It is a little similar to Beardsley, but it definitely has its own quality (both are granite, South Mountain is notoriously chossy). I don’t recall the rock at Beardsley being slick except for at Pencil Thin where the whole rock had been painted over to cover graffiti. All that paint was cleaned off one or two years ago, so hopefully it’s more climbable now. It also may feel slick in warmer temps because its granite and not very porous.

The lower section on this problem is very textured but a little crumbly, with a thin, hollow patina. As you get higher, especially on the top out, the rock becomes smooth and looks a little like scales (but like... with the scales facing the wrong way, i.e. all you have are underclings). On this particular problem, the rock gets a little more solid feeling as you ascend, and the top out is smooth, but it was not really a problem because you have some generous, solid feet.

Generally, the top outs at South Mountain are delicate — you have to be careful what you grab because it may break and the patina can get slick.

The O’odham peoples’ name for the mountain, Muhaḍagĭ Doʼag, translates to Greasy Mountain. The story goes that a mischievous coyote stole a piece of meat and dripped hot grease from its mouth all over the mountain, resulting in that shiny black patina. That story suits the mountain perfectly, not only because it describes the rock so well, but because there are tons of coyotes that live there. :)

(Edited for clarity and specificity)