Matt McMurray Castle Rock, CO   5.9

[Hide Comment] FYI- I saw another party's ropes get stuck in the cracks and on the knobs on the last two rappels, so be cautious as to where your ropes are running. MM Nov 2, 2006

DonJuan Boulder, CO

[Hide Comment] Great route to practice rope maintenance and multi-pitches at Smith, and to get away from the crowds of the main wall. There's quite a few routes in the same area now, so watch your bolt line (the first time I climbed it I ended up at a rap station for another route and had to down climb around the corner--atop pitch 3 I think?). Don May 21, 2007

Peter Franzen Phoenix, AZ   5.9

[Hide Comment] I did this route this morning. Some thoughts: We took 2 60m ropes with us and while it made the rappels a bit easier you can definitely get by with just one. Don't rap back down the route-- we heard that some people have been doing this for some reason. Rap off the opposite side that you came up, then find the chains 10m or so to the climber's left of the route and rap down there. There are anchors everywhere on this wall so it's pretty easy to get down. I was suckered in to going straight up the line of bolts towards the end of the 3rd pitch, and I wouldn't recommend it. I didn't have any problem downclimbing 20ft. or so to get back on route, but remember that it keeps traversing left. The belay at the 5th pitch is really cool, and makes for a great picture if the leader has a camera. Overall this was a lot of fun. Do it in the morning if you want it in the shade. It's a great route to teach someone the ins and outs of multi-pitch climbing. Aug 18, 2007

Seth Adams

[Hide Comment] I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this route, I did it with two new climbers and it turned out to be an enjoyable few hours in the afternoon sun. TONS of bolts (the way sport climbing ought to be). I think I took about 16 draws and slings and used them all (including for anchors). A few long slings is nice. Nov 13, 2008

Tod Bloxham Tacoma, WA

[Hide Comment] Great climb. I would recommend linking pitches 2-3 and linking 4-5. The pitches are short otherwise and you definitely get more continuous climbing out of each pitch; there is little to no rope drag when linking. By linking you may also help speed up the line of people behind you that wants to climb (on busy weekends). P2-3 is 55-60 meters (or shorter) and takes 19 draws if you clip every bolt, though many bolts are so close that you can easily reach back clean many bolts from the next one. P4-5 is even shorter (40-50 meters?) and takes much less bolts, particularly since you can skip or back clean many of the bolts (yes, they are really close to each other). Sep 8, 2009

Nate Ball   5.9

[Hide Comment] A 60m rope will NOT get you from rappel anchor 2 to rappel anchor 3. You HAVE to use the anchor on the route (top of pitch 3). Otherwise you run the risk of downclimbing some gnar or hanging from a bolt like we did or swinging to some other anchors. All of this after I had already climbed the route twice. Our rope was a year-and-some old and had recently been washed, which is perhaps why it wasn't long enough...? Jan 31, 2011

celerystick Riverton

[Hide Comment] To add to the above comment.. (Nate Ball) On rap #2, make sure you veer climbers right to the chains(belay station). Do not stop at the set of double bolts. If you try to rap from the bolts that do not have chains, you'll end up short of the next set of chains and you'll be stuck hanging. Sep 26, 2011

delingren

[Hide Comment] Interesting moderate sport route. The name soon starts to make sense once you are on P3. Towards the end of P4, you need to climb over a bulge. You can't see the bolts from below and would wonder where the route goes. You just need to have some faith. The rating is a bit soft, at least for the last pitch. Apr 24, 2012

NickCov Truckee, CA   5.9+

[Hide Comment] This route is well protected and super exposed. Definitely will get your heart racing even if you are a confident 5.10 leader. A must do at Smith. Started early and made made it to top of P3 by the time anyone else had showed up at the base. Might be able to link P4 and P5 with a 70M. We didn't have enough QD's to try it but it looks like it might go. Jun 21, 2012

