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Purblind Pillar - 5.8

Average Rating = 3.38/5 Average Rating : 3.38 out of 5
Route sequence (left to right): 0
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Rock (Trad)
R
6
Standard rack to 4", micro cams are good to have.
800
Consensus Ratings
  Difficulty 5.8
  Safety Rating PG13
  Exposure 3.60/5
  Rock Quality 3.00/5
  Scenery 4.20/5
  Fun Factor 3.80/5

Description:

Start about 30' right of the alcove where Healy's Haunted House begins at the obvious left facing dihedral. Pitch 1: Head up the dihedral to a sling belay. 5.7, 190' Pitch 2: Head up the cool looking flake until it ends, step right to a bolt, then head up to a ledge and belay. 5.8, 50' Pitch 3: Cross the ledge to the right and ascend the groove, stepping right when a bolt appears. Traverse right, then head up, stopping when a belay stance appears. 5.7, 120' Pitch 4: Head up the crack system above until it ends and cross the ledge to a two bolt belay. 5.7+, 150' Pitch 5: Head up the thin crack above and traverse directly right when possible to belay below an obvious left facing dihedral. 5.8, 150' Pitch 6: Climb the dihedral (and the face just left) to the summit. 5.7, 195'. Variation: Instead of traversing right halfway up Pitch 5, continue straight up to belay on a big ledge below an obvious crack in the varnished headwall. For the final pitch, work your way up to the base of the crack and climb it. 5.8/5.9, 100'

Descent Options:

Descend by walking back to the gully and turning left, evenutally joining the Tunnelvision descent.

Submitted by: vegastradguy on 2007-03-21
Views: 2600
Route ID: 84350

Ascent Note:

Ratings
  Difficulty 5.8
  Safety Rating G
  Exposure
  Rock Quality
  Scenery
  Fun Factor
Onsight Onsight ascent by: dowww on 2008-09-24 (View Climbing Log)

2 out of 5 stars Pureblind Pillar

With Patrick from SP, our first climb together. I led the three 5.8 pitches including the 5.8-9 variation as described here. I was not impressed with this new route really. Did not find the climbing sustained and of course the rock was quite suspect. Not sure I consider this a worthy route to have developed. The first 5.8 pitch involves a traverse on white rock, little bit of a scary move to reach the bolt. The 2nd 5.8 pitch utilizes chicken heads to reach another bolt. Obviously these are not tried and tested as much as the ones at Lotta Balls, but the climbing is pretty easy. That last pitch variation looked a lot more attractive than the 5.6 finish. But in the end, was not as sustained as it looked. Mostly just an easy, kind of dirty 5.8 crack. Hard to protect the lower section crack with any viable piece, so you might call this pitch a tad run out I suppose.

Added: 2008-09-25