Balalayka Variation

Balalayka is a more challenging way to start your Pinnacle Direct adventure. This pitch contains two distinct cruxes separated by a good rest. Climb a thin crack up to a stance, move left and clip a bolt, then head up and left more through tricky climbing to a good stance near a giant block that resonates when you hit it. Stand up high jamming on the scary block to clip the second bolt and do another cruxy section mantling onto the visor feature (which kind of looks like a balalaika?). Jerry's book describes a 1" crack to the right of the visor. I went left around the corner to a 1.25” crack.

 The dirty nature of this pitch makes it quite difficult for the original grade of 10c, I'd guess that our beloved ruskies were feeling very strong when the route was established.

Just to the right of the gully where the northeast ridge starts is a wall split by thin a crack that leads to a bolt on the left (balalayka), or a large undercling flake on the right (vasya was here).

Single rack to 2", two bolts. Save a yellow alien sized piece for behind the scary block above the first bolt if you want pro while trying to reach up to the hard to clip second bolt.