Nook's Rock & 30th Birthday Roof Miniguide

Nook's Rock is named for one of Flagstaff Mountain's first boulderers, the infamous Layton Kor. Flagstaff Mountain regulars have been enjoying quiet and surprisingly cool sessions at Nook's Rock ever since. Nook's Rock is surrounded by shade-giving pines at the bottom of a steep northeast-facing hillside which hosts all the Dark Side problems. Nook's Rock offers up some must-do cruiser slab problems, multiple challenging bulge problems on the east side above an undercut and a testy traverse with some variations that add some difficulty. Colin Lantz added some nice problems around here, including the feisty arête problem Slut Bammer and a couple of lines on the 30th Birthday Roof. There's also Will LeMaire's unrepeated testpiece, Window Shopper, as well as Butt Slammer, a beauty of a line that hasn't been repeated since a key flake broke shortly after the first ascent in 1974-75. Where: There are other ways to approach Nook's Rock, but the best way - from a social trail and user impact perspective - is to head up Flagstaff Road and park on the left 1.2 miles after passing over the Armstrong Bridge at Capstan Rock. Walk up the road 50 yards to the guardrail at the hairpin turn. Step over the guardrail and drop down to the southeast to Cloud Shadow Wall. Walk to the end of Cloud Shadow Wall, turn left and follow the obvious social trail for 5 minutes to the north/northeast, dropping downhill and passing a handful of problems on the right. At the bottom of the hill - where the trail levels out - a large boulder will come into view. This is Nook's Rock. Appropriately, the first thing everyone notices is Butt Slammer.

NOOK'S ROCK

1. Slut Bammer V6/7 ... FA: Colin Lantz, 2004 *
Start 8 feet right of Butt Slammer at the bottom of an arête. Trend left up the arête with your RH, utilizing sidepulling crimps down on the face with your LH for tension and heel-hooking most of the way into the topout holds for Butt Slammer.

2. Butt Slammer V? ... FA: Rob Candelaria, 1974/5 *
Right of The Scoop down in a hole, climb out the impressive south-facing overhang. To start, use a good LH flake and high RH crimp. Originally B1+, an important hold broke soon after the first ascent. Lots of other flakes and edges up high, some of which were reinforced with glue at some point, have recently snapped off as well. However, plenty of holds remain and this one definitely goes, it's just a question of "when" and "by whom?" Bringing lots of pads and a couple spotters would be wise as the landing is primarily onto a 35 degree slab until the very top.

3. The Scoop VB ... FA: Unknown

Climb the low-angled and well-featured line of least resistance up the southwest face up into the branches. This is also the primary means of retreat off all the problems except the bulge problems on the east side.

4. Nook's Southwest Arête VB ... FA: Unknown *

Simply put, climb straight up the southwest arête for ~20 feet.

5. Nook's Slab Far Right VB ... FA: Unknown *

A few feet left of #4, climb straight up the far right side of the west-facing slab ~20 feet to the top.

6. Nook's Slab Right VB ... FA: Unknown *

A few feet left of #5, pull on just right of 2 trees and climb ~20 feet to the top.

7. Nook's Slab Left VB ... FA: Unknown *

A few feet left of #6, start behind a tree just left of center and climb ~20 feet to the top.

8. Nook's Slab Traverse VB ... FA: Unknown
Traverse left to right across the west-facing slab from the base of #7, finishing up #4 or #3.
9. Nook's Slab Far Left VB ... FA: Unknown
On the far left of the slab, ascend good edges and slopers up to an easy finish on big slopers 20+ feet up.

10. Wimpie’s Revenge V2 ... FA: Rob Candelaria, 1974/5 *
Ascend the bulging face right of #11 on the right side of the north face. Utilize mostly pebbles and probably a dynamic move to achieve a ledge, slide right then head up to finish.

11. Wimpie’s Revenge Left V0 ... FA: Unknown *
From the deep pocket, ascend the shallow dihedral to a ledge 15 feet up. Slide right then up to finish.

