Iron Man- Gibson/Rohn  5.10+

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Type:  Trad, Alpine, 8 pitches, 1000 feet, Grade IV Consensus:  5.10+ [details] FA:  Thomas Gibson & Robert Rohn 1981 Season:  Summer Submitted By:  David Trippett on Nov 23, 2007 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Ironman

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Description 

Known for their classic route "Freeway" in Squamish, this is yet another Gibson/Rohn gem.

Perhaps the most classic rock route in the Adamants and maybe one of the best in North America. 8-10 Long pitches of crack and face climbing in a spectacular position above the Austerity glacier.

Glacial retreat has made the original start difficult to reach.

Begin on the middle of the buttress and take a ramp/ledge system to the highest and furthest belay on the right side of the buttress. From here climb up 5 meters and begin to traverse to the right around the corner out of view. The first pitch is out of view around the corner/edge and a difficult step across gets you to this crack....a 40 meter splitter that the guide book calls 5.9, but is probably .10+(photo with my bare foot)

The route continues another long and memorable pitch to a prominent ledge, from there relocate the belay 5 meters to the other side of the buttress below a crack system. Ascend the unusual discontinuous crack feature to a prominent hanging flake and some fixed gear. A thrutchy section leads to a steep, but easy overlap and the top of the first "tower". Some walking and 150m of easy, rambling mid-fifth with the occasional step leads to a very thin crack at a headwall.

Ascend the thin crack(.10+), which is not as difficult as it looks, to a slabby belay on the crest at some more fixed gear. Traverse right to the south side to a hidden crack and up a steep and very exposed crack. This leads to the summit plateau. Walk north all the way to the end of this plateau and descend to the west to the top of the Austerity glacier via a very loose gully system from some fixed slings. Walk back down to the start of the route along the west side of Ironman.

Location 

Ironman, technically Ironman South, is the unmistakable buttress at the head of the Austerity glacier.

Protection 

Double cams from green alien to #2 camalot, one #3 camalot. Nuts. Slings. One 70m rope is OK.

Ice axe and crampons strongly recommended for the descent. The upper headwall of the Austerity glacier burns down to ice in the late summer and is very steep, the descent gully will drop you off right there. In good snow conditions only an axe is needed.

Photos of Iron Man- Gibson/Rohn Slideshow

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Looking down the first pitch of the Gibson/Rohn f...	Pitch 3 Gibson/Rohn.	Near the summit on the Gibson/Rohn
Erik Harz cruising pitch 2 on Ironman	Loving the sweet cracks on pitch 3 of Ironman