Masters of slab, this one is for you.  Despite a couple of substantial roofs along the way, the difficulty increases the more the angle eases off!Once you've gotten (into the) "Ivy League," then you can see if are ready to pass "The Final Exam."

The Final Exam

The Basket Case

Broken Dreams

Don't Break It if You Can't Buy It

Ivy League

Roofs for Goofs

Calf Ripper

Bush League

Major League

Reach for your Dreams

Born on the Fourth of July

Landers Last Gander

Jugs for Thugs

Unfinished Business

The Deep End

Sink or Swim

Just Say No to Crack

Leaves of Three

Ninja Skill Called Trad

Longaberger

Wet Dreams

Begins with a tricky boulder problem with a sidepull to a big reach and limited feet.  Regain your composure under the big roof and then jug haul your way to the lip. As you go to pull onto the face above, you may find yourself looking left... or was it right... for some decent holds. You'll figure it out!

Easy climbing on jugs to the last ledge where you might find yourself searching for the easy beta to get to the anchors.

Start in the cave with an exciting and steep start to get things going.  Continue past the steep stuff to more moderate vert terrain.   Pull a move to gain the slab face and continue to more vert terrain.  High clip the last bolt if you can and launch into the crux that will test your reach or lock off strength.   If you fall, join the list of people with broken dreams of sending.  Grade probably height dependent.

Mantle up, milk the jug, and then figure out how to get through the roof.  Once you pull that one, another one awaits with easier moves... if only you could see the holds!  Try not to break anything.

Improbable climbing for the grade takes you through a series of horizontal roofs where your playgrounds monkey bar skills may pay off.  Unfortunately, just when you’re starting to enjoy the climbing, you’re at the lip and the ride is over.   Grade may be height dependent.

Start under the big roof with a finger crack, move onto pockets, then traverse right into the crack to pull the roof.  Stem to the top.  

Fantastic movement packed into a short climb! Starts with a bouldery sequence off an undercling to a rail. Power through to the good holds, get to the large shelf hold, hit the pocket and crank up and throw for the lip. It's not over yet though... A last crux awaits you as you try to pull onto the face.

Once you've had enough of that bush league stuff, it's time to give the majors a try!An extension of "Bush League" that takes you to the top.  Pull through the roof at the chains, and then work your way up the slabby arete to the top.

This one will be height dependent, with three distinct cruxes that all require a long reach, and each is harder than the last. You'll be in good company if you have your dreams shattered as you reach for the stars at the top... If you are 6'2" with a +2" ape index, you'll be able to walk to the top. For the rest of us, good footwork (and knee-work?!) and some decent lock-off strength will be in order. If you are 5'10", it is maybe 5.12b/c? Subtract a letter grade for every inch you are over that, and add one for every inch under! 

Start on the bouldery finger crack, move into pockets, then start the business moving through the big crack in the roof.  Work the off-width (5.12?) or move left onto face holds to gain a large ledge.  Walk a few feet to the right and finish the upper crack to the anchors.  Awesome moves to the ledge, and fun to the top.Note: It is possible to protect very well throughout, but if you sew it up down low, the rope drag up top will be ultra heinous. So you choose: run it out down low or suffer at the top!  Either way, long slings recommended down low!  You can always puss out and clip bolts on sport line to the left.You could also imagine a number of fun variations.  1)  Just climb the overhanging crack start, and then lower off the anchors for "Just Say No to Crack."  2) Make it a mixed route and start up any of the three sport routes to the right of the off-width and then go to the top on gear to make the line a bit less winding, although rope drag may be problematic nonetheless (back-clean 1st draw or two?)   3)  Climb the overhanging wide crack, but then move left to go to the top via Wet Dreams. 

Start just left of the off-width roof crack and work your way right of the crack and up the steepness that requires some core fitness to get you through the roof.  The finish is no gimme to the anchors.  Clip the old rusty bolt and hanger as a directional only.

Climb on good rock and holds through an extremely steep face requiring some core strength and big moves.    Very fun, and climbs longer than it looks due to the steepness.

