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Warriors Way
5.12c,
Trad, 750 ft (227 m), 9 pitches, Grade IV,
Avg: 3.8 from 4
votes
FA: Arno Ilgner
N Carolina
> 1. Southern Mou…
> Whiteside Mountain
> Southeast Face
Access Issue: 2023 seasonal raptor closure (January 15th-August 15th) - New online pass system
Details
Description
This route is one of the best routes in the state. Wait, make that the east coast. It's steep, sustained, and well protected with high quality climbing.
P1: Climb up the lower angle slab more or less straight up passing two bolts to a large overhang with a bolt in it. Clip the bolt and do a 5.12 mantel onto the slabby face above. Follow face past one bolt and gear to a bolted anchor. (5.12b)
P2: Pumpy and sustained. Follow the bolted line past intricate steep climbing with awesome movement. Bring a #1 camalot (5.11+)
P3: Another fun but very moderate pitch. Although this is nearly all bolted falling would still be bad due to the low angle nature and well spaced bolts. Bring a few pieces of gear (5.8)
P4: Traverse straight right off of the belay to the base of some large flakes. Be very careful on this pitch because every feature you touch is a HUGE flake that could be pulled of if you aren't careful. This is the most dangerous pitch of the route despite being very easy. (5.4)
P5: The start of the headwall! Funk your way up a short left facing corner. Then start traversing right past bolts though extremely overhanging rock and into a moderate boulder problem pulling onto the next face. Follow this face past small crimps and sustained face climbing up to the bolted belay. Bring purple through yellow tcu (5.11c)
P6: One of the best pitches on the route! Get stood up off the belay and fire through the nearly horizontal overhanging via jugs and heelhooking. Pull onto the overhanging face above and climbing through a couple bands of blank rock using big moves and a few poor holds. Pumpy but juggy climbing leads through the remainder of the bolts. Bring only quickdraws (5.12b)
P7: The main pitch of the route and most definitely the hardest. Steep climbing through big holds leads to a crux low on the pitch. This crux involves slopey crimps and a big move. Easier climbing leads to a short traverse out right and the start of the hardest sequence on the entire route. Start off with a big move between slopers and get ready for the blankest section of blank rock you will ever see. Figure this section out and then traverse back left to a bolted anchor. Again only bring quick draws (5.12+)
P8: The victory pitch. Steep exposed yet easy climbing at the very top of the headwall. Climb past a possible gear placement and three bolts to an anchor up and slightly left. (5.7)
P9: Guide book calls it 5.5 but it is much easier than that. The only move that is close to 5.5 is protected by about 5 different rappel bolts. The rest of it is low angle enough to walk up if you were so inclined
Location
Under a large roof with a bolt on the underside of it. Just right of Little Miss Dangerous and left of the Great Aha
Protection
Lots and lots of bolts. Possibly a #4 for the first pitch to protect clipping the third bolt but i wouldn't recommend it. You wouldn't fall. other than that a rack of singles from purple tcu to #2 (good for the third pitch but without it, you are just faced with a typical whitesides moderate climbing runout so its optional). The hard pitches are basically sport routes. All belays are bolted and have chains on the bolts
[Hide Photo] Warrior's Way, Whitesides NC
[Hide Photo] Joe DeGaetano highstepping into the start of Warriors Way. Almost every route on Whitesides starts out with runout 5.9 slab. They keep you honest in NC.
[Hide Photo] Looking out at the rest of the wall. There are people but they are barely visible (Hint: hes wearing a blue shirt)
[Hide Photo] Again with the headwall
Fayetteville, WV but curren…
A few thoughts on the route:
The mantle on pitch 1 is probably no harder than 11+. Have no fear. Have some mid size pieces to protect the run outs above the mantle.
The 2nd pitch "11d" is awesome and no move is harder than 11a/b, just a lot of 10+/11- climbing.
Bring only quickdraws on the 5.8 pitch. If you are scared of falling on this back off now.
The second 5.11c pitch is harder than the enduro one and has some suspect rock.
The first of the 5.12 headwall pitches is pretty easy starting off (even though I've heard people call the move to the third bolt 12b/c, its no harder than 11+) but be ready for a super thin techy boulder problem that is mid 5.12. I managed to free the move but my partner pulled a very small micro flake off when seconding it. Not sure how hard now.
The third and crux 5.12 pitch is mostly easy climbing with a stout blankity blank section of rock that can easily be aided. My guess is that either something broke up there, or the line is not direct above the bolt, and instead moves a good ways to the right and then back left. Not sure, but I fell trying and one look at my freezing belayer and I decided to pull on the draw.
EXCELLENT ROUTE, NOT SCARY AT ALL, NOT THAT COMMITTING, GO DO IT!!!!! Nov 12, 2013
Lakewood, CO
-The p1 crux is super cool. Violent swing to cool mantle.
-Bring a few pieces and a ton of shoulder length slings for the long 5.8 pitch. It's bolted all wonky and with QDs only drag would be heinous!
-P5 11+/c thing is awesome and probably my favorite of the whole route. Awesome exposure and cool juggy climbing. Again bolted funky and requires long slings on intial gear and bolts.
- Like Joe mentioned the 1st headwall 5.12 seems to have broken. Since then I've been on it twice and broke tiny crimps both times. I'd like to hear of the last known ascent of this pitch. It now seems like a large dyno will be required to span the first blank section.
-The second headwall pitch is awesome and does seem to meander a good bit right of the crux bolt but the moves go. Again slings on bolts.
-Depending on conditions the exit moves off the headwall are probably totally soaked and the most gripped you'll be on the entire route.
-This is the best protected route I've done at WS with the highest avg quality rock. I hope it can go free again and deserves way more traffic than it seems to get!!!! Dec 18, 2015
Rome, GA
Every pitch goes just fine, the blank sections are between good holds, so just clip the bolt and you basically have a toprope for any hard move, including the bigger moves on these "blank" sections. The final crux pitch (P7 blankity blank blank) does indeed go, you just have to do a little searching because the sharp little crimps in that white rock are invisible until you touch them. This truly is a masterpiece! Nov 14, 2016
La Vergne, TN