Avg: 3.8 from 309
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This and the neighboring Northwest Corner Route are two of the finest alpine rock climbs I have had the pleasure to yet accomplish. Great movement, committing moves, huge exposure, beautiful position: some of the best climbs in the Washington Pass area.
P1: The West Face shares its first pitch with the Northwest Corner, a somewhat dirty face up to a chimney with trees above (5.8). From here, move the belay up 3rd class terrain to a huge sandy ledge at the base of a large corner, the base of the second pitch. 160ft. (5.8)
P2: Climb a steep right facing corner with good cracks and gear. 60 feet to a good belay ledge at a wide. It is recommended to belay here as it will reduce rope drag on the next pitch. 60 ft. (5.8)
P3: Take a low angle crack up to large #6 lieback flake. Follow flakes up to an airy step right from the flakes to a bolt and then sustained 5.9 undercling/liebacking right and then up into a corner crack/lieback that contains a piton. Follow up into easier climbing on cool rock and then step out left when the crack of the crux pitch becomes visible. Belay on a ledge below the finger crack. 90 ft. (5.9+)
P4: The crux pitch (5.11-) begins at the end of the undercling, so get psyched. Climb the thin tips (!) crack up and a little left until it eases up and you can step left into the next crack system. Build a belay here (~60 feet up) or continue up another thin finger crack (5.10c) until it opens up to 2" and eases off to 5.8. Set up a hanging belay here. 150 ft. (5.11-)
P5: Follow easier low angle crack climbing Eventually the crack will end and you will need to make a friction slab traverse right into another broken crack system that will continue to the top of the route. Build a gear anchor or continue another 50 feet up to a bolted anchor where the chockstone rappel is. Be careful off rope drag after the slab traverse. 150ft. (5.7)
There are certainly different ways to break up the upper pitches, it can either go as 2 or 3 pitches based on your comfort level, rope drag and amount of gear available for anchors.
The original descent is down and (skier's) left of the summit and descends into the notch between North and South Early Winter Spire. Three single rope raps bring you down to the notch (often snow-covered), another gets you off the large chockstone (a fun, free-hanging rappel), and some scrambling and down-climbing (or a short 30 foot rap on a tree) get you back on the ground.
A newer descent starts about 15' climber's right of the end of the finishing jams. There is four fairly new bolted rap stations and a tree rappel for the last section.
Look for the low angle cracks leading to a tree-topped chimney left side of the west face as you approach the base of the tower. Shares the start with NW corner.
Doubles from 0.1"-3". Consider bringing triples of tips/fingers if climbing at your limit. Wires can be nice as well. The crux pitch 5.11- and the 5.10 above it eat small stoppers like candy.
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Western North Carolina
Bozeman, MT
Hyde Park, VT
We got a late start but can say its very reasonable to descend in the dusk/dark if the weather is dry and you know where the first rap anchors are in the notch with the tree (and have a headlamp) Oct 3, 2012
Bellingham, WA
Seattle, WA
It has come to my attention that a blue Big Bro does not work if you want to place while standing on the ledge. So as others have said a #6 works. I placed a .5 or smaller way to the left with a long runner, and had a #1 at my feet below the ledge. Aug 15, 2014
Bellingham, WA
Bellingham, WA
Instead of rappelling the Chockstone Route, you can rap down Labor Pains.
- The first rappel shares the same anchor as the chockstone descent, but instead rappel down the face to some chains.
- A 60m will get you down but a couple are rope stretchers!
- TIE KNOTS IN THE END OF YOUR ROPE!
Jun 7, 2016Yosemite, CA
Kent, WA
On the crux pitch I found micro nuts easier to find placements for than cams, because there is a perfect nut placement every 6" it seems. Harder to find sections parallel enough to make me happy with micro cam placements (sure of equal lobes). Plan on small cams if you want to plug and go, I only used from 000 C3 up to a blue alien in the lower crux and upper 5.10 section. Really nice stance above the 5.10 bit with a good view of your follower, much nicer to split up this way. Jul 5, 2016
Victoria, BC
Boulder, CO
One other gear note: a large nut would have been nice for the anchor at the top of the crux pitch (right under the dead tree). Aug 17, 2017
Seattle, WA
Vancouver, BC
Seattle, WA
Other notes:
- Like Keenan says above, a 70m rope will take you to the top from the .10b pitch above the crux. If you top out just right, you will find an awesome bolted anchor just beneath the summit! Just make sure you bring plenty of long runners. We had 10 alpine slings plus 2 double-length slings.
- The crux pitch and the .10 finger crack above are totally linkable. But split it up if you want good photos of your second pulling the crux.
- The short wide section on P3 can be disposed of quickly within a few moves. A little committing, but it is over soon. Didn't seem worth bringing a big cam (which would likely be a #6 and would have no other home throughout the route).