Bryan Hall Portland, Oregon   5.9-

[Hide Comment] Nice route but the description needs a bit of an update... The climb isn't sustained at 5.8/5.9. There is typically a crux move on each pitch and then it eases back quite a bit afterwards. Pitch 2 DOES NOT have a separate line of bolts on it. Pitch 2 goes up and left and is very clear. Pitch 3 DOES HAVE 2 lines of bolts leading you away from the mainline. Keep driving left and up whenever possible! When you reach the belay, build your anchor off the bolts, not rings to keep them open for people on rappel. A few people at the cliff have told me there is a walk off for this route. I didn't get the beta but it would be good to have posted here. The rappels can be done with a single 60 meter rope but there is one snafu. The 3rd rappel from the anchor at the top of pitch 3 can be extremely bogged down if there are a lot of people on route. I was stuck hanging on rappel waiting for people to climb through... If you have a 70 meter rope and quick links to add to the bolt anchor left and up from here you MIGHT be able to make it to the next set and skip that station. Jun 10, 2013

S. Eppes Bend , OR 5.9-

[Hide Comment] The walk off is actually pretty cool and easy. Rap to the east from the top and head south up 2nd/3rd class. Follow the cairns and trail, going from the east to the west side of the ridge, always heading generally south. After one last exposed 3rd class move, the ridge mellows out and turns into a climbers trail which drops down a drainage to the west and curves back around to the base. Be careful not to drop down too soon as the first drainage that you encounter after the ridge turns to dirt cliffs out. Stay on the use trail until you can see the bottom. Jul 27, 2013

Obi Portland, OR   5.9-

[Hide Comment] Just a few extra bits of beta- Some of the larger holds right at the start of P3 are a bit loose and hollow. Easily avoided and some of my partners never even realized this, but still something to mentally note. The start of P2 is a step across a gap per the route description, but it might be a mentally committing move to do for a new leader despite it being quite easy. This all being said, the starting moves of P2 were fun and P3 was by far my favorite of the entire route. A great overall multipitch sport route! Sep 22, 2013

Sam Bedell Bend, OR

[Hide Comment] While most people and the guide book suggest that people rappel for the descent there is an easy walk off with only a couple 3rd class moves and little exposure. It is worth noting that the rappel route is prone to stuck ropes and will certainly take you longer than walking no matter how good you are with rope management. Depending on your comfort level you can either traverse right from the top-out around the back side of a gendarme on crumbly rock to the top of the gully, OR rap into the gully and hike up. Go around the right side of lost arrow spire (see Watts guide/the spire hidden behind the Platform from the main area, a couple third class moves with minimal exposure) and cross the top of the huge gully on what is actually just 2nd class to join the climbers trail. Note that this descent works for anything topping out on the Platform or Sky Ridge, including Sky Chimney, White Satin/Lycra, etc. although for those routes you are looking at a longer walk around. Aug 28, 2014

Sergey Rurik New York, NY

[Hide Comment] We were able to rappel from the bolts of the 2nd pitch with a single 60m rope, though ends of the rope were ~4ft from the ground, so it's barely enough. Sep 11, 2014

Andrew G Pittsburgh, PA   5.9

[Hide Comment] Most of pitch 3 seems hollow, a few head-scratcher bolt placements, and uninspiring climbing movement left me wondering why I climbed this route. Views of the Smith formations lit up by the setting sun answered my question. In summary: less than impressive climbing to very impressive views. Oct 16, 2014

loose overhang 2000

[Hide Comment] We did the route a couple of days ago. Some of the bolts are away from the easiest climbing, so on a few clips we had to reach down and across. I highly recommend walking off rather than rapping. Previous posters have detailed this. One bonus of going that way is you can bag Sunset Slab on the way back around to the base. Nov 8, 2014

Jon Daniels Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] Both bolts on the third pitch anchor are loose. They visibly move up and down with moderate pressure. Loosest bolts ive ever seen. This is also the anchor used for the 3rd rap i believe. Apr 3, 2015

