Shane Murphy in front of the Cable Route--the dihe...
Description
First of all, so there's no confusion, this route is NOT on the diamond. It is just filed under that rock. I give this route one star, but not because it is a bad route. It is an excellent first technical alpine route for a beginner. After doing the route, however, I would probably not be interested in doing it again unless it was a winter ascent, which would be different.
The history of the route is kinda interesting. I'm not sure of specific dates, but in the early part of the 1900's a thick steel cable was bolted to the rock with huge eye bolts (much like the bolts on the 3rd). Non-technical climbers would use this as an aid to climb up this face of Longs. That is until people started to realize that a 1in. thick cable bolted to the rock for hundreds of feet is a great conductor of electricity. The cable was removed, but a couple of the eye bolts still exist at the belays.
This climb is best started from the boulder field at the base of Long's approaching from the East. From the boulder field, the hike is only about 0.25mi. to the start of the climb and about 1.5mi. descent from the backside (W. side) of Long's. Otherwise, you're looking at a 6 mi. hike just to the boulder field with a full pack of gear. Best climbed mid summer through early fall (unless you bring crampons). I climbed it mid-October in 1998 and it was cold and coated with a nice layer of verglass (thin ice). This changed the grade from easy 5.4 to very contemplative 5.6-7ish.
There is only really one full pitch of technical climbing, then it's very easy 5th and 4th class for a pitch or so. After this, 3rd class get you to the summit, taking the line toward the edge of the diamond, then back to the summit.
The ranger station at the Longs trailhead has a nice 3D model of Longs and a ranger will be happy to show you the exact line. Descent is a downclimb of the same route (raps possible from the eye bolts) or via the standard Keyhole route.
Protection
Very minimal rack. A few large stoppers and some hexes or tri-cams. Several shoulder slings. A 50m rope is sufficient.
As a side note to this description, I would like everyone to know that the North Face, or Cables Route, is the quickest way to descend off the summit of Longs to the Boulder Field. From the summit, walk pretty much NE down the third class slopes which are cairned and almost have a trail. The technical pitch or two at the bottom of the face can be easily downclimbed by a confident climber or rappelled even easier using the fixed eyebolts as anchors. With one or two ropes I believe it is a double rappel either way. This deposits you at Chasm View, where you get a great view of the Diamond, and it is only a short scramble down to the Boulder Field, where you can pick up the trail. I have done this from summit to Boulder Field in less than an hour before, as opposed to three miles of strenuous hiking down the Keyhole.
Fun training hike/climb winter, spring, summer and fall.... Find the first eybolt at the bottom of the slabs and the route follows a plumb line, would be moderate friction climbing if not for the water that runs down the slabs, make mental note of all eyebolts for the winter white out descents!
The crux has got to be the step out of the dihedral on the first pitch. You have to teeter from the left to the right in a dynamic move that places your entire weight on one foot at a small (3 inch) wet/icy ledge as you step up and out of the dihedral. At that moment you are above about 30 feet of air and a decent fall.
Climbed this route in March of 2000 with Chris Cavallaro. Mistakenly not realizing that the technical crux pitch was right after Chasm View, we were not roped up and ending up free soloing the crux pitches with crampons and ice axe. Not the best way to climb it for sure, so my advice rope up early, even before Chasm View if you want. Simul-Climbing is the way to go for the majority of the route. Tons of fun in the winter, some nice mixed climbing, pick the line that looks best to you and enjoy.
In response to the questions posted to cb-d... the top eyebolt for the rappel can normally be found in the winter though it can be a bit challenging. A double 60m rappel will get you WAY past the "technical" section. One doubled 60m rope should get you to easily down-climbed terrain if not past all difficulties. For pro, it depends, some shoulder-length slings for slinging the eye-bolts, a set of nuts and some mid-size hexes (and a hammer to pound them in if the crack is iced up) should do it. There's normally not enough ice to take a solid screw. A Spectre might work if you trust them.
