Central Park Climbing Guide

8/13/2019 Central Park Climbing Guide

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Cat Rock


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1. Hissy Fit V0

Start: On the slightly overhanging face just right of the obvious right-facing corner.

Go: Up onto the low ledge and make a tenuous move to gain the top.

Bad landing.

2. Cat Corner V0- (5.8)

Start: At the obvious right-facing corner on the east side of the boulder.

Go: Up the awkward corner.

Bad landing.

3. The Arete V0+ ***

Start: On either side of the obvious arete that creates the left side of Cat Corner.

Go: Up the left side of the arete to the top. (If you start on the right side, make an initial

hard move to gain the left side of the arete.)

A classic boulder problem. One of the best in its grade. Despite being modest in height, it

can feel intimidating, especially near the top. However, good holds are to be found for the

exit moves.


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4. Scratching Post V3 (aka L.O.T.A.) **

Start: Immediately left of the arete. The right hand crimps on a thin, sharp flake hold. The

left hand on a small sloped hold.

Go: Straight up. Gain the obvious foothold and make one hard move to grab the good hold

above. Top out directly or move left to the groove and exit.

This problem was originally referred to as "Left of the Arete." At the time it was the only

established problem on the main face.

5. Elias V9 *

Start: Slightly left of Scratching Post with hands matched on a diagonal, thin flake. (Or,

from a later, harder sequence, match hands on the undercling found at the bottom edge of

the boulder.)

Go: Straight up. The only hold used from Scratching Post is the small sloper initially usedfor the left hand on that problem. Here it becomes a right hand hold. Avoid the good hold

higher up on Scratching Post.

When first climbed, the crux involved sticking an almost non-existant sloped hold. This

move was extremely height-related: too tall or too short made the move much harder.

Later, a key hold for the left hand broke after the third ascent. It was later climbed with an

entirely new (and harder) sequence.

6. Private Angel V7 ***


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Start: In the middle of steep main face. Right hand high on an obvious undercling hold, the

left on a shallow, thin horizontal crimper.

Go: Straight up with a difficult move to get established into the undercling. Continue up

past tiny crimper to a shallow, thin crack/slot. Fire for the top and mantle.

This long-anticpated route proved to be not quite as hard as some thought it would be. A

difficult sequence to unravel none-the-less. Sought after for years, the first known ascent

went to a visiting climber on his first day at Cat Rock. Until the development of Worthless

Boulder, it was widely considered the best boulder problem in the city.

7. The Dawg V5 **

Start: On the left side of the main face where there is a small depression at knee-level. An

obvious pinch/sidepull for the right hand and a tiny, dished out crimper for the left.

Go: Either move halfway up Fancy Feast and then right one step, or (a much nicer

beginning) angle up and diagonal slightly right from the opening move of Fancy Feast past

two hard-to-hold irregular crimps. Continue to the same shallow crack/slot hold found onPrivate Angel (for the right hand on this problem) and make a big move for the top. Mantle.

Though not quite as aesthetic and extreme as Private Angel, it is a classic face climb

requiring significant finger strength and excellent fotwork. Originally created as a variation

to Fancy Feast, the version of this problem as worked out by Komba and Yuki (diagonally

up right from the start) is truly a route that stands on its own.


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Variation: Kitty Litter V6 After getting established on the upper crimps, traverse right

across Private Angel and Elias. Exit via the notch.

8. Fancy Feast V3 *

Start: Same as The Dawg.

Go: Straight up, finding small edges and avoiding the large, sloped hold out left.

The precursor to The Dawg, it opened the way for the other routes on the main face. Still a

fun route with a hard start and a finish that seems much harder than it is if you ignore your

feet.

9. Felix V2

Start: Immediately left of Fancy Feast. Two thin vertical seams are found below a large,

sloped hold.

Go: Up to the large, sloped hold and the finish.

10. Obtuse Arete V1

Start: On the broken, irregular arete at the west end of the main Cat Rock block.

Go: Up the arete to the top using a dyno near the start if necessary. (Or force yourself to

set both feet on the rock before moving hands -- V4.)

11. Cat Crack V0- (5.6-5.7)

Start: Left of Obtuse Arete, on east-facing wall with an obvious vertical seam.

Go: Climb crack and face to top.

12. Top Cat V0

Start: On overhanging lip 6-8 feet right of Cat Corner.

Go: Hand traveres the lip to Cat Corner. Move around the arete and continue hand

traversing the top lip to Felix.

Rat Rock


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11. The Flake V0- ***

Start: At the tallest, steepest section of the eastern face, find an obvious, large right-facing flake

that archs up right.

Go : Move up the flake until you can reach out left and gain the long rail. Climb straight up.

A true classic.

Variation: Flake/Crystal follows the flake up and right and to the top via a somewhat hidden

crystal hold. V1


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12. Testpiece V4 ***

Start: On small, crystal holds immediately to the left of The Flake .

Go: Crimp up a line of small face holds to a shallow, thin horizontal crack, then straight up from

there (avoiding the rail) to a hold where the rail ends. Mantle directly onto the upper slab section via

a small two-finger crystal.

The original Rat Rock testpiece. For many years the hardest problem in the park. Crimpy and

powerful. Hard moves lead to an exciting finish.

Variation: An earlier, easier version. Use the obvious bulge out right for the right foott and the


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obvious rail for the left hand. V3

13. Rat Patrol V4 **

Start: Immediately left of Testpiece on low crystal holds.

Go: Straight up, using two of the small face holds on the lower part of Testpiece for the right hand.

Left hand on a small right-facing sidepull, right hand on the "tooth" hold, make the big move to the

rail. Finish directly finding a good hold in the large crystally rock above.

Not as sustained as Testpiece , but the moves are almost as good.


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14. Tweaky Shit V3

Start: Immediately left of Rat Patrol. 2-3 feet left of The Flake . The left-hand gaston on the

sidepull of Rat Patrol becomes straight on right-hand sidepull on this problem.

Go: Crank up on the tweaky opposing sidepulls and grab the horizontal rail above. Continue totop.

Right-hand sidepull broke first in 1987 making the problem a little harder. The hold broke even

bigger the next year but was epoxied back on by Yuki after consulting with other local climbers.

15. Ratraverse V2

Start: On the low bulge right of the flake (used as a major foothold on The Flake problem). Small

hand holds are found on the top and side of the bulge.

Go: Move left to the large flake, then up slightly. Traverse left across the middle of the face until

you find yourself in the middle of the Tweaky Shit crux. Gain the rail above and hand traverse the

rail to where it ends at a very small right facing corner. Power up the flakes at the corner to the top.

16. Bottom Line V8 *

Start: Same as Ratraverse -- on the small hand holds found on the low bulge right of the large

flake.

Go: Move left to the flake and stay low, traversing along the small face holds at the bottom

of Testpiece and Rat Patrol . Continue to a left-slanting, larger hold. Move left onto very thin holds

and then straight up to the horizontal rail. From the rail, finish with a big move straight up to a

hidden edge near the top.

Originally conceived as a variation to Ratraverse , this problem was developed with the input of many

climbers. A breakthrough climb for Rat Rock, it was later reported to have been worked out

several years prior by Kevin Bein, although this has never been confirmed.

Shortly after the first two ascents at the time, a key hold at the crux broke. It is not know whether


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the problem has been climbed since then.

Variation: Yuki's Problem starts near the end of the low traverse, moves up toward the dynamic

finish of Bottom Line, but eliminates the rail (using dished out holds just beneath its edge) andreaches the top statically via tiny holds. V8

Central Park Climbing Guide

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