Matt Farrell SLC

[Hide Comment] Kent went over and inspected the route. He replaced the 4th anchor, and found the 3rd anchor tight and looking decent. As of April 2015, the anchors on this route all should be safe. Loose bolts don't necessarily mean unsafe bolts, they might just need tightening, which somebody probably did. Easy to do, just make sure not to overtighten. There is talk about putting in a completely separate rap route that does not share any anchors with Wherever I May Roam. If that happens, somebody will update this page. Until then, everybody enjoy one of the best moderate multipitches at Smith! Apr 19, 2015

Lan Dogan Portland, OR   5.9

[Hide Comment] Awesome route! If rappelling on a single rope be sure to use the Belay Station for the Fourth Pitch as the third rap station. I recommend not using the rap rings 15 ft above on the climbers left -- my partner and I used these and ran out our 70m rope, barely making it to the next station. This last one was a little sketchy to find. Also if it is a busy weekend get there early! We waited probably 2 hours. We couldn't see several parties backed up on top of the first pitch (there's a large amount of room). Otherwise a great route, and a classic. Lots of exposure. Many people said Pitch 3 (the traverse) was there favorite, but I personally thought the exposure on Pitch 4 was stunning to climb. Jun 3, 2015

Stephen Montgomery Washington DC   5.9+

[Hide Comment] third pitch can be a touch unsettling to a tiny little belay ledge. Also make sure you tie knots in your rope for the rappel. Oct 18, 2015

Eggplant Alpinism Seattle, WA   5.9-

[Hide Comment] Very well protected for smith, easy for the grade (for Smith) and great exposure! The 3rd pitch belay was a little wonky last Labor Day, so be wary of loose-ish bolts. Linking P4 and P5 recommended. Apr 24, 2017

Rob S

[Hide Comment] A few notes on this route from a recent trip up it on 5/7/17 1. Others have mentioned the walk off but I wanted to reiterate that this is definitely the preferred option. Follow the directions in the post above carefully and look for cairns. We had another party of two that started the raps before us. We did the first rap right behind them and opted for the walk off without having been down this way before. When we arrived at the base they were still at 2 raps from the ground and they easily had another 30+ minutes. There were also multiple parties below them that were directly in the fall line with lots of loose junk on the raps. 2. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but the belay situation for the start of pitch two is sketchy. You are standing on a nice flat area with a 3ft wide chasm that drops down into a 4th class gully between you and the wall. If the leader whips, the belayer will almost certainly get pulled towards the wall and likely end up dropping down into this hole. This would be an ugly scenario for both belayer and leader. I didn't really think about this until my leader was partway up the pitch but I scouted around and didn't really see any options for building a suitable ground anchor with gear or natural anchors. Unfortunately the pitch one anchors are too far back to do any good. A single bolt would probably be ideal. 3. We witnessed a lot of scary Sh*&@ on this route with newbies that should not have been up here. Folks...just because this is a sport route this is not the place to work out how to build anchors on a multi pitch route and figure how to belay from above for the first time. This is one of the most popular routes at Smith and you need to be able to build efficient anchors and know how to get yourself out of trouble if something goes wrong. Have your systems dialed in and know how to make safe and efficient transitions at belay stations. This should take 3-5 minutes on a route like this, not 20 minutes or more. Okay enough of my ranting...bottom line I don't want to see people get hurt or worse. May 8, 2017

Daniel the German

[Hide Comment] Rob S: You mean you belayed the climber and did not use an anchor at the top of pitch 1? I hope I am misunderstanding your post. Yes, they are set back, but anchoring into them would prevent the terrible possibility of what you stated in your post. I apologize if I am misinterpreting your post. As you so sincerely stated, "bottom line I don't want to see people get hurt or worse." Jul 24, 2017

J P Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] I don't know if this is already known, but as of 9/29/17, the hangers at the pitch two anchors are loose. The bolts themselves seem solid (only had my fingers to try to torque them). They supported weight and operated normally, but I wanted to point this out. Sep 30, 2017

John Sullivan Eugene, OR

[Hide Comment] Did this on 12/1/2017. I thought it was super fun and cruiser. None of the climbing felt very hard for the grade, however, the quality of the movement and the stellar positions kept things entertaining. The route seemed to be in great shape and totally safe. We rapped off the back into the gulley, and then joined 70 meter ropes with another party and made it to the ground from there in one 70 meter rappel. Classic. Dec 4, 2017

