Routes and Difficulty
Manchester has a total of 43 routes, ranging from the difficulty of 5.4 to 5.11a, most averaging around 5.9.
The easiest route at Manchester is located on the back of the first pillar (i.e. side closest to the James River). The name of this route is called affectionately The Ladder, or Potty Training. It is rated a 5.4 and is perfect for those who have never rock climbed before. However, it is easiest to have an experience climber lead Bolts From Heaven, a 5.5 with arete on. The lead climber can then send a top rope down The Ladder from the anchors at the top of the pillar.
Bolts From Heaven is a great practice run for climbers learning to lead. Having a total of 7 bolts, plus the two top bolts, makes it the safest first lead at Manchester. Also, this climb is perfect for anchoring any of the other 8 routes on Pillar #1 with relative ease. The other routes on the pillar have only two bolts for sport climbing, making a ground-fall more likely should a mistake be made.
A fun, but difficult climb can be found on Pillar #2. McKenna, or The Crack, is literally that, a crack running up the pillar. It offers a variety of handholds such as crimpers, side-pulls, and under-clings. It has reliable footholds, so it is a great challenge for climbers to get practice with different clings.
For the more advanced climbers, The Wall is where the most effort is put forward into climbing. The pillars have a slightly sloped incline, making balancing and standing much easier for climbers. However, The Wall is an almost vertical ascent. It also makes the effort more difficult because of its much longer route lengths. The pillars are relatively short compared to the towering wall.
The most challenging route on The Wall is Tendonitis, rated at 5.10d. Its almost smooth surface and lack of foot- and handholds are a real challenge. Finger pockets and smearing are all that a climber gets on this longest route. However, lucky for the climbers, the first half is a chimney, so at the top of it is a resting location for climbers to sit and rest before continuing up the other half to the top-most point on the wall.
Read more about this topic: Manchester Wall
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