12a&b. Nook's Traverse V8 (a) / V9 sds (b) ... FA: Unknown / sds: Ted Lanzano, 2006 *
This problem, previously named the Southside Traverse in Benningfield's guide was reported to be V5. Maybe something has broken, but what I do know is that this problem actually traverses the north face from left to right. The rock is impeccable and if it wasn't a rising traverse on an aggressively sloping hillside with a meddling tree in the middle, this problem would be one of the best traverses on the mountain. Anyway, here's the beta ... Although it’s possible to start all the way down near the northeast corner, the normal start is about 10 feet right of here at the left-most obvious "red" hold (a), avoiding some cool introductory possibilities. The crux comes just past the meddling tree before the problem finishes up #11. In 2006, Ted Lanzano did this problem from a low left sds (b) that traverses into the problem staying very low until you reach the red hold and the start for #12a. Variation #1 - Full Nook's Traverse V10: A few years ago, Stevie Damboise tacked an introductory sequence onto the front end of the regular traverse as well as adding a difficult exit sequence onto the back end. Find the "goblet hold" down near the Northeast corner and do 5 or 6 moves up to the start for #12a. Now do #12a, but from the deep pocket at the base of #11, rest/regroup then continue around the corner (staying low ~V8) and then finish with any of the VB problems on the slab. Essentially, V10 = V5/6 + V8 + an OK rest + V8 + VB slab problem. LOTS of climbing and lots of places to make mistakes. Enjoy!

13. Northeast Corner V2 ... FA: Unknown
At the rounded northeast corner, ascend small protruding pebbles to gain the slab and move up to positive edges and a stance 15 feet up. Most people downclimb problems #13-23 to a point where they can safely jump to a pad.

14. Ashes to Ashes V4 sds ... FA: Chip Phillips, 2006

Begin via a sds using a LH undercling and a good RH sidepull, do a hard move, reach up to #13's starting holds and finish up #13.
15. Project
An obvious lip traverse that starts with #14, but traverses left all the way across the lip to a nice topout with #s 21-24. Start with #14, slide left into the first few holds of #16, attain the lip and begin the battle across poor lip features. Possibly double digits.

16. Nipple Shredder V6 ... FA: Ted Lanzano, 2006
Contrived and painful, but a laugher. Begin low on matched underclings, grovel your second foot on and slide left without using the good pebbles on #13 to obvious but very poor holds. From here, battle up onto the slab using an obvious right foot, all the while mindful of disengaging feet and the damage you are about to do to your torso and forearms. Long pants and sleeves made of durable materials are recommended.

17 . Northeast Undercut Far Right V3/4 ... FA: Unknown
From subtle and inobvious holds just above the lip 5 feet left of Nipple Shredder, get a foot on, go hard with your RH to a good edge useful as a pinch and grovel over.

18. Northeast Undercut Right V3 ... FA: Unknown

Start in the same place as #17 with both hands on subtle imperfections above the lip (your exact hand placement may be slightly different). Get a foot on, bump left for a incut crimp, match and pull over about where #20 tops out.
19. Project
An obvious line that has been thoroughly cleaned and tried quite a bit lately, based on the look of things up there in early 2010. Begin from a sds on obvious edges down low. Not sure where this one will end up topping out, but finishing up #17 or #18 makes the most sense if someone can bridge the gap between the starting holds and the lip. Double digits are likely.
20. Northeast Undercut Left V3 ... FA: Pat Ament, late 1960’s
Start on any of the obvious sloping pinches above your head at the lip of the boulder. Find a place for your feet, pull on and slide up and right to an edge. Mantel or go hard up and right to a crimp, pulling over about where #18 tops out.

21. Northeast Undercut Far Left V2/3... FA: Pat Ament, late 1960’s
Start on any of the obvious sloping pinches above your head at the lip of the boulder. Find a place for your feet, go to a perfect incut LH crimp and pull over with style.

