Type: Trad, Alpine, 7 pitches, Grade III
FA: Gordon Webster, TM Herbert, Dennis Hennek, 1967
Page Views: 56,586 total · 279/month
Shared By: Nick Wilder on Jul 20, 2007
Admins: Mike Engle, Eric Bluemn

You & This Route


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Description Suggest change

7 to 8 pitches fun climbing. Don't worry too much if you don't enjoy the first pitch - it gets great as you get higher. Shady until late in the day.

P1. 5.8. 180ft. Start on the easy gully that trends left from near the end of the trail that hugs the base of Elephant's perch.  It turns to a chimney, which you follow for about 20'.  Keep an eye out for a heavily chalked mantle move out left (crux of pitch).  Leave the chimney, surmount the mantle (easier if you work around to its left) and follow a crack to a 3-4' pine tree with slings.

P2. 5.8. 180ft. Cruise up easy broken terrain to a set of bolts low on a large ledge. Head up the crack above and to the left of the ledge, but traverse left after 15' instead of continuing up the wider crack.  Find a set of bolts about 30' below the large tiered roofs above.

Variation: Do pitches 1 & 2 in 3 pitches by belaying after the 5.5 ramp (bolts at large ledge) and again at the bolts on the ledge above the pine tree.

P3. 5.8 160ft. FUN TIMES!  Cruise up to right side of the tiered roofs (don't face climb to left edge), place some pro, traverse left along the roof, backcleaning as you go.  It's quite easy and there's lots of pro, so the backcleaning is easy.  There are solid placements right on the left edge of the roof.  Pull around and enjoy the spectacular exposure.  Continue up a crack that gets easier and easier, eventually 4th or even 3rd class.  Belay right at the very base tip of the huge blank diamond that looms above.

P4. 5.9. 170ft.  Climb up the face diagonaling left (easier than it looks) to the arete and enjoy moderate climbing as you merge into a dihedral on the right with a ~2' roof feature.  Surmount the roof (cruxy, with good gear) and create an anchor above in any of the decent ledges.

P5. 5.7. 100ft. Climb up good cracks near the edge of the huge diamond.  You will eventually find a clean 20' finger crack that's well-worn.  Belay near the base of this feature.

P6. 5.9 150ft. Climb up the finger crack. Options above left and right if you don't want to finger jam.  Great pro.  Above, follow wide cracks for ~50' which continually get easier.  Gear belay when convenient.

P7. 5.easy. 100ft. Follow broken rock until you feel safe enough to unrope.

You are still a long way from the summit.  You can attain it via 3-4 pitches of 5.easy roped climbing continuing in this direction, or you can follow the descent instructions and then walk down the south side.

Location Suggest change

On the left (north) end of the West Face.  Use the photos to identify the route as you approach.  The start is at a large easy ramp near the end of the trail that goes along the base of the rock.

Protection Suggest change

Standard Rack to #3 Camalot.

Descent Suggest change

Your goal is a decent trail on the south side of the perch.  It basically follows the base of the rock from a saddle on the east side all the way down.  Near the bottom you can avoid a sketchy downclimb with a single rap off a tree on the left (as you descend) near the bottom. If you have a 70m, rap straight down. If you have a 50 or 60m, rap to the higher side and knot your rope!  Instead of the tree, there may also be a bolted rap station to the right near the bottom.

When you finish the technical climb, you're a long way from the summit.  If you don't care to summit, you need to first hike downhill to avoid the slabs that separate you from the saddle to the southeast.  You'll end up going diagonally down to the scree, eventually dropping 200' vertical before you can climb up to the saddle.  Cross it to the south and find the well-worn trail.

Photos

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