Northwest Gully  5.3

2,835 page views Good page?

Type:  Trad, Alpine, 1 pitch, 1000 feet Consensus:  5.4 [details] FA:  Unknown Submitted By:  David Neckels on Jul 24, 2003 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (3) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Add Photo  Add Comment    Printer View

Description 

Climb the Keyhole route to the Keyhole. Continue on halfway to the Trough. Just as the route starts to drop, there is a gully that shoots upward from the ledges toward the Keyhole Ridge. Be careful as there is an earlier gully that will not take you high enough.

Ascend this gully. The difficulties are mostly class 4 for about 800 feet or so. Watch as the hundreds of people on the keyhold route drop away and you are left solo. Be especially careful not to dislodge any of the loose rock, as it will go right across the path of people on the ledges.

Finally easy passage is blocked by a 50 foot cliff. Go up the right side and then cross to the left on an easy ledge system. You are now at the base of the technical pitch.Thirty feet of 5.2 rock rises above you, but it is likely to be covered in water, so it will be harder that this. Climb halfway up and you have the choice of either climbing under a huge boulder and out the top or going back out over the cliff face and making a difficult move to reach easier ground.

From above the cliff, the route goes on easy rock to reach the Keyhole Ridge just above the technical parts of that route. Follow the summit ridge (a spectacular and narrow ridge) 150 yards to the summit. Revel in the fact that everyone on the mountain can see you traverse up this unusual finish.

Protection 

There is piton in place, but a nut or two might help.