22. Glass Plus V9/10 ... FA: Peter Jones, 2006

Read the description for #23 ... OK, begin just right of #23. Switch your starting hold for your LH onto the miserable RH starting hold for #23 and get your RH onto a pebbly crimp that has a good thumb catch underneath. Get your foot onto the obvious cobble, go the lip and top out per #21. A slightly lower start has been proposed, but to my knowledge has not been done to date.

23. Don't Touch the Glass V7/8 ... FA: Will Lemaire, 2006 *

Have this rig wired if you intend to start working #24. Begin matched on 2 poor side-by-side grips at head-height below the start for #20 and #21. Pull on (difficult in and of itself) and go for the lip with your RH (crux). There are lots of candidate holds to choose from at the lip, but they are difficult to catch and hold. Hold the swing and topout via #21.
24. Window Shopper V12? sds ... FA: Will Lemaire, 2006 *

In contention with Holloway's Trice for the hardest up-problem on the mountain. Begin from a sds way down and left from #20-23 on the lowest LH and RH opposing sidepulls. Bump up each hand to higher opposing sidepulls, then slide directly right across frustratingly miserable holds until you can finish straight up #23. Originally, I split the difference between the 2 grades Will gave me (V10 and V12), but since one of its already too few holds has broken and four years have gone by without a repeat of the full line, this one is most likely V12 or harder today.
25. Window Dressing V3 ... FA: Chip Phillips, 2006
While standing in front of the starting holds for #24 and #26, jump really hard to a hard-to-see sloper 10 feet up with your RH, hold the twist, establish on the lip and surf left to a topout on the slab on incut crimps.
26. Shopping For Dressing V9 ... FA: Eric Harrison, 2009 *

A proper start to #25, that begins on opposing crimps at chest height. Slide right just a bit, then make a big move to the hard-to-see sloper just above the lip. A lower start with #24 on the lowest opposing crimps might put this into double digits.
30TH BIRTHDAY ROOF
27. Jimmy, Stop Putting Erl Down the Terlet V6/7 ... FA: Ben Collett, 2008
Find the undercling on the right, close to the end of #29. Pull on here and traverse left about 8-10 feet to the final crimps before the prow and topout #30.
28. Just Slightly Different V9 ... FA: Ben Collett, 2009 *
Begin on the far right at the undercling with #27. Again, traverse left, but continue around the prow and ascend #31 without the benefit of the prow arête. It is tricky and core-intensive to get your feet around the corner to topout #31.
29. The 30th Birthday Roof Traverse V5/6 ... FA: Colin Lantz, 1994
Start matched on an undercling below the roof and pull directly out the roof to the prow arête. Slide right across crimpers on the right side of the prow, then use good feet and a combination of grips on and under the lip to continue right 10 more feet to a tame finish on the very far right of the boulder.

30. The 30th Birthday Roof V6 ... FA: Colin Lantz, 1994 *
Start matched on an undercling below the roof with #29 and pull directly out the roof to the prow arête and the crimps just slightly to the right of the prow. Once established on these crimpers, top out right there. Kind of short, but a fun battle typically ensues on the topout. Long pants may come in handy during the topout.
31. Backrub V6-8? ... FA: Peter Jones, 2005/6 *
Begin matched on the same undercling with #29 and #30, but pull out to a selection of sloping crimps left of the prow. Without using the prow arête, go the the top on small sloping edges. Different sequences exist and grades between V5 and V10 have been reported, with the truth residing somewhere in between these extremes. Time will clarify the grade as beta is refined and the easiest sequence becomes known and used. If you have an opinion, weigh in. Votes so far with varying beta include V5, V6, V8, V8 and V10.
32. And Now For Something Completely Different V6 ... FA: Ben Collett, 2009 *
Start matched on the undercling with #29-31 and do this fun variation to #31 on the left side of the prow that allows you to use the prow arête on your way to the top.