Nate Ball   5.9

[Hide Comment] Currently has several "spinner" bolts. Please bring a wrench and tighten them back down or, if the bolt itself spins (not just the hanger), report it here or call the number at smithrock.com/contact-us. Feb 13, 2018

Nick Giles Corvallis   5.8+

[Hide Comment] Climbed 3/24/18. About 1/3rd of the way down the second rappel (down to third belay ledge) there is a dinner plate holding up a softball holding up a baseball sized rock. All three are precariously loose. There's a faint x on them but they're not noticeable until you are below them. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR FEET. 3rd belay ledge along with a handful of climbs are in the fall line. Would have tried to clean them but I had people below me... If you have the chance you could do a lot of good cleaning these. Also a lot of people have noted the spinning hangers, but all of the bolts were solid and did not budge. Mar 27, 2018

Chris H Seattle, Wa

[Hide Comment] Also noticed the three rocks from Nick Giles's comment. We knocked down some other rocks pulling our ropes back up after 2nd rap, serious hazard to people hiking below, be mindful and watch for this to warn others. Apr 3, 2018

Christina J Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] The walk off was pretty easy to find, just keep looking for the cairns. The last pitch is very easy, more like 5.6 - 5.7, and also quite short. The traversing nature of the middle pitches make for some swinging falls even for those following. Our favorite pitch was the 4th. May 24, 2018

Jim Ablao Bend, OR

[Hide Comment] !!!New 60m rope rap descent beta!!! -New rappel station(stainless bolts and chains) installed 8/30/18 6ft below and 3ft left of the 2 bolt anchor at top of pitch 3. Rapell slightly rt to avoid the rope-eating super loose chimney. This should help keep a flow for rappers and climbers. (see pic above) -Rap with two ropes to ground from this anchor and your rope will stay clear of the gully and not send rocks on you and other climbers! However you rap this way...don't rap into the gully. -Also replaced the loose anchor bolts for the top of pitch 3. Now it is only for climbing and the rappel is close but at least separate. The old bolts got rattly and loose as people would load it oneway to climb and load it another to rappel. *The other anchors on the route could use some fresh steel too! Sep 11, 2018

Eric Estrin San Diego, CA

[Hide Comment] Had a wonderful time on this yesterday 3rd pitch was a highlight along with the last couple bolts at the top of the 5th pitch. Really want to underscore how great the single rap and then walkoff described earlier in the comments is. Not only is it quick but also a fun way down, but also offers many commanding views of smith rock. Oct 7, 2018

Matt Fitz Boston, MA   5.9

[Hide Comment] Left biv site at 6 AM, started climbing at 7 after roping up the west side of Asterisk Pass (probably not necessary with approach shoes). Topped out at 9:58, got back to car by 11. Can confirm what Jim Ablao said about the rappel: first rap to the east (approx 25 meters), walk to rappeller's right, next rap station is on the NW face above P3 anchor. Rap to P3, then keep going straight down. P3 rap goes to the deck with linked 60's. Jul 31, 2019

FourT6and2 ...

[Hide Comment] Climbed this a couple of days ago. Quite enjoyable! View from the top is fantastic. Headiest part for me was the start of pitch 2, stepping over that gap. And then the traverse pitch. My partner told me to keep going left until I don't see any more bolts and then go up lol. I think I went too far and found another line of bolts that was off-route a bit but I wound up at the right anchor. Might have made that section a bit harder than 5.9... and a little run out. But it was fun! Aug 3, 2019

Jordan M.

[Hide Comment] Had a bald eagle fly below me while leading the 5th pitch. Magical experience! Watch me climb it on YouTube: 1st pitch: youtu.be/_Pdt_myOD_I 2nd pitch: youtu.be/5wOv-9oqnyw 3rd pitch: youtu.be/66bix2uRWIQ 4th pitch: youtu.be/qYCcq90UZ5A 5th pitch: youtu.be/gKHeZYvk0JM Aug 17, 2019

Jordan M.

