The East Face of North Gateway is closed to climbers every year from around Feb 1 until early August, depending on when the birds fledge. It's not posted out there, but since the closure has been in effect for 20+ years it is incumbent on climbers to know about closures by stopping in at the visitor center and asking. The falcons always nest in a big pothole above the traverse ledge and below the Kissing Camels arch.
Dan Russell on the first pitch of The Inferno.
Description
The first pitch is the crux. Climb a short ramp to a bolt (sometimes the hanger is missing, if it is, use a wire). Using hand-placed pins or tricams, ascend to a very short 5.8 lieback to another bolt. From here follow incipient cracks up on cams and tricams to a drilled pin, an old bolt, and the anchor directly under a small roof. For the second pitch, traverse left on rivets, then up on small nuts to another anchor. For the third pitch, follow old bolts/drilled pins up and slightly left to join Triple Exposure just before the summit notch. Two double-rope rappels to the ground.
Protection
quickdraws, small nuts/wires for rivets, small tricams for pin scars, small to medium cams, pins come in handy, either lost arrows or medium to large angles TO BE HAND-PLACED. DON'T BRING A HAMMER!
During the summer of 2002 a couple of us spent several days trying to free the first pitch of the Inferno. All the moves go free, offerring some very dynamic and powerful climbing, some of the best moves in the Garden. It has also cleaned up surprisingly well and sports mostly very solid holds once on the route.
The free variation goes left at the start, then straight up to join the aid line, so it will probably need a lead bolt near the beginning to be led. The crux is a dyno right near the start, probably about v6 or v7. Then it's a super fun .12a to the anchor from there. As of right now, we do the first 3 moves as aid, on 2 bolts and a hand-placed pin, then redpoint the rest of the pitch.
It will be super-classic when it goes, and the hardest free route in the Garden for sure.
Also, the C3 rating that I gave the whole route is probably not accurate. That's what I had heard it as, so that's what I gave it when I submitted it to the database, but it's not harder than C2. The upper pitch is just a ladder of bad bolts and lots of old 1/4" studs. At one point, there's like 6 or 8 of them in a row, above a dubious pin. So the C3 was because of the fall potential, but the route is actually very easy. C2F is probably more accurate. Whatever it is, it's fun to yard on all those horrible looking studs. And since most of the route overhangs so much, you don't have to worry about the fall at all. Great exposure for sure.
North Gateway Rock
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