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Belvedere

5.11b, Sport, 500 ft (152 m), 5 pitches,  Avg: 1.8 from 5 votes
FA: E. Collins, Sep 2023, lead rope-solo
Oregon > Portland & The… > Crown Point

Description

An obvious plum that finally got bagged, Belvedere goes straight up the middle of Crown Point passing through a colonnade, two prominent roofs, and a steep black watercourse (topo).  The position on the north face has a unique feel to it unlike other climbing areas in the Gorge: continuously steep, devoid of decent ledges, and intimidating (drone videos).  The optimal season to climb the route is between late June through mid-October as pitches 1, 2, and 5 can otherwise be wet from groundwater seeps (winter photo).

P1 16m 5.8*  Start below the First Roof. Climb a short steep section then continue up low-angle terrain to the belay ledge at the base of the colonnade (bolt and fixed pin).

P2 33m 5.9**  Climb 5.9 face moves up the column then follow the line of bolts to the belay under the right side of the First Roof (2 bolts and a tiny ledge).

P3 33m 5.11b***  The crux pitch.  Crank a long reach above the first clip then veer left on pumpy jugs over the roof. Continue past a well protected 5.11 section then up to the Second Roof.  The roof is easier than it looks if you get the sequence right (5.10a). Belay just above the roof on a small ledge with 2 bolts.

P4 16m 5.10c**  Climb past a fixed pin and bolt then traverse left to an airy 5.10c section. Continue up to the belay (2 bolts and a small ledge).

P5 38m 5.10b****  The money pitch.  Climb up (5.10a) then veer right (5.10b) to the Watercourse. The final moves in the Watercourse are slightly overhanging (5.10a).   Carefully climb the easy 5th class gully to the belay (3 bolts and a sloping ledge). After leading the pitch, verbal communication may be challenging. Use cell phones or other means for belay signals.

Walk up to the trail beneath the viaduct then go either left or right, both ways lead to the Vista House parking lot.

Location

Several options are available to reach the base of the route.  Rapping down Fairview Buttress is recommended.

Protection

Route equipped with 10mm x 70mm stainless steel bolts, four fixed pins, and fixed carabiners at the P1, P2, and P3 anchors.

70m rope, 15 draws, 4 alpine draws

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Second Roof
[Hide Photo] Second Roof
The money pitch on a "sunny" summer morning.  Josh Anderson photo.
[Hide Photo] The money pitch on a "sunny" summer morning. Josh Anderson photo.
Last pitch
[Hide Photo] Last pitch
North face reconnaissance, December 2022
[Hide Photo] North face reconnaissance, December 2022
Mid route before the left traverse avoiding the big scoop. Sticker bush is growing back. Rope is a huge top rope solo
[Hide Photo] Mid route before the left traverse avoiding the big scoop. Sticker bush is growing back. Rope is a huge top rope solo
Looking up at P2
[Hide Photo] Looking up at P2
Looking down from top of P1
[Hide Photo] Looking down from top of P1
Colin climbing the final moves to the top.
[Hide Photo] Colin climbing the final moves to the top.
Start of the route. Very wet through middle of p2 as of early June.
[Hide Photo] Start of the route. Very wet through middle of p2 as of early June.
Route development
[Hide Photo] Route development

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Victor Madrid
California
[Hide Comment] Wow! What a great contribution Eric. Glad to see you got it done while you're still young...;) Oct 11, 2023
Caleb Jacobson
Portland, OR
 
[Hide Comment] Props to Eric for the vision behind this line and all the work that went into it! If you have a specific desire to climb Crown Point, this is the way to do it. However if you are just looking for a fun multipitch outing near Portland, I would highly suggest looking elsewhere. Despite all the effort to clean this thing, the rock is quite terrible and we felt at risk of dislodging large blocks onto the belayer below on nearly every pitch. It doesn’t appear as if the route will clean up over time as removing rock will only reveal more bad rock underneath. There was some decent climbing especially in the 5.11 crux of p3 as well as p5.
Just be aware that this route is not just a ‘sport multipitch’. It’s a serious ‘adventure climb’ with very real objective hazard.

Also as of early June 2024, the first pitch and part of pitch two are very wet due to seepage and require some pretty heads up climbing on wet and slippery rock. Probably best to climb this a little later in the season. Jun 9, 2024
jrex Anderson
Portland, OR
 
[Hide Comment] Top rope solo'd this route and had a great time. Hiking down from Vista house is short and easy. I fixed a rope to the concrete pillar, fixed a second rope to the top 3 bolt anchor, and another rope to P3 anchor. This landed me at the top of P1 so not the full route but damn close. While rapping in I used 6-7 draws, 5-6 single slings, and 4-5 double length plus a couple pre tied anchors. It took an hour to get to the base while fixing the route. I was able to clean a little bit of loose rock on the way down. Climbing and hauling back out is great fun with little risk of rock fall. If you get off route a tiny bit the rock can be terrible. On route it is mostly good with a couple sections that are a little scary. Leading this climb would be a different beast. THANK YOU developers! This is an awesome addition to the couple of big top rope solo routes that are in the Portland area. You can see if anyone is on the route as soon as you rappel over the top lip before you are to committed. Sep 9, 2024
E r i c
  5.11b
[Hide Comment] In response to comments, one of my goals at Crown Point was to use Goat Wall in northern Washington as a model for route development - establish relatively safe, fun multi-pitch, alpine-like sport routes in a nice location. In general, the rock quality at Goat Wall is better but with enough cleaning and traffic, it is my opinion that the rock on Belvedere will stabilize. Just as the standard route on Rooster Rock stabilized over time, Belvedere is expected to do the same. Crown Point and Rooster Rock have the same geologic origin and consist primarily of entablature basalt. Oct 28, 2024