[Hide Comment] This beast is hard! The first pitch is a straight kick in the nuts, with sustained 11c climbing up to a very, very hard crux (V5-6ish). Be prepared to be humbled! Nov 3, 2009

[Hide Comment] I agree about the first pitch, a rude wake up call, indeed. A little chossy in spots, like most of Whitesides, but a very nice route. The moves off the Whitesides hotel are quite memorable. Feb 19, 2010

[Hide Comment] Personal notes written after climbing route:
(Warning: Climbing at Whiteside Mountain is extremely dangerous due to long runouts, poor protection, loose rock, difficult route finding, and other factors. The information in this posting is provided for informational and historical purposes only to aid in understanding roughly where the route has been climbed before. Information provided is approximate, subjective, and based upon sometimes vague memories and opinions of recreational climber(s) that may not have been recorded until long after climbing the route. As such, the information is unverified and may be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, and/or may contain errors. Any person(s) attempting to climb this route or any others does so at their own risk and is solely responsible for their party's safety using their own route-finding skills and judgement and shall not rely on any information in this posting. It is neither claimed nor implied that bolts, fixed anchors, and removable protection placement locations on the route including those shown/described are safe or suitable for protecting further ascents. It is the responsibility of climbers to thoroughly inspect bolts/fixed anchors before deciding to use them. )
Personal gear taken on ascents after first climbing it with more gear (others may want to take more or others): blue TCU, #.75 - #2 camalots (a #3 friend may be slightly better than a #2 camalot if one has it), #8 - #11 stoppers, and several long slings. #3 camalot optional and only used on P1.
All pitch lengths given are rough guesses.
P1: (5.12c) Climb cool crystal covered slab to bulge. Reach up high to clip bolt (protected by optional #3 camalot), then step back down and climb up through the bulge about 5 feet left of the bolt. Continue up the face with one very hard move to anchor (80 feet)
P2: (5.11b) climb up to a bolt then traverse right and climb an incredibly good face to anchor. (90 feet)
P3: (5.11d) Climb steep rock above the belay until the angle lessens. A smeary boulder problem crux bars the way to the anchor. (80 feet)
P4: (5.10b) Climb past bolts and some gear to anchor on ledge (90 feet)
P5: (5.11a) Climb up blocky right facing corner, get tricky pro at/near the top, then climb out the steep roof past 2 bolts into the "oracle hole". Continue up and left past a bolt and up to a final directional bolt right before the ledge. Belay from anchor on the right end of the ledge. (80 feet)
P6: (5.11a PG13/R) climb the face right of the whitesides hotel up and left past bolts and possibly a slung horn to a horizontal crack under a roof. Traverse left and climb up past a horn and bolts to an anchor. The first part of this pitch where there is potential to fall swing into slabby ledge features around whitesides hotel level in a fall always seemed pretty scary to me.
P7: (5.11c PG13) Climb up and left past a bolt and some 5.10 moves a bit above a bolt then continue up and right on 5.7 ramp to 5.11c bulge that has a potentially kind of sketchy fall potential onto slabby rock if one blows it after standing up a little.
P8: (5.8) climb the crack to trees, then traverse right 40 feet to two bolt anchor
P9: bushwhack straight in front of anchor then do a boulder problem to gain an easy slab which leads to the top. Oct 8, 2010

[Hide Comment] Cold weather is a must for freeing pitch 1 Jul 30, 2020

[Hide Comment] Nature has started to reclaim this route. I just climbed it two days ago and some of the pitches were covered in moss, lichen, and dirt. Some of the bolts were even hidden under lichen. This used to be one of my favorite routes in the eastern U.S.

Get on it if you get a chance so it won't disappear into obscurity, it's an adventure you won't regret. Nov 20, 2023