Type: Trad, Alpine, 1400 ft (424 m), 11 pitches
FA: Tom Donnelly & Spencer Matthews Oct 2000
Page Views: 313 total · 13/month
Shared By: tom donnelly on Jan 28, 2023
Admins: Chris Owen, Lurk Er, Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes

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Description Suggest change

In the 2nd edition of Secor's High Sierra guidebook, 1999, he drew the lines of several routes on a photo.  His line for the South Face was about 150 yards too far right.  We climbed the line shown on that photo, starting on the right side of a little bowl (a 100 yard high bowl). 

Here are the pitches we did, based on what I wrote on rec.climbing in 2002.  
Ratings are approximate.
People had climbed to the top of our fifth pitch, since there were bail slings there.

1) 50 feet of 4th class into little bowl and onto ramp on the right side,
as shown in the photo.
2) 180 feet 5.9 PG/R went right, then up, then up and right. Some lichen -
so this is not any common route. Ended about 50 feet below a bolt.
EB White is supposed to have a couple bolts.
3) 5.9 PG/R mostly up, a little right, passing the bolt.
4) 5.7 or so, up cracks. At one point there is another bolt about 30 feet to the left,
but stay in the crack to the right. Go up to headwall.
Go up onto a nice ledge at the base of a prominent left facing dihedral,
about 50-60 ft above the second bolt.
It may be that the route with the bolts slants left towards the reg route.
5) 5.10a PG/R Go up easy dihedral 50 feet until it ends. Choose whether to
go right or left. We went up and right to a difficult groove with face
climbing and sparse pro. Climb another 30 feet to a tiny ledge to sit
on, and a block that someone had left rap slings on.

6) 5.7 up and left, staying just left of the whitish rock in the photo,
(where Secor 2nd ed. shows it slanting right) long pitch.
7) 5.8 straight up for maybe 110 feet to where face gets more blank.
Mostly crack climbing.

8) 5.8 R Get in one nut 5 feet above belay. Climb 20 feet of 5.8 face
straight up until you can traverse left and get in a 1 in cam at your feet.
Get in one more dubious nut about 35 feet above the belay. Traverse right
to a nice 2' x 6' ledge straight above the belay, but no pro. This would be a great
place for a bolt, which would make the route overall more reasonable.
Continue up and right another 80 feet of 5.8 friction face with no pro until a nice 2" slot about 120 feet
above the belay. Face climb another 45 feet to belay in vertical crack.

9) 5.6 Face climb, passing some cracks with good pro, to base of steep broken up headwall.
This pitch finally joins the regular route. Belay on big ledge about 20 feet up the headwall.
10) 5.5 Continue up headwall to huge ledge with bivy site. Belay in
alcove about 45 feet above the bivy site.
11) 5.5 nearing top.
12) 3rd class along ridge to summit
descent - do not descend until after traversing north a long way. some
exposure for about 500 feet, then it gets easier.

Location Suggest change

120 yards right of the South Face route.  Starts in an obvious bowl.

Protection Suggest change

Standard rack.

Photos

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