Kevin's comments are right on. There are 3 huge eye bolts (shoulder sling) to a final 4 one at the end of the technical section. They were clear and plain as day to see on a March 22 ascent, and I believe that you'd have no trouble finding them unless the entire ramp was completely covered in snow. I used one additional mid-sized hex between bolts, and the entire technical pitch seemed about 150'.
For descending, a single 50m rope works fine, in two raps, to get you to the base of the technical section.... though it's kind of close, so tie your rope ends together.
Just did Cables this weekend (4.6.02). Conditions were great on the North side. The first eye bolt at the base of the 5.4 pitch is gone, but the bolt at the top still seemed solid. Still a little ice in the dihedral, so it was nice to have a tool ready at hand, but easy climbing overall. Made the mistake of descending the Keyhole, which was a crappy mix of hard icy-crusted snow and rock. Definitely go back whence you came in the early season. The "tourist" route is just as exposed, longer and more dangerous until it melts out.
Not to give away my usual non-technical approach or standard descent off the Diamond but really, the combination of the "Loft" approach and "Clarks Arrow" is by far the fastest, easiest, approach /descent of Long's. I've used it at least 15-20 times and once you have been up/down it once it's a piece of cake. Be warned that you are on your own and there aren't a horde of tourist's to follow and there are route finding problems for the novice "Peak Bagger" but in regards to a the "Fastest/Easiest" route this is the best!
The running records for both one-way and round trip on Longs were done via the North Face cables. You may save time higher on the mountain by being over on the Loft, but trailhead to summit it is certainly not the fastest way. I would also think descending the NF is the way to go for most Diamond routes, certainly considering how straight forward this descent is and how quickly one can get to non-technical ground. P.S. I think the running record for trailhead to summit is 1:18, by a Fairview track team member and student of Roger Briggs.
Well - with such a dry winter the route is 99% dry right now. Go really light for this thing - every other stopper and hexes from #5-#9 and maybe a few Friends from 1.5 to 2.5 for the timid. Approach shoes that you can climb in - it is slabby 5.4 for the (relatively short) technical part. Slings to tie off the eyebolts. There are two eyebolts during the technical climbing, and one after you step out of the dihedral. Dont belay here if you have a 60m but move up 10 more feet to another eyebolt on much easier ground where you can unrope. From there go left a little ways till a ramp goes right up to another eyebolt next to a cairin. Wander up to the top. This route is quite easy in the summer and a quick but more technical route than the Keyhole route. Significantly more challenging (and more fun) in the winter. Casey Bernal
Did this route on Monday, 9/23. Weather was great, but the technical part was iced up pretty good. If it wasn't verglas on the slabby portion, there were several little "waterfalls" making things a little difficult (especially when you exit left to get to the upperbolt) - probably more like the 5.6, 7ish feel as previously suggested. Decended the "Clarks Arrow" or Loft route to make a nice Tour de Long's. Another note of interest to us ice climbers as well...looks like the waterice coming off the loft is forming up nicely. The entire route was covered - but obviously still a little thin!
Did the Cables in September and for the most part, the route is rather icy or wet. Another variation does exist without the eye bolts just to the left. A small, left facing dihedral falling off the Diamond/Chasm Wall eats up nuts and goes at about 5.5. With this season being a wet one, this route might be the one for the summer for the rock climbers.
Powder, lots of powdery snow, snow up to your waist, up to your ears even! If thats your cup of tea, go get'm. Not yet campers. Be patient and you shall be rewarded. Most routes in this area have been completely shat uppon by the last few storms... go somewhere else.
Me and crazy nut from Kansas City (Chris Johnson), ascended Long's via the Cable Route on May 17, 2003 and found tons of snow and sunshine. We ascended Chasm Lake via The Camel Coulior in which we encountered deep, soft snow to some ice. Snow was encountered all the way up to the base of the rock section which was partially covered with snow! The first and only pitch was 30 feet in length in which three eye bolts were visible. Above the rock pitch was wonderful, wind scoured snow with an approximate maximum angle of 50 degrees all the way to the summit. No eyebolts were noticed though above the rock. We ascended the snowfield unroped since the snow was soft enough to allow you to plant your feet about one foot deep into the snow. Beware of rocks below thin layers of snow that had a layer of ice on them! We descended the same way we came up by using our steps we created during the ascent. I recommend to take advantage of this awesome snow pack on the Cable Route which I heard is rare!