[Hide Comment] Our descent. We elected for a single rope rappel down the river side to a double rope rappel and then another single for timeliness. Watch it on YouTube at: youtu.be/p0-N9gEDzQw Aug 17, 2019

MtnDanSW El Paso, Tx

[Hide Comment] Great climb! Well bolted and fun. Good for a new leader or if it's your first trip to Smith. Sep 1, 2019

Jean Hautenauve evanston

[Hide Comment] Really enjoyed the homogeneity of this route, with the 3rd pitch traverse offering a couple of spicy moves. On the the third rappel (1 before last) our 60 meter rope somehow did not make it to the anchor (despite being right in the fall line from the 2nd rap station). Fortunately it was relatively easy to untie and scramble to a comfortable ledge atop "bits and pieces" and to rap from there to the ground. Sep 9, 2019

Harvey Xia

[Hide Comment] Between the 2nd and 3rd rappel station, be extremely careful to avoid the gully on the rapeller’s left side. Either carefully run your rope generously towards the rapeller’s right, or use saddlebags. We got our rope caught in two separate places— one got wrapped around a rock that was wedged in the narrow gully, and the other end’s stopper knot got cammed on a crevice within the gully. L Also we found a knife in that very gully, evidence that someone else probably had to cut their caught rope. Oct 26, 2019

Trevor Smith Bend, OR

[Hide Comment] Speed climbed this in one hour, seven minutes. Comment with your own times. Feb 21, 2020

Trevor Smith Bend, OR

[Hide Comment] Speed climbed in 57 minutes Feb 29, 2020

Schuyler Baer

[Hide Comment] Super fun route. Pitches 3 & 4 are great. I'm not sure if we were just tired and not paying attention, but we got lost on the supposedly easy walk off a few times and it took forever to get back to the base. I would definitely rap next time. YMMV Mar 23, 2020

Ben Carr Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] Did this route with Linn Rising in 23:02 ground to summit, and 40:10 base to base after doing the walkoff. Highly recommend the walkoff to everyone, having done both. Jun 10, 2020

Riley Cahoon West Linn   5.9

[Hide Comment] Do this route! Definitely a classic. Thoughtful moves and cool Smith-standard knobs and pockets. Pitch 3 and 4 are my favorite. Some super airy exposed traverse moves and some extra spice. Definitely a few 5.9+ moves. Brought 18 draws. Only needed 16. So long as you have anchor stuff with you and/or know how to build a rope anchor. Someone left a draw on the rap anchor at pitch 3. And there’s a pretty sketchy loose under cling on pitch three. Enjoy! Oct 10, 2020

Chris Hausler

[Hide Comment] The most overrated route I have ever climbed. Pretty boring, maybe 3 5.9 moves on the whole route. Don't do this if you like exposure or fun. Mar 10, 2021

Joe Ludlow Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] I was hopeful when I got on this route because I love multipitch climbs but this one was horrendous. It was wandery and the movement was blah, repetitive, and uninteresting. After climbing hundreds of multipitch routes all over North America, this was easily the most overrated route I've ever done. Mar 27, 2021

Adrienne M

[Hide Comment] Our 80m got us from the summit anchors to the pitch 3 anchors *perfectly*, with like a meter to spare. I think we did an intermediate rap at "Rap #4" in the Watts book before hitting the ground; 3 raps total. Needed to pull hard, but no significant rope issues. If linking P2 and P3, make sure the belayer moves closer to the wall once you've clipped a few draws instead of belaying from the anchors on top of P1 (or just starts over there). The rope drag on P3 was godawful and that *may* make it more bearable. P4-P5 link was basically drag-free. If I did this again I would do P1, P2, P3, P4-P5. May 3, 2021

T Banch Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] Thought the walk off was really straightforward and easy, plus you get some cool views of the park you wouldn't otherwise get. My partner and I just rapped down to the ledge about 30 feet below the anchor and walked along that to get out, which I think skipped a lot of the 2nd/3rd class stuff at the start. Thought the route was fun, maybe 2 or 3 5.9 moves, mostly much easier. May 4, 2021

