Konstantin and I first got on it in the fall of 98, following a short list of cracks by Jim Herson. Better than any guidebook. Phoenix starts with a delicate climbing in a shallow pin-scared dihedral, that builds up some pump. It is followed by a steep finger traverse, which is the crux. Past it, the crack widens to thin hands, gently overhanging, and stays that way to the end. One of the best thin-hand endurace stretches in the valley!
Burned flesh, Konstantin goes to Six Flags
I managed some sort of yo-yo ascent. Basically top-roping the lower crux, after a fall, and then leading to the top. While belaying Konstantin from the top, I experienced one of the scariest moments in my life. I used an ATC attached too high. Near the anchor, where friction in the system was minimal, Konstantin slipped and fell. Climbing there is super easy and I had lowered my guard... It all happened quick. He reached near free-fall speed in a second...the rope zipping through the ATC too fast for me to catch. I tried desperately to slow it down with bare hands...somehow I did. But not before Konstantin flew the entire length of the climb. Luckily, Phoenix overhangs...It took a couple of weeks to grow back the skin missing off my palms. For the record, Konstantin is not a screamer.
More Stuff Goes Down
Style matters, and so I was back on it in 2007 to set the record straight. I was gunning for the red point with Jacqueline on belay. Now, one issue with Phoenix is that you've got to have a partner who can follow it, or else jumar up and clean in. Jugging is easy, right? Right... So I handed to Jacqueline a tbloc, an old ascender, and some slings for the feet. I fell on the crux, no redpoint. When I got to the belay, I dropped one of my climbing shoes down the cliff. But that was just the start of the troubles. Jacqueline was taking a really long time to jug up the climb. We were loosing light, and there was another short pitch to get off the rock. Of course, I didn't bring headlamps. And... I forgot to mention to Jacqueline who never jumared before, that to relieve tension off a cam before cleaning, one must move the ascender above it... Just when it got dark, I heard the distinct sound of metal hitting the rock, and falling into the abyss, shit. Then silence. It was the tbloc. All kind of thoughts raced through my mind, including the possibility of spending the night on the cliff...But we made it off thanks to Jacqueline's heroic efforts.
The next weekend I was back on it with Ken. He had a nice set of jugs, and the knowhow to use them. I got the redpoint first try, whew--more of a relief than an exhilaration. At this point I was strong enough to overpower most of the moves.
Gear Beta: Like Separate Reality, the approach is from the top, and the first crux is finding the rappel. Two rappels down: first from a tree; the second from a bolted belay. The striking splitter is almost invisible until the last rappel. Shallow dihedral start is protected with fixed pins and 00-0 TCUs. Then some orange, yellow, and blue TCUs for the crux. Purple and Green camalots to transition to hands. The rest is bunch of Reds to the top! Enjoy!
About chipping: Some say that Jardine manufactured holds on the start of the climb. Indeed, pinscar holes are essentially manufactured holds. They didn't seem any more intentional than any other pinscared free climbing in Yosemite, and didn't take any of the fun of the climb.
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