The standard way to do Pitch 6 is to descend 150 feet into this gully and then take a weakness back upward.

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The standard way to do Pitch 6 is to descend 150 feet into this gully and then take a weakness back upward.

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AB getting some. On p3, I reckon. This route kicks major ass!

Some dude soloing Irene's Arete! This is the 5.9 stemming variation (5th pitch)...awesome yet nervewracking to watch!

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Steph Abegg

Sep 4, 2016

“The standard way to do Pitch 6 is to descend 150 feet into this gully and then take a weakness back upward. ”

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Nearby Photos

Route Overlay for Irene's Arete.

Jim on the upper, easy (but exposed) part of the climb. Photo taken by the late, great Doug Coombs

A rainy view of the Arete from Petzoldt Caves

Route Overlay for Irene's Arete.

Approach to Irene's Arete

A sunset photo at the summit

Erik Wellborn descending Irene's

Cam following

Irene's Arete in evening light

The exposure is fantastic...the view's not bad either.

AB getting some. On p3, I reckon. This route kicks major ass!

The standard way to do Pitch 6 is to descend 150 feet into this gully and then take a weakness back upward.

Some dude soloing Irene's Arete! This is the 5.9 stemming variation (5th pitch)...awesome yet nervewracking to watch!

Leading out on P3 of Irene's Arete

Pat Mac leading the "hanging tooth" pitch.

Frosty nearing the top of the arete.

Sarah leading Pitch 4. She took the direct start which is one of the 5.8 variations to the start (I think the original route goes left around the arete a bit according to the route description). This is a really fun pitch on steep juggy solid rock.

5.7 face on pitch 5

The tree at the base of the route. If coming from Caves, it is common to hit the arete too low or high and have to do some extra scrambling to reach this tree.

Pitch 1. Sarah is at the first belay in the photo.

Pitch 3. We took the original route which starts just left of the arete and climbs a face (runnout but easy) back to the right side of the arete. Really fun climbing.

Entrance into the 4th class weakness for Irene's approach from the East for the car to car climb. Near the Platforms area.

Pitch 3 variant. You'll find moderate quartzy-type cracks all along this route.

Nate with JHMG heading out the 5.10 variation pitch 6.

Looking at the 5.9+ option for Pitch 6. This opton stays on the left side of the arete. We did not go this way, but it looked tempting (though harder) opposed to the downclimb.

The descent gully view from the trail to the lower saddle. We hiked up and over to amphitheatre lake avoiding this gully with apparently one rap

Looking up at the direct 5.9 corner of Pitch 5. This is quite steep at the top. This is the way we went, although going around left would have been easier.

Frosty Weller leading the .10a direct finish.

Pitch 2 - solid, sustained 5.8. Follow the line that is straight up & a little climber's left - I can't believe they did this in '57.

Looking up at the start of Pitch 2. This is the crux of the pitch but the feet are good and there is a piton just above the bulge that you can clip before making a committing move if you know to look for the piton. But the piton is old, so I backed it up with a 0.75 cam.

Descending the SE Ridge / Lake Ledges route down to Amphitheater Lake. There are some cliffs to navigate on the way down to Amphitheater Lake, but mostly 3rd and just a bit of 4th and one rappel (probably avoidable). We could not find the chockstone chimney of the SE Ridge route (although we did not try too hard to look for it); it is possible we descended the Lake Ledges route instead.

Start of the climb, located near a big tree on a ledge.<br>
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If traversing in from the Caves, you will be about 40' higher. I would offer to make an intermediate belay to keep the rope free from a flake constriction before getting to the start of P2.

Irene's upper pitches - when that wind hits you, it's wild!

View of Irene's from The Petzoldt Caves

A shot of the Southeast ridge walkoff from the summit of Irene's Arete. Aim for this boulder, and follow the trail to the 4th class down climb or rappel.

Irene's Arete from the Meadows Campground

Pulling onto the upper arete.

Top of P4. Photo by Adam Jensen.

Top of P5 (Kniferidge). Photo by Adam Jensen.

Top of P1. Photo by Adam Jensen.