Hattie Ecklund

[Hide Comment] Great climb, linked 2nd and 3rd, 4th and 5th pitch with a 70m rope May 30, 2021

Kevin Diederich Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] The walk off is not as straight forward as some people make it out to be, unless you happen to choose the right cairns to follow at the multiple branches in the path. There are some cairns and a solid trail that lead you down to the first gully after rapping East and heading up a short walk. Even right up to a totally gnarley steep dirt drainage that completely cliffs out. DON’T follow that way down. The correct way is to continue UP until it is a nice big flat-ish area. There’s a couple sort-of exposed 3rd class moves but nothing too gnarley. Then you can walk South on a pleasant trail that’s actually pretty cool, Along the east side. This is WRONG to get down though. The correct trail switchbacks about 100-150 ft to the north of Cod/Flounder rock on the WEST side. It’s clearly visible when returning from the southern part, but never saw the turn off for it on the trail up top and walked right by. Now, knowing the proper way to go the first time, the walk off is easy and quick, just not so straightforward if it’s your first time up there. Also, instead of rapping the 30-50 ft down into the gully… you very likely could just scramble south along the ridge and save yourself some time, but don’t fall. Anyways, enjoy. Jun 13, 2021

Juliana Haber Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] We were a little worried about the rappel situation after reading the comments, but it was really straightforward. Raps were easy to find, and there is just the smallest risk of ropes getting caught, but it should be find if you aim out and throw hard. Aug 2, 2021

El Mono

[Hide Comment] Climbing: I'd say it's harder than normal 5.9 at the crag. Comparing this to Phone Call from Satan and Cowdog, if those are 5.9 - this felt 5.10a-b easily. Much harder foot sequences, with a good amount of mono-crimping and faith-invested foot smears on very small holds. It's a great route, but definitely not an easy jaunt. Be ready for some real struggles if you're not an 5.11+ climber. The position is good, it's relatively safe, and the summit is worth it. The MP app rappel description is good. Just in case you don't trust it (as of 10/9/2021) here we go. I did this with a 70m rope (so don't use a 60!!!!! pay attention!!!) I was worried about the descent from all the comment, so thought I'd add my 2c here: 1) Rappel off the summit towards the Crooked River, towards the east (towards the main parking lot, using the nice big chains) 2) Stay on rappel, but walk downwards down the big sloping ledge back towards the west side 3) You will see an anchor station, but it's only hangers, with no rings 4) Look down to the right, you will see a nice, double bolted huge chain/ring anchor, about 15 feet below (and to the right) of the weird hanger-only anchor, proceed down to it (on your rappel) and clip in 5) Bring your follower down to the same nice big old chain anchor 6) Rappel again from the nice big chain anchor - you have to go straight down for a concerningly long time, but eventually you will find a nice rappel station, slightly towards your right (this is NOT an anchor on the main WIMR route, it is separate, and slightly off-route to the right) - it has nice rings/chains you can right a final rappel on 7) Rappel from here down to the ground. Again - we did this with a 70m rope, and it worked out really nicely. A 60m WILL NOT REACH THE GROUND FROM HERE. Don't blame me if you have to down climb a bunch. Just saying with a 70m it works out nicely. Oct 9, 2021

Travis Welch Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Awesome climb! Fun moves with what seemed to be standard Smith climbing(small popcorn feet). We rapped to the ground from the P3 anchor by tying a 60 and a 70 together. Nov 15, 2021

Pat Cheng Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] Big challah sized rock is halfway dislodged near the top of pitch 1. Not necessary to finish the climb but it's right in the path of least resistance and if it came off you would take a ledgy fall and your belayer might catch it in the noggin. Cleaned some of it off but most of it is still hanging on by a good crank or two. Nov 17, 2021