- There seems to be 2 descent routes off NEWS. The one in the Nicolson guidebook seems closer to the summit and deposits you closer to the top of the gully between NEWS and SEWS. We didn't take this route ourselves but noticed a lot of rap tat above us as we rapped down the other route). The other rap route is marked by a really well-bolted, new rappel station where West Face reaches the summit ridge of NEWS. This route was very straightforward all the way into the notch. Perhaps I am misinterpreting the topo, but that's what it looked like from what we saw coming down from the route. Sep 25, 2018
northshorealpinism.wordpres… Sep 27, 2018
Philadelphia, PA
Leavenworth, WA
Seattle, WA
I actually found the 5.10 pitch immediately after the crux (or the rest of the crux pitch if you're linking) to be the most fun on the whole route.
Definitely take the "newer" descent that is climber's right of the line (you can see one of the stations as you near the summit). It's way better than the descent near the chockstone route, and will deposit you closer to your belongings at the base of the route. Jun 21, 2021
Seattle
Seattle
Route itself is great. I didn't notice the bolts on the topos after the crux crack or exiting right to the last easy crack, but it felt fine without them (and I might've just not seen them - I wasn't looking hard). If you continue up the crack after the crux crack (listed here as 10c easing to 8) past the easy slab transition, you can climb a fair bit further until the crack fades, and apparently do some spicy slab moves to get to the rap anchors (the first ones in Bob's description). Unclear what grade, I looked at that and decided I didn't want to do it and down-climbed back to the actual route. If you use a 70m, you can get from the crux pitch to the 2nd class top out area and build an anchor, but it won't all the way to the top rap chains. Sep 5, 2022
Denver, CO
If you're going to climb the 11-, or even aid through it, you're probably strong enough to leave the 6 at home and make a few dicey but easy layback moves.
Doing the final pitch from the base of the finger crack all the way to the rap chains (climber's right at the top) was incredible. I used every nut I brought from the red DMM walnut all the way down to the purple. The only problem I had with this was running out of runners to clip them! What a great pitch. Jul 15, 2023
Portland, OR
Gear:
Double BD from .1 - 3, a single 5 (no 4).
16 slings, used them all
Beta:
We ran together pitches 2/3 and 4/5 with a 70 meter rope and made quick work of the route.
Pitch 1 : easy with mediocre rock that becomes more enjoyable in chimney, with easy enough small gear. Climb past first ledge to belay on 2nd ledge, as shown in topo.
Pitch 2/3 combined
Climb the wonderful finger crack in front of you on the second ledge (the northwest corner 5.9+ route is further left). After moving up a while, Stand on slung horn and just keep moving up and right to put the pitches together and reach the powerful flake.
For pitch 3 - The 5 is ok far back in the crack and midway in the flake; probably more of a mental piece as lots of folks have commented on. It’s powerful, but not hard and you can get a good #3 in right before the flake.
The belay ends right before the finger crack and it’s a quasi hanging belay. Takes really good gear, but a little more exposed than other belays on the route.
Pitch 3/4
Finger crack feels more like 10+. Gear is quite good, taking bd .2-.4 and even get Metolius 00 or BD .1 quite well. In between this and the nice 10- crack the gear is…creative.
The 10- is amazing and the lay back traverse with a bolt doesn’t require much more gear than you’ve already got with the bolt. Airy but easy to get your hands and fingers in the underclung traverse and, if needed, gear.
The end is run out but 5.7/8 and there are now new rap chains so you can end the pitch up and right at the bolt anchors. Crack peters in and out at the end.
If there are folks coming down the rap route at the same time, then run it out a bit more and belay at top of a crack left of rap anchors.
Descent
The beta for descent in the Harrington book is now no longer the thing to follow with the new rappel bolts/chains.
Rappel is now down the face, climbers right of the route, not down the gully. Jul 18, 2023
Bellevue, WA
If you link 5+6 all the way to the summit, verbal communication with your partner is nearly impossible and the rope drag running over the slab is horrendous, so have a solid plan or consider stopping at the rappel station just after the traverse. Next time I'd consider doing 4+5+6 as one pitch, stopping at the rappel anchor you pass on route and have the follower swing to the summit anchor. Jul 8, 2024
Bellevue, WA
P1-2 is about 55m (fine with 60m rope). P1 climbs the face then chimney and then P2 goes up the easy forested blocky terrain to the base of P3). Belay at the big tree on the huge flat dirt ledge at the base of P3.
P3 is only like 18m, literally just climbs the corner to the ledge above the corner before continuing up the wide stuff. There used to be slings around the flake at this ledge that Supertopo mentions, but there were no slings as of 7/13/2024.
Most link P3-4, which is about 50m linked (again fine with a 60m rope). You won't be able to see each other if linking these.
