The Arete. 

Well paul you sure sidestepped the ethics tightrope with this one ! Anyway a really good route that is maybe lead every few years.

Did Rick Fleming get the ascent of the "chopped" version? I thought this was an excellent route although an encounter with a wasp's nest up high, a wee bit above an RP#3, was alarming.

Ya i think it was Rick. I remember it being a pretty big deal too. I know when I led it, it seemed kindaspooky but really good. How about staying on the true arete ?

To the best of my memory this was the first and only FA that I did on both Cathedral and Whitehorse that I came in from the top (now normal procedure)all other FA's where done ground up on sight.The reason for coming in from the top was not to bolt it but to clean off the very thick lichen and to see if there was holds under it.As I had already used what I considered at that time a cheating method to clean and inspect the climb I thought as it appeared that protecting the crux by drilling free on the lead looked out of the question for us.So as sins had already been committed by the inspection from above etc I placed one bolt at the crux and another on the top 5.9 section.Some time later screaming started about rap bolting in general (not just over this climb) ..which I agreed with ....so I chopped the two bolts, hoping that a better climber would in my opinion would do it the right way.. free on sight while placing the pro bolts on lead . This did not happen in 1980 Rick Fleming and Joe Lentini replaced the crux bolt by AID climbing the route ,pulled their ropes and then completed a ground up ascent... perhaps splittings hairs on ethics?

New Hampshire was always a bit dodgy on the consistency aspect of ethics. A little TR cleaning here, a rap bolt there, stray aid pieces left fixed, maybe some creative pin scarring, it all adds up to good stories in retrospect.

GEE Peter, not talking about anything in particular ???? HA HA

No, no, no! Nothing at all in particular. Have you heard anything?

I replaced the original crux bolt around 1988, then preceded to brake a hold and take a 30 footer on it.
The peg that protected the moves to the arete came out with one tap. I did put it back in but not too hard as I did not want to knock the flake off!
Who knows how it is, if its still there?

Some great climbing, give it a scrub first.

This is the arete to the left of Black Crack and the Upper Refuse ramp.

Only the outline of the flake is there still, it is really scary trying to climb the route that way. There is not even a bad pin for pro anymore...

The Madara/Lougee start to the Arete is much better protected than the original. Locate an arch coming into the route from the left. Shove some gear in it and ease into the crux. Access from the higher ledge left of
Rufuse (right of Youth Callenge).

I'm suprised that those flakes lasted as long as they did. I think they were called "creaky" 30 years ago.