Europa  5.8 A0

673 page views Good page?

Type:  Trad, Aid, 7 pitches, 850 feet Consensus:  5.8 A0 [details] FA:  Submitted By:  Mike Teschke on Aug 2, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

pitch 1

Add Photo  Add Comment    Printer View

Description 

This route is a recent project that has generated a lot of online (and likely offline) debate in the last couple years. The goal was to clean a line that beginners could climb that basically tops out on the chief. It actually ends at Bellygood Ledge, and I think the easiest finish to summit the first peak would be 4 pitches on the Upper Black Dyke at a sportingly bolt protected 5.10b rating.

I found it enjoyable, and fairly 'adventurous' for mostly 5.7 climbing. There are some loose flakes and blocks on the route and gear placements are not always simple. All of the pitches are 100 feet long or longer.

Pitch 1 - 5.7 Start about 100 yards to the right of the Black Dyke, up a blocky chimney/corner crack system that is packed tight with table sized flakes. There is a spacious belay ledge. Gear belay.
Pitch 2 - 5.8 Head up a pretty nice hand crack right off the belay ledge, probably the crux of the climb and quite nice for about 30ft. Follow ledges and cracks to a belay at a large fir tree.
Pitch 3 - 5.7 Finger crack crux near the top.
Pitch 4 - 5.5 Climb up a tree to the top of a large flake. Traverse right and climb up into a chimney with terrible protection and brittle nasty feeling rock. Gigantic Bolted belay. This is apparently the start of a rap line to use during falcon closures and can be rapped with a single 60m rope.
Pitch 5 - 5.6 Mostly easy climbing.
Pitch 6 - 5.7, A0 Starts with a nine bolt ladder to reach a hand/fist crack. Belay below the chimney. (Apparently there is a free variation that goes to the left of the belay station up a protectable chimney corner then traverses back right into the start of the hand crack. I am not sure what the grade goes at but I'd guess no harder 5.10-?)
Pitch 7 - 5.6 Fun series of chimneys to the top.

Location 

This climb runs basically up the same location as Crap Crags with much cleaning and some variations on the lines. It climbs up the large blocky ledge and flake system that forms the divide between the grand wall and the Diherals.

Protection 

Doubles to #2 Camalot, 1 #3. I didn't use much gear smaller than a purple cam. Mostly gear belays.

Photos of Europa Slideshow

Add Photo

pitch 3	Europa pitch 2	"Europa", pitch 4
"Europa", pitch 6	"Europa", pitch 6	"Europa", pitch 7
"Europa", pitch 7	"Europa", pitch 4 tree