P4 (about ~30m) climbs some initial face crack, then has the crux lieback "flake" which takes the #6 people reference, or some people fit a tipped out #5. I placed a nut at the base of it and then just liebacked up it, using my right foot with a toe-heel in the wide crack. It gets progressively easier as you get higher and is only about 7' of climbing till you can get in some gear above it. Then, there's another "flake" that's much more loose looking, but it's substantially easier. You can actually bear hug it! You can sling the top of it with a double runner too. From the top of that flake, you reach to the right and clip a bolt before starting the 5.9+ undercling rightwards traverse. The traverse always has better hands than it seems, and there's also another piton on it midway through. Then follow it up a few more feet to the base of the 5.11a finger crack, and build a semi-hanging gear belay (takes #1-2, also probably 0.75 and smaller, lots of options).
P5 is literally only about 12m, up the 5.11a finger crack that takes small nuts, 0.2's, 0.1's, 0.3, maybe 0.4 or 0.5 before it traverses left on the face to the next crack system. The traverse left is actually easier than expected. There's some face mono/two finger pocket holes! Build a slightly-less hanging gear belay.
P6 is about 65m if climbed to the very top bolted anchor (a 60m doesn't reach, a 70m would reach). P6 starts above the 5.11a finger crack, and starts on some 10c finger crack that is noticeably easier and protects well with nuts and some smaller cams. Gear gradually gets bigger and it gradually gets easier. The crack then starts to disappear beneath a surprisingly cruxy rightwards slab traverse with a bolt on the face (the bolt protects it really well for the leader though, basically on top rope). After stepping sharp right, it continues up some more easy cracks (look right and you might notice the rappel anchor on the face) up to a 3rd class ledge, and then ~20m up that 3rd class ledge is the bolted anchor at the top of the wall.
P6 belay options are numerous...
- With a 70m rope, just send it to the very top and belay at the bolted anchor.
- With a 60m rope, I think the best would be to belay just before the slab traverse near the top (this would be a gear belay in the crack probably 15' below the bolt that's up on the slab face). Then climb a final P7 to the top.
- With a 60m rope, you can also build a mediocre belay midway up the 3rd class ledge about 15m from the very top bolted anchor using some cracks near the ground (this is what I did, next time I'd try the belay beneath the slab). I placed a 0.4 and 0.3, but I think a 075 or 0.5 might have worked better if I had one. Note that another group we saw were unable to find any anchor options here and actually downclimbed to some of the crack system before the 3rd class ledge and built a hanging belay...
P5-6 linking options
- With a 70m, you can NOT climb from base of P5 (5.11a finger crack) to the very top bolted anchor.
- With a 70m or possibly even 60m, you could climb P5 5.11a finger crack and climb the 5.10c finger crack and then belay beneath the slab traverse.
- With a 70m, you can continue past the slab traverse and belay on the 3rd class ledge using the limited crack option on the floor described in the P6 belay options above.
RAPPEL (new bolted rappel)
A single 60m rope does NOT make one of the rappels. Either be prepared to extend that rappel (and rappel a single strand with the other side blocked and extended), or bring a 70m (or probably a 65m rope would be perfect).
From the very top, it’s 6 bolted rappels with one little 20m walk in the middle, and it drops you off one minute away from the base of the route and your gear! All rappels, aside from the very top rappel across the 3rd class slab ledge, go straight down.
- R1: ~22m, From the top of the 3rd class slabs, rappel from the bolted anchor back toward the West Face route, toward the climbers right side of the slabby ledge to find a bolted anchor just past the lip of the slab.
- R2: 31m, rappel straight down (with a 60m rope, anchor will be at your waist, but it’s clippable).
- R3: 32m, straight down (with a 60m rope, you'll need to block and extend one strand with about 5m of cord. We used one alpine anchor cordellete still as a loop, and two double runners).
- R4: 28m, straight down
- R5: 28m, straight down to big dirt ledge
- W1 walk ~20m to the end of the ledge, by skiers left find the next bolted anchor (skiers left of a tree that might be slung).
- R6: 28m to ground. Drops you off one minute away from the base of the route, no need to bring shoes, just walk back to your bag! Jul 14, 2024
Seattle, WA
- 70m will reach from the belay below the finger crack to the anchor. It's *tight* and requires good rope management, but it reaches
- 60m will reach from the "P6" start if you move up the crack a bit after making the traverse from the tips crux
- 60m works fine for the raps, no extension needed. There are 2 that are rope stretchers but tie knots and we had zero problems or downclimbing shenanigans
For the last rap, looks like someone recently cut all the tat off the tree and we didn't have any to leave. Anyone who wants to be a hero and donate some cord and rings for the last rap will have my thanks! Sep 4, 2024
Spokane, WA