West Dihedral 

Fun lead, recommended for beginners w/ small racks. You can protect all but the final flake easily w/ stoppers alone. It is nice to be able to place a #4 Camalot behind the flake before you top out but not necessary. The anchor cable is located below the belay ledge, so you might just thread and rap w/ a 60m towards the large ledge. Watch for a rope eating crack and tie knots in the end so you don't get a quick tour of lower Whale's Tail.

The top flake can also be protected by a #2 camalot with a long sling. Just bury it deep. In fact, I wasn't very happy with the large cam placement I found under the flake.

Beware for those with bee/wasp-type allergies: Today, for the first time, I saw a bunch of wasps at the end of this pitch. One stung [a] poor sod as he was reaching up R in the vicinity of the anchor.

Climbed this route last week. At the anchors I was swarmed by wasps/bees. About 10 of them were flying around me, but I downclimbed quickly and didn't get stung. Not a fun surprise!

No stinging bugs as of yesterday (25 jun 2003), so perhaps it's a late-summer problem. More holds and opportunities for pro than you can shake a stick at on this one, but careful of the anchor: the steel cable has some burrs on it that might chew on your rope when you pull it after the rappel. Just make sure you're on the non-burr side of the quicklinks. A 60m rope gets you all the way past the belay ledge and to the deck.

this was my 2nd lead and it was a very nice one (great pro - mostly stoppers) - so a great beginner trad lead - but if you are used to nice sport anchors or walk offs from your own anchors and see that jumbled pile of frayed cable and D-rings... please believe that you really are supposed to finish there and don't just keep going hoping to run into a magical top-out or bolt anchor (hmmmm......) - maybe bring an extra sling for peace of mind when rapping off

Lots of great gear and good holds make this a great lead for anyone working on their 4th or 5th trad lead. Obscure numbers, but for a good reason. This climb will gently teach your learning leader to place runners on gear, or pay for it. Medium nuts and cams up to a #1 make this route easily protected from 'toes to nose' (heard that one just today and had to use it) all the way up. The "crux" really isn't all that bad, and don't let your leader freak out from the traverse. It's REALLY short and quite easy with great gear overhead. ~Wm

P.S. No biting/stinging insects as of 23MAY04. Just lots of bugs dodging the swallows who were trying to live up to the moniker...

PPS: Anyone know what the boulder problem is just below the ledge here? It runs from the boulder field up a chute and deposits you directly at the base of this climb. Kind of a highball given the exposure and felt like V2 with Tevas on... Just curious.~Wm

This was my first gear lead and felt comfortable. Plently of pro and good stances. Though I must of came around the roof funny b/c I wound up using a micro nut to protect it. Good buckets to just heave over it. Short (but sketchy approach). I've had to wait 1-2 hours to climb it because I've had people run past me on the approach and then teach somebody how to climb.

A fun but short climb that is easily protected.

Just as good as west crack and similar in difficulty.

Short, dumpy, inconsistent climb. Starts ~4th class and gets progressively harder with two tricky moves (the second is 2' below the anchor). West Crack (just to the left) is much more consistent, gobbles pro, and is longer.-s

Matt says that a deeply buried #2 at the top is better than a large cam (I think) in the wide spot under the top flake. I disagree. I placed a #3 cam in that vicinity to set up a TR with slings on the fixed anchor and a trad piece or two. This location for a trad-esque anchor alleviates rope drag problems, though it eliminates the crux moves as well. Realistically, they aren't worth it for me and if you're teaching a person how to climb, it probably won't be worth it for you either.

No buggies today (June 17th). Climb with an unstung happiness! ~Wm

The fixed cam at the top of the corner has been removed.

Todd A (re: Replacing Cable) -

Is there any reason not to add bolts? They would certainly be less obtrusive, much easier to replace and much easier to use. I don't understand why this hasn't been done earlier.

If you do go with cable, I would suggest larger than even 1/4". It isn't the strength that is the issue, it is the WEAR from the ROCK. Is there anything wrong with the cable currently?

Hey guys, was just up on the West Dihedral last Wednesday. Cable at anchor is worn and shredding in places and should be taken off completely and replaced or different anchor put in. There were about 4 slings there as well so plenty of solid protection but I ended up with a piece of cable in my jacket, I would hate to end up with some in my rope....seeing old/shredding cable didn't make us feel too comfortable.

I have a permit from Steve M at Eldo to replace the Cable at the top of the West Crack climb and intend to do it this weekend. I sent Steve a photo of the set up which he approved (cable with rings, similar to what was there, but better) and hope to get it installed this weekend. This should eliminate all the slings and other gear often left there.

Bruce

Has the cable been replaced?

Thanks for the nice new cable!