lovesclimbing's Logbook (196 ascents)

Very fun crack on frist pitch, the rest of the route follows the white streak, once you finsh the route I would suggest not putting the gear away quite yet, head up the gully about 10m or so and than start climbing the right side of the face up the features

Not a bad route, a couple of good moves but basicly gives you what it is, tame 5.9 with soild rock with a bit of loose stuff as well, as Dow has said standard rack to #3 is fine

For the last few years I have heard that this route is great and everyone wants to do it. This route has some nice climbing in places and a cool setting, but its just not that great, we started at the very base of the rib rather than walking up the scree gully on the left side. The proper start is below a very large tree although you can really climb anywhere you want. Aside from the 3rd pitch (?) in the topo there was nothing special with the climbing, just another ridge climb. On the 3rd pitch there was a fun litle crack to climb. The crux at the 'wave' was a bit off balance but nothing sepecial and the 'wave' is nothing like the waves on paper chase. The upper wall again was just more ridge climbing and you could go where ever you wanted. The upper crux had some thiner slab moves and some poor rock, the crux is protected by a poor pin that would probley pull out on anything more than a slip. You could try backing it up with your smallest cam. Above that crux that can become very runout the rock becomes poor but still climbable. The last pitch is basicly 5.6 with no pro and poor rock but is short.
We did this route in 6 pitchs with a 70m and 3 pitchs were done with simul climbing. With a compatent strong parrty you could do this route in 4 long pitchs. The raps are in funny places and can be done with a single. 1st rap 20m to the left on angled ground, 2nd 15m left (best to have ropes far left) at a very exposed stance, 3rd rap 30m free hanging. The rest of the descent is walking down through cliff bands far skiers right and than back left. The approach is about an hour, if compatent at the grade and pitching it out a single rack up to #3 with nuts is fine, if running pitchs together lots of small stuff up to #2 is good to have. For a 5.8 climber the upper crux will be out there, good route for moving fast on.

With a mess up in an approach at 3am my partner and I salvaged the day and a very sore knee with a quick run up route. This route was a fun day for us and a very max relax day compaired with our plans. We both climb a bit above the grade and soloed the route together with a rope and light rack in the packs. As this route is described as good training for long alpine routes that it is, there is quite a bit of loose rock and rubble on ledges but with some great featuresand rock. There is a few new bolted anchors and lots of the pins have been replaced by bolts. The pro seemed like it would be good although we didnt place any either, there looked like some possiable runout areas for a 5.6 climber but if you are stronger you shouldnt have problems. A fun route as we did it car to top in 3.5hrs at a relaxed pace although pitching it out would take a much longer time.

I did this route with a buddy that is no longer around, it was a bit of a big step (no pun) for him and he found it really out there because of size, length, not the best conditions and just not his cup of tea. So I basicly took him up the whole thing and got caught on the toe of the glacier in a big lightning storm, we dropped our gear and ran down the taluas, made a bivi and racked out for 6hrs while it passed. We were in boots the entire day which wasnt bad for all the scrambling and climbing, you can literly go anywhere up there until you hit something hard. Lots of fixed gear and good gear on the roped pitchs. Black towers wernt to bad, we didnt go up in the middle of the traverse though, we went further left which cost us time, found the sharks fin easliy and was a good landmark.

A friend of mine wanted to do this route so I took her up it, I had a 70m and linked the first 3 pitchs and 4 and 5, if I were to do it again I would link 1 and 2, and 3 and 4. Pitch 4 I would countinue up the corner directly at easy 5.9 rather than step out onto the slab, as well i did pitch 6 direct, there is not a lot of gear on the direct varation so whenever u find something place it. Pitch 7 has to be the best 5.6 around, very fun, I freed the aid at 10c but my patner didnt although it was easy for her to pull on the gear. Pitch 9 I went direct again up the feature which turned in 5.8/9x onto a large ledge, was great climbing but seemed silly afterwards doing that on an easy route. Pitch 10 I took the varation and came across 3 diffrnt systems to climb each around 5.9 or so but much funner than the scramble of the route. The last pitch has some great climbing up a thin crack that is glory for nuts. Overall a great route that could be cleaned up (lots of old fixed gear) and have proper direct pitchs put up to give another good but harder route

This very fine, harder than expected route is a great short day route when you dont want to sport climb or have lots of crowds, there is a large amount of fixed gear on the route in a very thin seam in a corner system, this gear has been in place since 1979 and an effort should be made to back it up. Coupled with the first pitch of Original route makes for a very good sustained trad climb.

This route is a throug back from older days, the grade could be subjected, certinly you would not find overhanging moves on a 5.7 in grassi lakes. The first pitch is a very good pitch for climbers looking to strengthin there trad leaders can exercise techincal gear placements at higher levels as well as dealing with questionable rock. Overall this route is a good challenge for trad leaders climbing 5.8 or higher. The top pitch is very intresting although a bit sparce pro.

I didnt really have any motivation to climb this route although I happened to find a partner that wasnt against going climbing when its cold and would at least belay in the rain so I picked this one knowing it would be more of a sport climb than anything and would be easy to retreat if it got to cold and wet. So we headed up, the rain and cold did make things a litle slower but I was surprised to find good rock bolted with the flaky loose rock protected with a bit of pro, some good parts of climbing seperated by junk. This route hs a few sustained pitchs and some good climbing. A note for P 4 as you enter the bottom of the corner that is guarded by a small head wall with poor rock, protect it low and traverse low as well, it you follow up to the block of good rock you find out that it is a block and you are now making moves of very poor rock with a ledge fall. Once above and into the corner this pitch climbs well.

Make no mistake with this route, it is basicly a sport climb, climbing 5.11b on solid rock with a bolt by your waist is alot diffrnt than climbing CMC wall, Yellow Edge, Marriage Rites.

This route was always in the background for me as I am not a strong 5.12 climber but having spent sometime on this wall trying to sort out High Voltage and finding Unforgiven, I found myself with a short day and a gullable partner. The first pitch climbs a shallow corner by 3 bolts and a single placement takes you to the big ledge and a new ring bolt belay for Unforgiven/Glory Days. The second pitch is completly fixed with a few moves to the right that you could maybe place something to protect this but the climbing is good and solid. This pitch has some ok techy climbing up to the crux. I love big moves on Yam with a bit of loose rock throwen in for excitment, this crux is very smooth and techy, a bit out of my scope of climbing. The crux can be pulled though at A0 easily. The 3rd pitch at 10c has some good climbing with about 3 clean placements and a fixed nut above the station with some good face climbing and although the route is sporty there still are dirty ledges and my partner pulled a flake off this pitch. The last pitch is a fantastic pitch with good gear great postion and even better climbing. In fact I would say that this pitch is the reason to climb the route and the rest of the route actually takes away from it. I found the climbing more sustained than the book suggested with the larger part being on gear, I only brought nuts and a single rack up to #3 and would have liked doubles of .5 and smaller but you can get away with nuts as well. Of note (2011) there is a bolted line on selfdrives as well heading up and right above the last pitch and it may be the direct finsh being routed??