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Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)
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Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)


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Submitted By: Luke Stefurak on Jan 30, 2006
Administrator: Peter Franzen
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Description 

Vantage is one of Washington's great winter crags. The columnar basalt creates a great balance of sport and trad routes. The sport routes stick to the faces and range from 5.5 - 5.12+ and the cracks are found in between the columns and are of similar grades. All of the faces are out in the open and will get sun at some point in the day.


Getting There 

Head East on I-90 from Seattle. Follow this over the columbia river past Vantage, WA. After a big hill take the second exit. At the bottom of the exit ramp take a left. Follow this road under the highway and take the first left. This will wind you down a canyon and you will see vantage on the left after about 10 minutes.



Featured Route For Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)
near the start...

Stems and Seeds 5.11a  WA : Vantage (Frenchman Coulee) : Stems and Seeds Area
Awesome stemming route especially if you have long legs. The book claims anyone over 6' can drop a letter grade, make what you want of that. placing gear on the left seemed best to me. Hard part is seeing what you place. Eventually move left to a bolted anchor or top out. ...[more]


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By kyber
From: Austin
Sep 22, 2008
CONDITION REPORT 

bathrooms as of sept 21st overflowing and unusable, like man i'm telling you dont even peek in there!

By Lacey LaDuke
From: Spokane, Washington
5 days ago
CONDITION REPORT 

In agreeance with Kyber, don't even bother looking in the port-a-potties, they are horrible. They've been like that EVERY time I've been out there, sh*t stacked above the seats, no paper and the doors (Which face the parking lot) don't even close.

By ScottH
Feb 4, 2006

There is free camping available at Vantage, limited to the area on the south side of the Feathers. If you are climbing for the day or camping, please note that you are required to display one of the yellow Fish and Wildlife Deparment stickers on your vehicle. There is a fairly substanstial ticket if you are caught without one. You can pick up the stickers many places in Seattle, and Fred Meyer in Ellensburg sells them as well.

By Bryson Slothower
Jun 3, 2007

Avoid the Coulee on Spring concert weekends if you like sleeping.

By Joey Wolfe
Aug 15, 2007

What is the story behind the name Frenchman Coulee?

By mcarizona
Aug 24, 2007

I used to live out there near the coulee and on a topo you can see that the area is called the frenchman hills. Maybe thats why they transferred the name. The canyon is a result of the big flood of glacier park way back when (discovery channel has an engaging history about it if you have time on a rainy day to sit on the couch). Who knows what its like to camp behind the feathers these days? It was getting pretty trashed last time I was there.

By kimmo
Oct 11, 2007

ok then

By John Calder
From: Spokane, WA
Oct 23, 2007

Frenchman Coulee is actually the large coulee you can see from the camping area. Sunshine wall is in Echo Basin.

By Extra Sketch
Apr 24, 2008

This area is also known as Exit 143.