- Edit (TBD)
Description
P1 5.9, 120': From a solid tree on a comfortable ledge, scramble up and right onto a gentle slab and pull over a rotten bulge. Move slightly left and join a finger crack to a ledge then up and right around an awkward 5.9 corner to the left end of a large slab system. Climb the arête to your immediate left onto a face and up into an open alcove then up through the rotten bulge past a small pine tree and onto a large slab at the top of the ridge. Establish a belay on the far left side of the slab near the base of the tower with the shallow, left-facing dihedral.
P2 5.12a ~60': Psyche up for the shallow, left-facing corner on the tower. First 35' packs a wallop with a bouldery .12a funky corner/face sequence into a dead vertical power-endurance finger crack with poor feet.
First pitch previously climbed by Steve Levin (AKA 'Dog Patch') but included here with permission. The second pitch was done ground up and involved some cleaning.
Thanks to Rob Kepley for lending a helping hand in this endeavor.
Location
Hike up the West Ridge passing the Amphitheater area and locate two enormous boulders near the cliff base that force the trail to detour Westward. This is downhill from the Verschneidung area. Route is in between the climbs
Crows Landing
and High Anxiety. To descend scramble down the ridge about 100 and down climb a series of easy features aiming for a tree with rappel slings on the route Up the Downclimb. Rappel and make a short scramble back to the West Ridge trail.
Protection
SR with extra finger-sized cams and one Camalot #3 to supplement the last belay at the top of the tower.
Routes in West Ridge - part A - Verschneidung to base
- 5Clean Freak5.12aTrad