Type: | Trad, 8 pitches, Grade IV |
FA: | FA: Wayne Arrington & Mike Seeley on July 6-7, 1972 at (IV 5.8 A2) FFA: Peter Fralick & Chris Fralick on May 12, 1985 at (IV 5.11a) |
Page Views: | 16,182 total · 105/month |
Shared By: | Chris Wright on Jul 30, 2011 · Updates |
Admins: | Kristin Tippey, JD Merritt, Micah Klesick, Nate Ball |
Description
An amazing route, and certainly one of the best and longest trad climbs in Oregon. Worthy of a visit from anyone up to the challenge, Barad-dûr is inarguably one of the classiest of our Northwestern adventure climbs. Over the course of eight pitches of mostly excellent rock climbing, a combination of moderate face and crack climbing, plenty of bolts, and a few bold, steep, awesome crux pitches lead you through an audacious series of roofs and up to the top of Wolf Rock. Expect to run it out on easy terrain, but to be well-protected, often by bolts, at all of the route's cruxes. Though there is some loose rock on the route and it is fairly a serious undertaking, climbers adept at heads-up route-finding will find the rock to be mostly quite solid (at least by Oregonian standards).
P1: Follow a line of well-spaced bolts on dark rock up to a bolted belay. 25m (5.9)
P2: Climb up and right past bolts until you can climb a somewhat loose & manky right-facing corner to another bolted belay. 25m (5.9)
Note: P1 & P2 can be linked with a 60m rope.
P3: Climb up past two bolts and trend slightly right along the cleanest rock to a third bolt. From here traverse up and left along ledges placing gear as necessary until reaching another bolted belay on a small ledge. 35m (5.8)
P4: Head up and right on easy climbing (5.4) along a low-angled ramp. Follow the ramp to a left-facing corner, and climb the corner until you can traverse left under a roof. Head left and then up to a belay stance with some unique bolt hangers. 40m (5.9)
P5. Head right and traverse past the obvious line of bolts and around the tricky corner, then up to a cramped, semi-hanging belay on your right. 15m (5.10d)
P6. Climb straight up passing bolts to the crux move over a roof. Make a strenuous mantle onto the sloping shelf on your right. From there, make an airy traverse out right around the corner and up to another bolted belay. 25m (5.11b)
P7: Head up and left on easy but sparsely protected terrain passing a two bolt anchor and following the path of least resistance towards the skyline ridge. 60m (5.4)
P8: Continue up on low-5th and 4th-class terrain until the technical climbing eases to scrambling. 60m (5.2)
Continue scrambling up and left following a narrow but exposed and loose ridge until you can eventually gain the summit pinnacle.
Descent: From the summit, trend west/southwest along the ridgeline following a faint trail when possible until you can gain the Southwest Gully descent. A mix of grassy hillsides and 3rd-4th class down-climbing in a water groove will lead down the drainage until it is possible to exit onto a climber's path on your left. Follow the path back to the road.
Location
Protection
Thanks to an excellent re-bolting job, all of the belays are sound and all of the lead bolts that needed replacing have been replaced. A few old bolts do remain throughout the route, but it is unlikely that any will ruin your day.
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