolts appear to be in place and are usable. Whether you want to use them all is questionable - a mixture of old bolts with homemade hangers and newer metolius bolts. However, enough of the new bolts to make it safe. Pitch ends at a 3 bolt belay/rap station.
The second pitch has 2 excellent bolts leading to the easy parallel exit cracks of West Country. At this point you can decide whether to finish by these cracks or climb through them to the Boltway bolt belay. If you wish to continue on Boltway, a third good bolt is located below and slightly right of the cracks.
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Crodog
Social climber
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Climbed the first two pitches and then rappelled from the anchor at the top of the flake with a Mammot 60m rope. I ended up about 5 feet above the next set of rapell anchors (what to do?). I measured my Mammot rope against a Sterling 60m rope and found that the Sterling was about 10' longer which would have made a big difference. Next time I will use my 70m rope.
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Floyd Hayes
Trad climber
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
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I'm surprised this climb is rated only three stars, although I see others have rated it four. The flake itself is the best multipitch sub-5.5 route that I've personally climbed, and of course it can be climbed several different ways. It's clean, committing, a wee bit strenuous (maybe underrated?) and reasonably well protected with terrific exposure and a fantastic view. I think it's much better than comparable "beginner's" routes in Yosemite such as Sunnyside Bench--Regular Route (three stars), Aunt Fannie's Pantry (one star), Monday Morning Slab--Right Side (one star, but I think it deserves two), and Pywiack Dome--Southwest Slope (ignored by SuperTopo). Okay, I haven't done the first half of Eichorn's Pinnacle--North Face (four stars), but I did the second half of the climb on the last pitch of West Pillar and agree it's a classic. Hermaphrodite Flake is a great route to take beginners up, although the exposure and the rappels might be a bit freaky for them...
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Made it to the top of the flake today with a 70m rope from the start. We did the undercling variation to the right. My guess is that any of the other variations would work.
A 65m would work too if your belayer stood on the flakes at the start.
We made the top in 3 pitches easily well before the thunderstorms.
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asheemm
Trad climber
San Francisco, ca
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We climbed this route last weekend, but found that a lot of the anchor bolts marked in the SuperTopo have been stripped. I noticed the boltless studs to the left of the flake.
The anchors at Belay 1, and at the top of the route have been stripped.
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Floyd Hayes
Trad climber
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
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What is the current status of belay/rap bolts on the flake?
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Up there several times since the start of the '07 season... that is not to say that bolt choppers haven't been at work in the meantime, but most of them will respect the oldest topos... so if the bolts were noted, they are probably still there... YMMV however...
On top of the flake a great bolt station to launch you onto Boltway or Eunuch.
On the climber's right side there is a rap station well below the tunnel exit, and a station at the tunnel exit.
From the top of the flake, you can rap with two (2) 60m ropes to the approach traverse to Great White Book. If you have limited ropes you can take advantage of the intermediate rap/belay stations (but I haven't done this so you should ask around more).
Have fun!
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Floyd Hayes
Trad climber
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
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I'm surprised the various guidebooks barely mention the fun and well protected 5.7 overhang on the left side of Hermaphrodite Flake, which I climbed this past week. It was certainly more challenging than the standard 5.4 right side. When I threw down the two ends of the ropes (for rappelling) from the top of the flake, one rope end surprisingly got stuck in the chimney but it came out easily with a tug from above. What is the hangerless bolted route between Hermaphrodite Flake and West Country? It's a real eye sore.
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truckee trad
Trad climber
truckee
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Climbed the flake to the boltway this past weekend. There's actually five bolts on the third pitch (10b variation) before entering the lower of the two crack systems. The third bolt is invisible from the belay stance and I pretty much climbed right past it. Did note there doesn't seem to be a rappel anchor at the top of West Country for rapping off. Found a single bolt with rap ring where an anchor could/should have been, but I didn't put my life on the line........descended via headwall instead.
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Simmeron
Trad climber
Reno, NV
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Climbed this over the weekend. We were the first on the rock with an 8am start and then by 10am the crowds materialized. Two parties on Great White Book and two parties on West Country, but noone on Hermaphrodite. Maybe we scared 'em away with our double rope rappels ;-) A fun climb if you're looking to have a mellow day.
