South Early Winters Spire, SW Rib Bear Hug Pitch (5.7+)

The Bear Hug pitch on SEWS was my favorite one of the whole day. The double cracks are incredibly secure and the right-side crack provides very positive handholds that allow you do climb without using wide crack techniques. If the left crack was not present, I think that this pitch might still be rated at only 5.8 since the right crack is so good. A #5 BD Camalot can be placed about halfway up the crack before you start really getting it tipped out. Don't give up too soon since as you can see from the video, the irregularities in the crack let you bump the cam slightly higher than when it first gets tipped out.