Ears Between 5.7
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| Type: | Trad, Alpine, 6 pitches, 750 feet, Grade III |
| Consensus: | 5.7 [details] |
| FA: | Lofthouse and CMC party, 1968 |
| Submitted By: | Dr. Evil on Dec 9, 2007 |
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BETA PHOTO: The 5.8 direct start of Ears Between.
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Description This route climbs the center of the south face of the Donkey's Ears, and tops out in a notch between the two ears.
There are two options to start:
A. Direct start (5.8): start at 2 cracks that meet to form a triangle about 15 feet up (see photo). Climb up the triangle to an alcove below some flakes/roof. Move right and take cracks/flakes to the ledge.
B. Traverse in from the left on an approach ledge. This avoids the 5.8 climbing. Look for where the wall turns black with lichen, then go 30 m further.
The pitches are:
1. Climb broken rock for a short easy pitch. 2. Head left up cracks, and belay below a notch that leads to a ramp (5.4). 3. Go up the notch and mantle to get to the ramp (awkward). Follow the ramp and belay at its end (5.7). 4. Head up flakes toward the chimney and belay in an alcove (5.7). 5. Continue up the chimney and belay at the notch between the ears (5.7). 6. Use cracks/ledges on the north side to summit the East Ear.
From the top of the east ear, do one steep rappel to the east. Then scramble first north, then east to access the eastern slopes of the Crescent towers. Stay as high as possible. Work down the slopes to the col with Eastpost, then hike down to Applebee dome.
Location This route climbs the center of the south face of the Donkey's Ears, and tops out in a notch between the two ears.
To approach, hike up to Applebee Dome camping area. Head left and up from the campground, heading for the base of the wall. Follow vague trails through boulders and past the remnants of the Crescent Glacier.
Protection Take a standard rack. There is some fixed gear on the route.
By Goodhue
From: Boulder, CO
Aug 12, 2009
| Awesome climb. In my opinion deserves more than the single asterisk in the Piche guide. Definitely do the direct start. The cracks are so much fun. |
By DannyUncanny
Aug 24, 2011
| Lots of fun. The ramp to the top of the chimney can be done in a single 70 m pitch, maybe 60m with a bit of simulclimbing. It's pretty vertical so not much rope drag.
On the descent, there is one rap down from the summit, then a short walk through a notch where you find a bolted rap anchor to get past a short steep chimney. You can skip this rappel if you don't mind crawling back down into the chimney and under a boulder. After that stick to the blocky ridge and aim for Eastpost. Don't get sucked down the sandy gullies. At the end of the ridge is a huge rock that looks like a spikey artichoke. We went up to this rock, then right and scrambled easily to the second tarn. Going left looks a bit steep and roundabout. |
By eric schweitzer
From: Bend, Oregon
Aug 30, 2012
| Note the picture of the direct start posted here, as the guide may or may not get you there. Beware the sand gully (incorrect) decent! |
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