Kevin Patterson Lower Hutt, NZ   5.10a

[Hide Comment] This climb has seen a lot of traffic and has become quite polished in places hence my upgrade. Nevertheless a well bolted climb with lots of interesting features. One of the few moderate grade multipitch sports routes here of a reasonable length. The 3 cruxes, 2 at the starts of P1-2 and for the first half of P4 tend to be short, meaning most of the route is 5.7-5.8. Except P3 which is a sustained 5.9 which definitely makes it the money pitch and the one to look forward to! Jun 11, 2022

Sara A

[Hide Comment] Super fun route! P2 belay station is sketch. The p1 anchor is so far from start of p2 that it doesn’t make sense to belay from there so you end up belaying from an open ledge near a gully. I imagine if I fell on bolt 1 or 2 that my belayer could be pulled into gully. Like other comments, be aware of p3 and continue left to traverse, do not go up. P4 start is crux of entire climb. I recommend walkie talkies if you have them. Once at the top, rap down into gully and immediately climb back up same gully then follow the directions from the description. Fun climb! Jul 9, 2022

Mattie Quigley Durham, NC

[Hide Comment] Pitched 2 & 3 and 4 & 5 can def be linked. You'll make your like a lot easier of you use extended alpine draws if linking. Drag gets pretty intense if you don't. Stay on the low bolt like on pitch 3 otherwise you'll get yourself way off route. A 70 is def preferred for the rap. Rap from top to landing and then down and around the way you'll find the next set of chains. The second rap ends at the bottom of the 4th pitch. Jul 29, 2022

Serge S Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Each pitch under 30m long Apr 17, 2023

Eloise Bacher Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] Super fun route, classic Smith climbing with a great view at the top anchors. This is a solid 5.9, don't listen to comments that say you need to be a 5.10+ climber. I'm for sure not (hangdogged my way up one 5.10a/b previously at Smith) and had a ton of fun (and a little fear on the crux moves) on this route. On the start of pitch 2 I found the beta to be slightly misleading - I am average height (5'7") and had to step across before I was able to clip the bolt. It wasn't difficult but was mentally exciting. Many thanks to those who rebolted the anchors the week before we climbed this! May 8, 2023

Cashew Tan San Luis Obispo, CA   5.9-

[Hide Comment] 17:49 w/nick; 50m rope, 2 alpines, 12 draws, 2 trax... trax draws went in after p2 anchors and halfway up p4. my local 5.9 speed climb multipitch challenge (2 Hour 2 Tecate Challange) is at around 17 minutes for 9 pitches with running done in between and despite many laps feels harder than this route, i think a dedicated local can beat 9-10 minutes roped up May 24, 2023

Stephen Gladieux Redmond, OR

[Hide Comment] The belay anchors were rebolted with resin anchors by the HDCA on 2023-4-29. This is in preparation for rebolting the entire route next season. May 25, 2023

Joseph Brody Campbell, CA

[Hide Comment] For the Walk-off, doing the 1 rap down does not make sense because you scramble up to the same elevation and right next to the pointy rock that you top-out on. Since the pointy top rock is exposed, it probably makes sense to stay on belay to do the 10 foot exposed crawl to get join the walk-off trail. May need to loop a rock horn to protect the follower. May 31, 2023

The Zodiac Climber

[Hide Comment] Fun climb, 15% of the bolt hangers spin so just a heads up. Sep 21, 2023

Alex Mossin San Jose, CA   5.10c PG13

[Hide Comment] Great climb, bolts and anchors extremely well maintained. Felt much harder than 5.9 to all of us, but then again we're mostly 5.11 gym climbers. We were a party of 3, with two of us swinging leads. P4 is exposed, super fun and my favorite pitch of the climb. We had to bail after P4 due to weather, and to do so we used a double rope rappel down to the top of P2. The approach from the west side (hike around the rocks) as of April '24 is sketchy and cumbersome - lots of sliding gravel and sand. There are signs that say to take alternate route but we didn't know any alternate route and besides the signs were pointing the wrong way (you'd only see them if you came from above). I believe the recommendation nowadays is to scramble over asterisk pass and make a left to the start of Wherever. Overall an amazing climb with exceptionally beautiful views from the top! 2 days ago