A nice little route with two really nice pitches. This description is for the 5.8 variation, but the route goes at 5.6 also.
P1: After the 4th class scramble to the start, climb a nice r-facing corner system for a long pitch (maybe some simul climbing is necessary) to a little perch at the foot of a clean wall with a crack that splits. (5.7, 200ft)
P2: For the 5.6 variation head left to a dihedral. For the 5.8 variation, head straight up the fine crack (wide to start, then hand/finger) and at the split head left. This sews up and is the best pitch of the route.
P3: Easy scrambling to the top.
Location
Scramble up to the base of the shoulder via 4th class sections on the east side. Descent: rap off fixed anchors using two ropes then downclimbing.
Excellent route! Fairly short and un-commiting (by wind river standards) but you can't beat the setting and the superb rock. The 5.8 variation (k-crack) made the route! It was definitely one of the best single pitches of climbing that i've ever done. The descent is easy and straight-forward. All in all a great route to begin with if you are new to the Winds.
can run P'1-2 together w/ 70m, just barely reaches belay ledge. The crux of the climb will probably be the approach, unless you are an anaerobic machine
By Chris Owen Administrator From: La Crescenta, CA Nov 11, 2006
1993: Rained on for 6 days, 7th day dawned very clear, did this route on that final day with Fred Batliner. K-Crack was superb, very similar to a Joshua Tree pitch, but in a wonderful American West alpine setting.
The above route description is a little mis-leading. What the author is calling the 'first pitch' is actually about 240-250 ft long. Your second could certainly simul-climb, as the climbing is moderate, but there is no way to stretch the rope and gain the base of the K-crack. Maybe with a 70m, but even that would be pushing it. Probably best to break it into two pitches. This is a fantastic little climb, and the K-crack variation is certainly worth all the fuss. Descent can be made with one 60m rope via four rappels from the top of the K-crack. You may have to downclimb a little bit of 5.0 on a couple of the rappels.
If you are doing the Cirque Traverse, this is the easiest/fastest way to get to the top of Pingora. You can simul-climb the last bit of pitch one/two(probably 220 feet) and then hurry up the K crack pitch (pitch 3 as described in Bechtel's guide), then scramble up to the top. We did it in about 40 minutes and we weren't moving too fast. The rappel down to the notch by Tiger Tower/Wolf's Head is not as obvious as described in the new guide. You need to head to climber's left to get to the second rappel station, don't head down the most obvious line on the first rappel (you can see the rappel slings from the first station and the are not at the base of the dihedral that you see from the first rappel station). It's four rappels with a sixty meter to the notch and some of the slings on the rappel are not in the best shape.
Pingora
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