Type: Trad, 4 pitches, Grade II
FA: Peter Croft, Tami Knight 1978
Page Views: 5,592 total · 25/month
Shared By: ScottH on Sep 7, 2006
Admins: Mark Roberts, Kate Lynn, Braden Batsford, Mauricio Herrera Cuadra

You & This Route


39 Opinions
Your To-Do List: Add To-Do ·
Your Star Rating:
Rating Rating Rating Rating Rating      Clear Rating
Your Difficulty Rating:
-none- Change
Your Ticks:Add New Tick
-none-
Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
Warning Access Issue: SIGNIFICANT ROCK FALL CLOSURES - UPDATED Feb 29th 2024 DetailsDrop down
Warning Access Issue: Camping DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

A Cream of White Mice is a memorable Peter Croft route; one that has made me forever leery of his climbs. Sometimes a single section of a climb defines a route, and sometimes a single word defines that section. For this climb, that word is smooth. Or traverse. Or unprotectable. Take your pick.

P1. Begin from a cedar groove that leads to a suprisingly airy, bolted arete. Climb the arete to a stance at the base of a dike. Some gear is needed near the top of the arete. Stiff 5.8.

P2. Follow the dike up and left on easy terrain. Occasionally sparse but adequate gear. Belay at bolts on the left of the arete. 5.4

P3. Climb slightly up from the belay, then traverse right across the smooth wall to a belay in the corner. Suffice to say this is heady and not short. The crux comes early in the traverse. 5.9

P4. Continue up the corner to the forest. Initially awkward, and a non-trivial exit. 5.9

It is possible to combine P3&P4 with a 60m rope. A brave soul will climb well into the corner after the traverse before placing a piece for the sake of her second; a coward (me) will throw gear in at the first opportunity.

Location Suggest change

To descend, walk-off, passing Xenolith Dance en route to Bullethead Ledge. With a 70m rope a bold rappel can be done if no one else is on-route.

Protection Suggest change

Gear to 2". There is a placement available in the dyke above and left of the start of the traverse (~.5 camalot) which protects the hardest section for the leader. Protection for the second is a cool head.

Photos

loading