Avg: 3.5 from 68
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Access Issue: Seasonal Raptor Closures
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Iconoclast is a near classic; it has some interesting cruxes that are mostly well protected while maintaining fairly easy climbing on a spectacular wall. Most of the climb shares pitches with Hyperspace while exiting the Iconoclast corner/dihedral system to the right for the Shield (Hyperspace continues up for two more pitches). The exposure on the Shield is wild as you roam around slinging chicken heads and a few sparce bolts.
The start of Iconoclast begins after climbing the first two pitches of Remorse (typical and described below) or RPM.
Remorse:
Begin directly below the roofs that form the underside of Two Tree Ledge (you'll be standing on the trail just to the left of the small scrub trees that are at the high point of the base of the wall).
P1- 45m+ - 5.6 - Climb easy 4th class ledges and corners to a 4th class ledge system that angles up to the left. The ledge system ends 20' below a small bush in front of a large flake that typicallly has many slings around it. Climb the right groove up and traverse left to the bush/flake.
P2- 25m+ - 5.8 - The next pitch traverses left all the way to the Psychopath ledge; start with some groove and face climbing up left aiming for the undercling flake; work your way back down the flake and traverse until you are forced into a balancy no hands traverse to more cracks; continue left along a rounded ledge (that works better for hands than feet) and finish with a mini crux up to the Psychopath ledge. Belay either at solid cracks and tree prior to the ledge proper, or continue across the gravelly ledge to the tree on the far side.
These can be climbed as one pitch with a 70m rope, or some very easy simulclimbing for 20+ feet (for the second) until the lead can gain the Psychopath ledge and set a belay.
Iconoclast:
Many people will climb the Pyschopath crack as a variation from here.
P3- 35m - 5.8+ - Around the Corner: Traverse out left (one bolt) and around the corner on some easy but exposed face climbing until you reach a crack; continue up the crack until ledges and cracks above the Pyschopath crack.
P4- 50m - 5.10a - The Roof Pitch: Follow the cracks/corner up to a excellent hand crack corner roof (a short fun move over); continue up alongside the block of doom; a solid belay is possible at the top of the block of doom (in cracks to the left of the block).
Be wary of the block doom as it is HUGE and seems to be detached and ready to release. The rockfall appears to be from 2008
P5- 45m - 5.10c - The Dihedral Pitch: Pull a second roof directly from the belay and follow up and over into a corner ledge that leads to the dihedral. An interesting (short) traverse down puts you under a dirty looking dihedral (it climbs clean), work up through secure but pumpy moves of the dihedral (good pro) (alternatively the right side face of the dihedral goes at 5.11a); continue up easier terrain to a two bolt belay.
P6- 50m - 5.10c - Transition to the Shield: Follow the corner up to the tree (or work a crimp/ledge ladder out left that leads back into the corner tree); head right climbing the face up around the corner (one bolt and sparse/small pro); don't forget to look over/around the corner for the chicken head saviors; finish up the face of the Shield through easy chicken head terrain (one bolt and maybe a slung chicken head) to a two bolt belay at a tree.
P7- 25m - 5.7 - The Mini Dihedral: Follow a short but beautiful little left-facing dihedral with a 2" crack in the back of it that leads directly to the left most end of Library Ledge; two bolt belay.
Most parties will follow the last two pitches (68 meters) of Outerspace from hear.
P8- 55m - 5.10b A0 - Continue up the 5.10b slab climbing (sparse? bolts) from the left side of Library Ledge to a bolt ladder. (I have not climbed this pitch so beta is second hand)
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I would recommend continuing past the block of doom about 25' to the base of the dihedral on P4 if you've got a 70m. The belay will be more comfortable with better pro and the belayer will be able to see their climber.
I would also link P6 & P7 together, take a #2 & #3 C4 to protect the mini dihedral. We didn't find the two widely spaced bolts on the face before the belay at the tree, but there were a couple of nut and cam placements to supplement the bolts, and the climbing was super easy after turning the corner onto the sheild. Jun 4, 2012
Phoenix, AZ
Cashmere, WA
The 5.10c move onto the shield on pitch 6 is very committing. You get one bolt to protect you, but must pull a couple balancy awkward moves to the next protection opportunity well above and to the right of the bolt. Blowing any of these moves will send you on a swinging fall back onto the lower angled face below you. And do not underestimate the "easy" climbing on the chickenheads once you pull around onto the shield. There are serious consequences should you fall before you reach the bolt midway up this pitch. Don't go into this pitch expecting the easy chickenheads you climbed on Outer Space. It's much steeper than O/S, and the path not entirely intuitive.
