Borealis

Borealis winds its way up the grand north face of Middle Cathedral. Three years of spring and fall seasons finding, establishing, and working this line have resulted in a long and gorgeous modern route that is approachable at the grade. There are many memorable pitches on immaculate rock. The style is mostly technical off-vertical edging, but there are some nice physical corners and cracks as well. Get after it.

Start on first 7 pitches of Gaia

Pitch 1: 11c, 120'

Stem and lieback a right facing corner, then finesse around right to the anchor. A high quality introductory pitch. 9 bolts and optional gear for start.

Pitch 2: 10b PG, 150'

Climbs better than it looks. Moderate ramp, then step right at a bolt to featured rock on the right face. At the next bolt, step across the corner and onto the left face. 5 bolts and single rack.

Pitch 3: 10a, 50'

Highstep up and left, then continue to a bolted face higher. Comfy stance and anchor below the next cruxy pitch. 4 bolts and single rack.

Pitch 4: 12c, 80' The White Tiger

Follow edges around an arete and back. Solve tricky moves on the thin face. 6 bolts and a piece or two for the start.

Pitch 5: 11b, 130'

More high quality edging and slab to a lieback corner. 6 bolts and single rack.

If hauling, leave bags here. Drop down from left anchor of Panda Palace and haul directly to there.

Pitch 6: 11c, 120' Red Fox Corner

Climb the handcrack on the left and ignore the choss to the right. Crank some edges into the beautiful corner. Hand jam to glory and an anchor on a stance to the right. 3 bolts and gear.

Pitch 7: 10d, 130'

Continue up the corner to fun juggy moves and an optional anchor. Follow the crack right then up the leftward trending ramp. Pull around the roof and up onto the ledge. 2 bolts and gear.

Move right on ledge to Panda Palace. Great bivy for 2. Good spot for a third atop Panda Pillar up and right. Possible to fix to ground from right side of ledge with 3x 70m ropes, fixing to anchors along the way down. 

Pitch 8: 12a, 120' The Shrike

Ramp up and left, then flakes lead to tricky face climbing up and right. 5 pro bolts and singles of finger sized cams. Link with next pitch if feeling feisty.

Pitch 9: 11b, 50'

Connect corners on golden rock. 2 bolts and a couple finger sized cams.

Pitch 10: 12c, 100' The Robin Traverse

Fun lieback features lead to a traverse right on orange edges. A tricky move to a chickenhead serves as finale to an incredible pitch. 9 bolts, and a .5.

Pitch 11: 12b, 130' The Great Blue Heron

Traverse right to a corner, then around a flake to a rap/optional anchor at a small stance. Cool lieback moves guard the next anchor at a better stance 20 feet higher. 9 bolts, bring a couple finger sized cams.

Pitch 12: 13a, 80' The Golden Eagle

Aggressive standing at its finest. Thin golden face. 8 bolts. Can also be done at 5.9 A0.

Camp Condor. Great stance and portaledge bivy. 

Fix down to Panda from here with 2x 70s following rap route. Also nice to haul direct up this route and avoid hauling the traverse. 

If hauling to Kit Kat Ledge, leave bags here, drop down later and haul direct up to Kit Kat.

Consult photo overlay with rap stations and this should make sense.

Pitch 13: 5.6, 60' 

Rambly moderate corner to a ledge.

Pitch 14: 10b, 200' Corvus Corvax Corner

Long corner, great crack climbing.

Pitch 15: 12a, 100' The Hummingbird

Head up the shallow corner right of the larger corner. Then follow bolts to some fun face climbing around right and back. 5 bolts, all small and finger sized gear.

Pitch 16: 11b 120'

Join the main corner, then cut left on a bolted traverse to Kit Kat Ledge. 5 bolts and singles .3 to 2.

Kit Kat Ledge. Great bivy for 2 or 3. Fix direct down rap route to Camp Condor with 2x 70m ropes, and haul up this direct course.

Pitch 17: 10c, 60'

Up the face until you can cut right to a ramp. Anchor on a nice stance. 4 bolts and a couple finger sized cams.

Pitch 18: 12d, 70' The Albatross

Work into and up the physical corner. Traverse left on a rail to a boulder problem. Great pitch. Easier with a large wingspan, but solvable without. 7 bolts and a hand sized cam.

Pitch 19: 11b, 70'

Keep left off the anchor, then crank up the lieback corner. Finger sized cams.

Pitch 20: 11c, 80' The Scissortail

Mantles and liebacks lead to a tricky step-across move. 3 bolts, some finger sized cams.

Pitch 21: 11a, 80'

Edgy slab up and right, traverse back left under the little roof, then up a corner and back left around a bulge to Ptarmigan Pterrace. 7 bolts, some finger sized cams.

Pitch 22: 11b, 80'

More edgy slab to the right then up the pretty golden corner. 6 bolts.

Pitch 23: 5.8, 80'

Grungy topout pitch. Worth it for the infrequently visited true summit of Middle Cathedral.

Can rappel to Panda Palace with single 70m rope. Even easier with 2x 70's. Rappel off right side of Panda Palace with 2x 70m ropes, or rappel first 7 pitches with single 80m rope. Alternatively, walk off from summit around Higher Cathedral Rock.

All posted grades are mere proposals and best guesses of, in this case, a bunch of idiots. Please contribute your thoughts toward consensus if you climb this route.

Starts on 1st 7 pitches of Gaia

Single rack from .1 to 2 with an extra .5 and .75

80m or 2x 70s