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The Dike Route

5.6, Trad, 1150 ft (348 m), 10 pitches,  Avg: 2.2 from 20 votes
FA: Fritz Weissner, Robert Underhill, summer 1933
New Hampshire > Whitehorse Ledge > 07. The Slabs

Description

An historic but not well traveled route which has some cool parts but is no classic by any means. This is a long moderate line up through the left side of the slab traversing around the headwall to the right and up to the summit.

Not a favorite due to it being a bit dirty and loose in parts but it holds some cool, interesting moves in places.

Pitch 1: 100ft easy 5th class. Scramble up the dike/pockets from the ground on the left side of the slabs to an anchor on the right.  [Note- I’m not sure the “ anchor” is still there. At best it was once only a lonely piton. I looked for it today ( 10/1/21) and didn’t see it from 15-20 ft away on rappel. R Hall 10/1/21. ]

Pitch 2: 130ft 5.2. Follow the dike to a 2 bolt anchor in a toilet bowl pocket.

Pitch 3: 150ft 5.2. climb the dike all the way to a big tree with slings on it.

Pitch 4: 100ft 5.3. Scramble up from the trees toward a right leaning arch. Belay at some trees at the base of the arch. (This is roughly what the book says. I couldn't find a way to get to the arch without climbing 5.6 but I did see an anchor on a cluster of trees that matches this description.

Pitch 5: 130ft 5.6. Follow the arch on nice but sometimes dirty rock until you can pull over the arch and up the slab to a 2 bolt anchor below the steep bolted route "The White Zone".

Pitch 6: 90ft 5.5. A long traverse right leads to an anchor which you can use to rappel. (four 2 rope rappels get you to the ground)

Pitch 7: 90ft 5.5. Continue traversing right until you get to a corner with a couple old pins (upper section of Wedge). Follow the corner up to some ledges.

Pitches 8-10: Adventure time. choose your own adventure through low angle rock and trees to the top.

Location

On the left side of the slabs there are 2 dikes. This is the one on the right.

Protection

Regular Whitehorse rack.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Looking down from the White Zone Belay. Pulling that overlap is committing for the grade.
[Hide Photo] Looking down from the White Zone Belay. Pulling that overlap is committing for the grade.
Our Pitch 9. From above the corner, we climbed a dirty slab to a tree, from the tree, we trended hard right until we found a tree with tat right below the last pitch of standard route. Climbing the Standard dike to the top seemed like a fitting ending.
[Hide Photo] Our Pitch 9. From above the corner, we climbed a dirty slab to a tree, from the tree, we trended hard right until we found a tree with tat right below the last pitch of standard route. Climbing the…
Piton with 3 quick links at top of P1
[Hide Photo] Piton with 3 quick links at top of P1
Looking across the traverse pitch, this is easy, but there are a few nasty runouts. Make sure your second is comfortable at the grade or they may take a ride.
[Hide Photo] Looking across the traverse pitch, this is easy, but there are a few nasty runouts. Make sure your second is comfortable at the grade or they may take a ride.
The belay below the right trending arch. I was happy to have some finger/hand sized gear with me. The trees below the arch are small and janky, with some old tat. Nothing id belay on. Watch for loose rocks as well near the very top.
[Hide Photo] The belay below the right trending arch. I was happy to have some finger/hand sized gear with me. The trees below the arch are small and janky, with some old tat. Nothing id belay on. Watch for loo…
Looking down from the pitch 2 pod.
[Hide Photo] Looking down from the pitch 2 pod.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

john strand
southern colo
[Hide Comment] The first few pitches of this climb are a very good introduction to climbing for a first timer. Basic straightfoward climbing in a non exposed situation. Sep 14, 2015
Robert Hall
North Conway, NH
  5.6
[Hide Comment] When I was last up there, about 2014-15, there was no "anchor on the right*" that I found 100 ft up. Certainly no bolted anchor as climbers sort of use the word today. Maybe there's a single, old piton. (?) You could set up a gear belay, but even that was a bit tricky as I recall.

I think most climbers just run it out to the dbl bolt anchor about 60-70m up in the dike.

[ * You could go left to the anchors on Pathfinder ]

The P7 (as described above) "corner" is more like climbing behind a large flake, sort of chimney-like, and quite yellow-ish rock, if I remember correctly from the last time I was there.

P8 to the Top has rocks-and-blocks-and-boulders just sitting on the slab. It's very easy for the rope to get behind or under one of these and start it crashing down the cliff. "Be Careful Up There!" May 3, 2017
Tom Sawyer
North Conway, NH
 
[Hide Comment] Out of curiosity, I climbed up to the top of P1 to check on the anchor on the right. I found a piton with a 3 quick links attached. This confirms R.H. comment. You can easily add a small cam or two to one of the small horizontal cracks to the left and below the piton to set up a safe belay station. However, I would not rappel from just the piton. I down climbed about 10' then easily traversed left (south) and up along a sloping ledge to a solid 2 bolt anchor (Dark Horse and The Miner-Joseph-KIng Dike) where I rappeled to the ground. There is another bolt just to the right and below the 2 bolt anchor and appears to be the start of P2 of Pathfinder. Aug 2, 2017
phylp phylp
Upland
 
[Hide Comment] I have to give this route 3 stars, as it's the first route I ever did, in 1980. The feeling I had getting up high on this route started my love of climbing. Feb 5, 2018
Phil Brown
Saranac Lake, NY
 
[Hide Comment] I soloed the first three (or four) pitches yesterday (7/9/19) bringing a 60m for rappels. The route is a little different than described. After the toilet bowl belay, there is a short pitch up the dike to anchors at a small ledge near berry bushes. From there it's about 35 meters to the big tree toward the end of the dike. At this point, it's a short, very easy scramble up and left to the base of the arch. No 5.6 moves needed. I did not see an anchor at the arch, though I did see a few tree clusters nearby. The dike above the berry bush was very dirty. I cleaned it out some. Rapping from the tree will bring you close to the berry bush anchor, but you will have to down climb several feet or extend the rope somehow.

I had not climbed Dike Route before, so I am unfamiliar with the upper pitches, but I assume I was at the right place at the base of the arch. I wonder what accounts for the discrepancy in our accounts.

(After posting this comment, I rechecked the Handren guidebook, which says on the pitch above the toilet bowl you pass an anchor on the way to the big tree. It certainly makes sense to climb to the tree in one pitch rather than two, but I wonder what the anchor is for. Rappelling?) Jul 10, 2019
Robert Hall
North Conway, NH
  5.6
[Hide Comment] Adkeditor--per the route description, the 5.6 is on P5 and "old school 5.5" on the P6 the traverse under the roof...at least it was decades ago the last time I did it.

The 2nd pair of bolts may have more to do with the end of P1 of Pathfinder than Dike Route. I get the feeling the bolts on Dike were put in so guided parties can rap off..but that is speculation. A single 70m gets one down from either the trees on Dike or the big tree on "Stadtmuller-Griffin" but you have to know to go to the Pathfinder start to make the last rap to the base. Jul 20, 2019
Phil Brown
Saranac Lake, NY
 
[Hide Comment] Did the whole route on 9/4/20 with guide Jim Shimberg. I led up to the big tree ledge. Jim led the upper pitches, which are harder and involved route finding. The crux came on the 2nd pitch after the ledge, a layback to surmount a wall. Not much in the way of feet. Seemed hard for 5.6. After a zigzag through the woods, we finished on the easy dike on the Standard Route. Sep 9, 2020