Having already done the first pitch of Left Ski Track and the second pitch of
The Chauvinist, we decided to do the opposite, so that we have now climbed all
of both routes (I had already climbed the rest of Left Ski Track with Laura,
but Aaron hadn't.) The first pitch of The Chauvinist is awesome. You still get
most of the spectacular jugs of Left Ski Track, but with a really nice crack
start. The first twenty feet, in particular, is delicate and looks sketchy,
with only one good piece of pro, but it's bomber, and it's all you need. This
time we finished up Left Ski Track with the direct finish (186d in the
guidebook), which was excellent, and I highly recommend it over the original
route.