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Stems and Jammies

5.7, Trad, TR, 60 ft (18 m),  Avg: 3 from 79 votes
FA: unknown
Idaho > W Idaho > Black Cliffs > Populace Wall
Warning Access Issue: 2024 Seasonal raptor closures: Scary Canyon, Face Canyon, Highway Face, Steep Wall, Far Side, and Nixon Head (updated 3/15/24) DetailsDrop down

Description

This is a chimney climb. It has great gear placements all the way up. I'd say the crux is a small bulge about 3/4 the way up. Great climb to practice placements on.

Location

Look for the obvious chimney about fifteen feet to the left when the trail ends.

Protection

No cams larger than a #2

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Michael V. placing gear on Stems and Jammies on a cold January afternoon.
[Hide Photo] Michael V. placing gear on Stems and Jammies on a cold January afternoon.
Sweet hand crack on Stems and Jammies. Photo by Rachel Brinkley.
[Hide Photo] Sweet hand crack on Stems and Jammies. Photo by Rachel Brinkley.
Climber on Stems and Jammies.
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YELLOW: Sweet Adene
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BLUE: BSU Fantasy
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ORANGE: Furst As Sent
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RED: Populace Offwidth
[Hide Photo] Climber on Stems and Jammies. YELLOW: Sweet Adene BLUE: BSU Fantasy ORANGE: Furst As Sent RED: Populace Offwidth
Enjoy the fun ride up.
[Hide Photo] Enjoy the fun ride up.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

K Baumgartner
  5.7
[Hide Comment] Nice introduction to the Black Cliffs. Good gear placements throughout. Think it's soft for the grade (more like 5.7). Trad led White Wash afterwards, which was way more difficult. Oct 6, 2012
Kirk B.
Boise, ID
5.7+
[Hide Comment] I concur. Fun route. Feb 20, 2013
S.Lee
  5.8
[Hide Comment] Great way to learn how to jam! Jun 7, 2014
C Hopwood
Salt Lake City, UT
 
[Hide Comment] Basically a sport climb with a crack in it. You don't even have to touch the crack if you don't want to. Takes lots of bigger gear (C4 #1-#3) but limitless options for gear placement and nice stances to place gear every few feet. Would be a low stress first trad lead. Easy stemming and jugs the whole way. Surprisingly fun! Sep 7, 2014
Petsfed 00
Snohomish, WA
  5.7
[Hide Comment] I think this could only be considered 5.8 if you didn't jam for the entire pitch.
I kept waiting for the 5.8 move, and it never happened.
Also, because of the way the crack opens inside, hexes may be more useful than cams for the upper hand-crack. Feb 14, 2015
Cassidy Thomas
Syracuse, NY
[Hide Comment] It's a great route for a first trad lead. I find that the crack on the left zips up well with nuts, and the one on the right with cams. In August of 2016, I did a trip to the cliffs with a friend who its just starting to trad climb. As this was my first trad climb, I figured it would be a good one for her (she had already prated placing gear and such with climbing instructors. However, she got a little spooked about 2/3 of the way up and shoved a severely over-cammed #3 black diamond into the right crack (the cams are completely retracted). I really didn't want to leave it as an eye sore for everyone else and I tried for a long time with a variety of tactics to get it out but couldn't without damaging the rock (given the tools I had). I don't think it'll come out without doing considerable damage to the cam so no need to return it if you get it out. Sorry again for the eye sore. Aug 20, 2016
Nick Cesare
Boise, ID
 
[Hide Comment] It's possible to set up a top rope on this route after topping out along the Populace Wall. I topped out on Little Nest and walked over to the Stems and Jammies bolts with zero difficulties and no exposure. Jun 12, 2017
Austin Howell
DILLIGAF, TX
  5.7
[Hide Comment] Lovely route! Granted, I’m just an interloper passing through, but I concur that it’s less than 5.8, I found it to be easier than Little Nest. There hardly a single move on the way up where I didn’t have at least one hand anchored in a perfect hand-jam with bomber solid feet. At one point I was both-hands-in!

A fantastic trainer for anyone looking to start crack climbing and branch out from the faces Apr 11, 2019
[Hide Comment] The anchors on this route have been fitted with durable lower off hardware courtesy of the American Safe Climbing Association (ASCA). Hardware upgrades are made possible through donations by climbers like you. Please donate today at safeclimbing.org Nov 10, 2021