Follows the steepest part of the arete between the Poison Ivy Wall and Genesis Wall.  Great rests separate four distinct cruxes.  Mantle up over the blank slab to the first ledge, then head slightly left over the first roof towards the big overhanging prow.  Pull over that roof, and then head up and over the final roof on the airy arete.

Once you managed to avoid sinking and swim to the anchors, you’re ready to head to the deep end.  This one will challenge your campus, mantle, and slab skills.   Well worth wading into... just don’t get in over your head! 

Just like swimming, this one is easier if you keep moving.  Enjoy a nice flow of movement on good holds.

Easy intro climbing leads to a nice boulder problem which is harder (and more fun) if you avoid the crack.  Finish up on jugs. 

Start up the right side of the low scoop.  Pull the start and make some easy moves on jugs.  Lock it down and finish it off.

Start in a small dihedral with a finger crack (often mungy), crank through the two roofs, and then whip out some ninja trad skills to pull up through the slot.Then enjoy the steep but brief jug haul to the top.

In case you missed the giant basket-shaped building on your way over, maybe you can get a better view of it from the cliff-top.  Well, it's worth going up to have a look anyway... An extension of "The Basket Case."  Go through the slot to the left of the chains, pull over a small roof and then work the slab to the top, weaving slightly right and then left at the rim.  Don't count your eggs until you've got 'em safely in the basket.

For the true all-arounder!  Starts off steep with jugs and big throws that will make sure the traddies work for their beer, and finishes up on a vertical but pretty featureless flaring crack that is guaranteed to befuddle your buddies who only know how to clip bolts.Shares a start with Jugs for Thugs through the first three moves, then goes straight up (slightly left) on the vertical face above the roof, toward the huge flaring crack. Walk up the ramp and then stem/shimmy/butt-scum/jam/whatever your way up the flaring crack.  Don't let you guard down until it's done.Recommendation:  Stick-clip the 2nd bolt of Jugs for Thugs to protect the start, and pre-hang the first draw on Wet Dreams. Climb to the lip, clip the first draw of Wet Dreams and then back-clean to minimize rope drag (easy to do from the last big jug at the lip).

Called "The Cave" for obvious reasons, this is also called the Poison Ivy Wall because there was a time when it was nothing but a wall of green. Trees of poison ivy, I do not exaggerate. Suffice it to say, I don't fuck around when it comes to unbearably itchy skin rashes, and the vines are no more. What we discovered under all those leaves of three is some of the funnest steepest sport climbing around. The Cave likely has the highest density of mid-11s anywhere in Ohio! Most of the routes were first bolted like RRG routes - up through the steep stuff and ignoring the slab above. Climbed that way, they are short and sweet with only a handful of bolts, but they can pack a punch!  More or less roped bouldering. A handful lines were originally conceived as going all the way to the top though, including Reach for your Dreams, not necessarily recommended for those of shorter stature, Broken Dreams, an 11d heartbreaker, Wet Dreams, which takes you up a big red crack, as well as two great trad lines. Now, extensions have been added such that 4 more short routes can also be topped out, with some very cool and quite tricky lower-angle climbing on the upper sections. The extensions are listed as separate routes, and the lower anchors are all still in place. Note: For routes with permadraws, please be sure to hang your own draw on the 1st bolt. Do NOT directly stickclip the perma on the 2nd. To help make cleaning easier, the last climber can clip the perma on the 2nd and then back-clean the first, thereby avoiding needing to tram to clean. As always, please never top-rope off the mussy hooks!Some parts of the wall, particularly the cracks, will be dripping until early summer, but many of the routes on the faces between cracks will be more or less dry year round.Think you are fit? Want to check your endurance level? Try the "Cave in a Day" challenge. The goal is to send all the short steep sport lines on the Poison Ivy Wall in a day -- that's from "Jugs for Thugs" to "Roofs for Goofs." Ten routes total. Nothing harder than 11d, but all but two of them are 11's.  Short, yes, but they are steep! PM me to have your name listed here as an official Marne Rd badass.  Up your game and time yourself! Ian Kirk and Jordan Katz, Sept '20, 1h46minJordan Katz, Nov '19, 5+ hours 

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Routes in E. Poison Ivy Wall ("The Cave")