Type: Trad, Mixed, Alpine, 350 ft (106 m), 5 pitches
FA: Phil Wortmann, Jack Rodat, Noah McKelvin (with an appearance of Erik Wellborn)
Page Views: 3,179 total · 28/month
Shared By: Noah McKelvin on Oct 24, 2014
Admins: Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC

You & This Route


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Description Suggest change

Two years ago, Erik Wellborn, Phil Wortmann, and I jumped on it. We only made it 30 feet up and bailed due to the moss and intimidating nature of the first couple pitches.

This has got to be one of the best alpine "mixed" routes I've done, and that's not because I'm partial. It really is classic, as good, if not more so, than the The Ole 6 to the right.

Three Dragons takes the steepest line (so far) straight up the middle of the Corinthian Column. The route has it all, from roofs, to technical pulls, to moss, to fantastic hooks. At many times, the route seems too thin to go, but it's all there. The climbing stays sustained from a foot off the ground to P4.

P1. (M6/7) Start off the ground on funky terrain to the first roof. Pull around it, and milk a rest. Place good gear, and then gun it through vertical terrain with hard to get feet and technical hooks. Pull through an odd bulge with a good pin, and set up a belay in an alcove below the second intimidating roof.

P2. (M6/7) Commit to the overhang with good gear but pretty bad feet. Once you turn the roof, climb insecure exciting M5+ to a nice ledge, thankfully. The gear is there. Work for it.

These two pitches could be combined, but we found with the sustained nature that we didn't have enough gear to link, but the hardmen will probably think differently.

P3. (M5+) Start up left in a corner. Five feet to the right is a thin crack. Place a good piece, and climb a little bit higher. Make an exciting move, and commit to the crack. Move up the M5+ crack. The gear gets better the higher you get. Choose your own terrain above with a fun mantel to a big ledge on the leftmost side below a wide crack in a dihedral.

P4. (M6/7) Climb up the dihedral for 10 feet, and then start the journey by traversing right. Up and right you should see what looks like a vertical blank face. You traverse a small let until at the base. Don't go up the dihedral all the way. It leads to a slab. Once at the base of the seam, commit. All I gotta say is it's beyond classic. It ends with a great M5+ dihedral to a great ledge.

P5. (M easy) Climb the broken terrain to the top.

Now listen to the "rangers" yell at you to get down. :)

Location Suggest change

Halfway between Blind Assumption and Total Abandon is the roof system. It is hard to miss.

Protection Suggest change

Typical mixed rack.

Photos

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