The first pitch is not very memorable or exciting. Think of it as an approach pitch.
For the second pitch we did the tunnel through and what an adventure. It was a cool feeling sitting at the belay and peering up into the shadows behind the flake. How often do you get to tunnel for 80 feet through a cave-like feature like this? Would like to go back and climb the right variation next time. The climbing here is runout, but its easy (and surprisingly strenous for how easy it felt) and if you fall you probably won't go anywhere. When you exit the flake, you get hit by the exposure and head up some slightly run-out liebacking. It wasn't bad as the moves are all there, but it did feel like a sandbag at 5.2. Welcome to Tuolumne.
We climbed the 3rd pitch before we rapped off (1st pitch of the boltway) and it is bolted pretty tightly for Tuolumne, but then again, it is at the top of a 5.4 climb. Loved the knobs and scoops on this pitch. There was one useless looking bolt about the 4th or 5th one, but its right after the crux and the climbing eases up after that.
We would have liked to climb the fourth pitch, but since we were rapping off we didn't want to chance the rappel anchors being chopped. Anyone know the condition of those anchors on the fourth pitch?
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Chris McNamara
SuperTopo staff member
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I got this beta from a SuperTopo customer:
Hi. A friend and I climbed Hermaphradite Flake and then went up the Bolt
Way. At the anchors we found 4 (or 5) closely spaced bolts that paralleled the right facing overlap up and to our left. I followed those bolts. There was one more bolt above me and to the right (presumably where the 10b was.) We didn't find any 5.8. It was just a few easy steps over to the overlap and there was no 5.8 going up the overlap from there. You may want to climb that again sometime and compare it with your topo.
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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I climbed this with my ex gf back in July, 2002.
After leaving the belay at the top of the flake we went straight up( the bolts were hard to see as they kind of blended with the rock color).
At the bolted belay my gf got the lead. she went slightly to the left.
this move was probably 5.8. after this move you reach the crack that diagonals up to the right. the crack climbing was no harder than 5.4.
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amora
Trad climber
Diamond Bar
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I am planning on doing this climb in two weeks, does anyone have beta on the descent?
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karodrinker
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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just climbed the great white book yesterday, Riley and I down climbed way left of where we probably should have, ended up down soloing 5.5+ slab, kinda sketch balls. Probably stay in the big corner system off to the right, we didn't rap off the tree but I kinda wanted too:)
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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4th class slab, doable in five tennies. And/or rap off tree if you get spooked.
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kingpin
Trad climber
methdeathsto ca
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Super fun. The tunnel was a blast. What manky bolts on the pitch above the flake. ASCA? Slings and rings were gone from the tree as of 7/28/12. The downclimb is manageable but a little spooky. A couple of slings around the tree is surely better than seeing the poor thing sawed in half by unprepared people rapping directly off of it. Chopping that rap station was lame IMO.
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surfstar
climber
Santa Barbara, CA
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As of 7/30/12, the quicklinks and rings are gone from the 3rd belay. Donated a couple biners as we didn't plan for topping out.
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Ed H
Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
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We did this route twice this year. The first time we did the tunnel then the Boltway (easy). The 2nd time we did the 5.8 var start (in Reid book) then right side of flake. The 5.8 var is fun, but pro is thin (I had to back off and let my partner finish). I like the right side better than tunnel - great line, and can rap off with 2 ropes. If you do top out, there are 3 ways down.
1. Walk off spooky 4th class slab (spooky for me and newbies)
2. Rap off tree (takes too long)
3. Walk off back side (up and over west side)
I prefer the the west side walk off - mellow and was well marked by cairns
Ed
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wstmrnclmr
Social climber
Air B&B Town, USA
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The bad 1/4" bolt of the start of "the eunuch" was replaced during the summer of 2014. Now all the bolts on the eunuch have been replaced.
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This route ascends a flake in the mirror-image of California.Photo: Chris McNamara
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*What is "Route Beta"?
It's climber slang for information or tips on a route as in, "what's
the beta on that route?" As a service to fellow climbers we ask SuperTopo
guidebook users to post tips and updates to this website if they have relevant
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