Nov 9, 2013
Seattle, WA
P4 - 40m - mostly very easy, goes fast; 2" pro for the roof.
P5 - 40m - numerous 10- moves with decent rests in between.
P6 - 30m - getting from the bolt to the crack 7' above was my crux. The spot that takes good pro is some distance up the crack. The bottom of the crack was easy to reach, but it's 10mm wide and only 10mm deep. I made do with an abysmal medium DMM walnut that was body-weight at best, a guy we ran into recommended brass nuts. The Shield part is very run out and most of the chicken-heads don't take slings well, but the climbing is definitely within 5.7.
P7 - 17m - I thought 5.8 rather than 5.7 (not that it matters at that point).
P7 was the only place we used our #3 camalot, and I suspect it was optional even there. Jul 29, 2016
Seattle, WA
If you stop at every good anchor, the rappel lengths from Library Ledge to Psychopath Ledge are 17, 30, 27, 45, 18. Combining looked like it would work.
If all you have is one 70m rope, there is a bush with slings about 10m above the bottom of the 45m rappel. The bush is small, so I would have everybody but the last person bypass the bush by doing a single-strand rappel. If you don't trust the bush but have 20m of cord, reepschnur is an option.
From Psychopath Ledge: 60m gets you to trail, 50m gets you to 3rd class. 10m gets you to a semi-permanent anchor on nuts, from which another 35m probably gets you to 4th class. I would not advise a reepschnur rappel from the ledge, but it should work well from the nuts anchor 10m lower. Jul 29, 2016
Salt Lake City, UT
Mainly posting to say we found a bolted anchor at the top of P5, which was good because I had to get to work. We climbed with double 60s to facilitate bailing if the need arose, so I can only say with double 60s there are numerous rap stations on the way down that put us climbers left of where the route started. No hijinx necessary, just straightforward raps. Aug 22, 2016
Portland
P4 – the roof crack is fantastic! And the Block of Doom is well named. It’s huge, and as noted in the description, it’s completely detached. Spooky. I marveled that it remained in place and attempted in vain to not touch it. Unavoidable. Perched above the Block of Doom it a smaller version, also detached. Remarkably, it has slings around it and a rap link. I chose to belay 30’ above on a small ledge in the left facing corner. Couldn’t bear to stand on or near those 2 blocks. My anchor was on small/micro cams and a solid nut, but the useful part of the crack is down low, so the master point was below my waist – awkward. If this becomes the new P4 anchor, a couple of bolts here (like the P5 anchor) would be helpful.
P6 – The small crack that’s mentioned above the P6 bolt takes the small (white) Tricam securely. The chicken heads on the shield are wild looking - and easy climbing. If you’ve made it this far thru the 5.10, you’ll have no problems with the heads. Relax and enjoy. As mentioned, there’s a shiny new bolt 30’ into the heads. Above the bolt, the heads develop “necks” and will take slipknots on slings well. Be prepared to meander back and forth among the good heads and have fun.
P7 – Placed our #3 C4, but not essential. Could leave it behind. Oct 26, 2018
Minneapolis, MN and Moab, UT
Seattle, WA
I'm all for preserving the historical hardman ethics of the route, but one bolt after you pull around the arete just to lessen the chance of slicing your rope seems reasonable and keeps 30'+ runouts.
Edit: Is it possible the 2nd bolt got knocked off? Description says 2 bolts in the chickenheads, in addition to the one on the face before pulling the arete. I looked everywhere and could only find one. Reading the comments sounds like there's only 1 bolt. May 20, 2024
Cashmere, WA
There's only been that one lone bolt, two if you count the useless two bolt anchor about 10' below the 5.8 corner.
I don't think anyone would complain if you just took the initiative to make it a bit safer as suggested. Hell, it hardly gets climbed anymore anyways. May 26, 2024
Hyperspace variation was a really cool pitch- definitely recommend if you’re getting on this thing
5th pitch- 10c felt like an accurate grade, the pro was a bit sparse and finicky
6th pitch- I would call 10b, I got in a purple totem in a short crack above the first bolt on this pitch and felt glad to have it. The rest of this pitch is very spooky runout climbing on knobs I would call 5.7/8R (I belayed on two good bolts below the 5.7 left leaning corner (5.8 might feel more accurate for the corner))
After the 5.7/8 corner we traversed into outer space, and enjoyed the last two mellow pitches from here Aug 22, 2024