Just did Cable Route this weekend (10/11/03). The technical section had some hard packed snow and very little ice. I lead with lots of dry tooling. My partner used ice axes and soft boots to smear the rock face, which seemed to work much better. All eyebolts exposed.
Climbed on 9/12/04. I've climbed this route twice before (Jan and June '01) and this is the most ice I've ever seen!Bodes well for ice season this year!
Unfortunately, it's enough ice to require crampons but not solid or well-bonded enough for good screws or completely comfy tool sticks. The "normal" exit slab is *covered* in thin ice. Much better to go all the way up to the overlap which has a nice iced-up ledge below it and a relatively easy exit left - ice is pretty thick in the corner for this last 50-60'.
On Sunday, I rated this climb M-Scary though in retrospect probably M4(+?) right now; definitely harder than the several times I've climbed Dreamweaver.Only good news was good rock pro (yellow #2? Friend, mid-sized nut) at the 2 one-move cruxes, but I really didn't want to fall with all the pointy things I had on and in my hands!
Also of note, the bottom eye-bolt is gone (someone's new red tri-cam is fixed/frozen here now) as are one or two other eye-bolts up higher. There's still one bolt just above the start, one after the first crux (in current conditions), one after the exit left at the overlap, and one (best belay) about 10 ft above that. There is also at least one more higher up that is useful for rapping on the way down. The N face itself is snow/rock and can be done with either boots or crampons. Go straight up from the belay for about 100 - 200' then traverse left and up avoiding the ice and slabs.
Is that a real Webcam? Because yesterday's picture looks just like today's, and last night looked just like the night before. I think something funny is going on here. I wonder if it's one of those websites where the take a bunch of pictures and randomly post them as actual webcam shots. And they say it's a webcam just so they can boost their hits. I don't think if that were the case that BC would allow a link to it. I'm going up there tomorrow and try to find it.
Hey guys. I did this route on 1/22/05, and wanted to post a little beta on the eye-bolt situation. I have never done this route before, so I'm not entirely sure if accurate, but we found one eye bolt at the end of a large snow slope at the start of the technical section. The next pitch had one bolt exposed along the way, and there were two bolts exposed at the first belay station. We used the second, uppermost bolt for the belay anchor because there was a party behind us. We stayed roped up for only one pitch, and my partner found the location of a last eye bolt covered in snow. We dug it out and used it to rap down to the first belay spot. I hope this beta helps anyone attempting this route-which is why I come to this site.
There was a small stream down this route on August 11. Even with the stream, the route is 5.4 at the hardest. A reasonably experienced leader can easily do this route using only the bolts for protection, though we used one piece between bolts because we brought extra gear.
On the whole, it's a fun and easy route, as well as an easy route to find.
Hello, I am not as confident in my alpine rock and snow as I am in traditional rock climbing. Is June a good time to climb this route, or is it better to wait until maybe July? I have climbed quite a bit in the Winds, which has some alpine style climbing, though the highest peak I climbed there was 13000 ish, and not technical. Is this a good one for some one with about my experience? Thanks, Pete.
What a classic! Wow this route saves time and allows you to bypass all the Texans... The bolts can be hard to find in the winter so make sure you know were they are if your doing a winter ascent. Other than that this route really is just a breath taking route with great views of the whole cirque. And remember Longs has the 6 mile hike in just to start the real fun so plan ahead and always go big. Party on!
Climbed it 8/8/07. The one pitch of technical rock was pretty wet, and even running with water in places, but still 5.4. Long hike, but fun climb. Note: a descending climber said there was some ice this morning in the Homestretch of the Keyhole hiking route!
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