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Spontaneous Distraction

5.10a/b, Trad, Sport, Alpine, 400 ft (121 m), 4 pitches, Grade III,  Avg: 2.2 from 6 votes
FA: Thad Nelson, Joe Wiederhold Aug 2011
Washington > Northwest Region > Hwy 20 & N Casc… > N Cascades > Washington Pass > Kangaroo Ridge > Le Petit Cheval

Description

Pitch One- Locate the first bolt which blends in very well. From here climb just above the left trending overlap (see Beta Photo) then up over 3 bolts on some exciting face climbing 5.10a
Pitch Two- Head up past two bolts and catch a crack(5.10a). Traverse right at the third bolt and take easier cracks to the anchor.
Pitch Three- A sport pitch with a tough start(5.10a) easing into more moderate face climbing(5.7-8) after the first twenty feet. Climb until you reach the tree anchor.
Pitch Four. Continue up fun cracks (5.6-7) to the top build a gear anchor or belay off of a tree.

Location

This Route is close to Le Petit Chaval and can be accessed by climbing the first three pitches of Spontaneity arete and cutting across the gully, or for a faster approach take the gully that parallels Spontaneity arete (see beta photo below). Or if you want a long day or you just didn't get enough you can rap down one rappel from the top of Le Petit Chaval to the gully and cut across and down the gully (3rd class) to Spontaneous distraction (in about 20 minutes)

"From milepost 165, park in the large pullout and find a climbers trail at the far west end of the pullout, leading into a boulder field. The trail continues through the woods leading down to Early Winters creek. Cross on a log (may be washed out), or bring sandals to wade the knee deep water. From there, the trail climbs up and left through trees into a clearing that is the runout of a large avalanche path (Snow until mid season). Cross the clearing and climb to the upper left edge where a trail will take off close to the rock. Three small, dirty and slabby sections are equipped with fixed ropes to ease the ascent. The Spontaneity Arete Route begins on a ledge at the left hand toe of the ridge next to a large tree."
Burdo Mazama Rock

Approach time to Spontaneity Arete is about 1 hour. Approach time to Spontaneous distraction via the gully is an hour and a half for non-super-humans in average physical shape.

From the top of Spontaneous distraction scramble down to the top of pitch three and rap the route. One 70 meter rope is sufficient. If desired it is also possible to rappel the bottom pitches of Spontaneity Arete rather than hiking down the gully.

Protection

Standard Rack to 2" Some runners to help with rope drag. You may wish to replace the webbing at the top of pitch 3 depending on it's condition. This route requires a single 70 meter rope to rappel.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Le Petit Chaval as viewed from the pullout on highway 20
[Hide Photo] Le Petit Chaval as viewed from the pullout on highway 20
Spontaneous Distraction.
[Hide Photo] Spontaneous Distraction.
Ben following up the long third pitch. When rappelling, we tried to use a carabiner block to extend the rope to get to the previous anchor, but the bush at the bottom of the photo would not let us get away that easy.
[Hide Photo] Ben following up the long third pitch. When rappelling, we tried to use a carabiner block to extend the rope to get to the previous anchor, but the bush at the bottom of the photo would not let us…

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

CameraisHeavy
Everett, wa
  5.10a
[Hide Comment] If anyone climbs this please put in your vote for the difficulty rating. Aug 23, 2012
Morrismc
Portland, Or
[Hide Comment] haven't climbed it but looked over at that face hoping there was a route up it! Nice work! Will have to go back for this one! Jul 23, 2015
Ben Stilin
  5.10
[Hide Comment] You CAN’T rappel pitch 3 from the trees directly above the last bolt (as marked on the topo picture) using a 70m. There may be other ways to do an intermediate rappel on trees off to the side, but shenanigans would likely ensue.

The first two pitches are relatively straight forward and fun and can be rappelled with a 70m. They do have some minor runouts and poor rock quality. Worth doing if you are in the area and psyched on slabbing. Jul 3, 2021
Nate Phillip
  5.10b
[Hide Comment] +1 to Ben's comment. Rappelling from the top of pitch three to the bolts on pitch two we ended up a few feet shy with a 70 m rope. Shenanigans ensued and we got our stuff back but I would recommend making sure the tree rappel extends well past the lip and the brush. Otherwise, there is an intermediate rappel tree which had a sling with a locker partway down on skiers left.
Otherwise a fun route with great scenery! Oct 9, 2022