Southwest Corner (South Pillar)

This route climbs the obvious left facing corner that you can see on the approach. Pitches 1, 3 & 5 are outstanding with excellent rock. Not to be missed!

P1 (11a ~30m): Climb a RFC to a small ledge ~5m up. Continue up the RFC on the left. The crux is short but thin and technical (4 fixed pins). Once through the crux, step back right on a small ledge to a nice hand crack. Belay on a ledge beside a bush. Mostly 5.10 climbing with a 2-3m section of 5.10+/5.11-

P2 (5.7 ~20m): Climb up and right from the belay over easy ground. Belay on a ledge beside a bush below the large roof.

P3 (10c ~45m): Move right off the belay and climb the steep hand crack in the corner. Pull over the roof into the huge LFC. Climb the corner to the end and make a burly move out right, through a second roof. Save a #1 or #2 for the roof pull. An amazing pitch!

P4 (10b ~5m): Step left and face climb (3b’s) to a small ledge. A short pitch. It might be best to link this pitch with P3.

P5 (10c ~30m): Go straight up off the belay, climbing the cracks on the right. When the crack steepens, face climb right (2b’s) and switch into the crack on the right. Continue up this to a nice ledge.

P6 (5.7 ~30m): Step right off the belay ledge. Climbing up and to the right on easier ground. This links up with pitch five of Common Knowledge.

P7 (4th ~30m): Scramble to the notch between the South Pillar and Rexford’s false summit. 

Either scramble to the summit of the South Pillar or descend through the notch to the west and down the standard West Ridge route. 

It’s also possible to continue climbing up the south ridge to the false summit via 2-4 pitches of low 5th-5.8. 

Start up the west ridge route on Rexford. At around 2100m, drop down to the south. Scramble (3rd class) to the base of the South Pillar.

30-60min from the bivy rock.

Small and medium nuts. Single set of cams from #0 - #4 BD. Doubles from #.2 - #3 BD. RP’s are useful on P1. A #5 is useful on P3 but it may be possible to get away with two #4’s.