QuestionQUESTION: Hi Robert, I have been climbing in The Pinnacles several
times and have led Portent, Rat Race, the First Sister,
Swallow Crack and a few similar climbs. I would like to try
a few more similar climbs in the monument, and am looking
for some suggestions of other similar SAFE, easy to get
down from (ie. walk off or good bolts to rap from) routes.
I would be especially interested in climbs that would
provide opportunities to practice jamming, if you can think
of any. Thanks, Sean
ANSWER: Dear Sean,
Jamming is tough to come by at Pinnacles. There are a couple of routes over in the Yaks area which require jams, but they are definitely not easy to reach. Ordeal on Discovery requires a couple of jams and Lost Horizons on the north side of Discovery has a decent crack, but I can think of no others off the top of my head. Both of these climbs require expertise in placing natural gear at Pinnacles.
Fun climbs? There are many!
West Side
John Cochrane put up a route for his daughters to learn on. Its name is Big Bad West, #628 in the new guide. It's right across from the Shepherd on the West Side. Just after the first bridge on the Balconies Trail, descend into the stream bed and face a moderate water chute. It has four or five bolts and a good bolt anchor on top. If you don't want to lead it, you can approach it via 2nd/3rd class rock on the left (facing the cliff). This is also the descent route. Traversing further on this approach allows you to set up a top rope on another set of anchors for 5.6 to 5.8 variations of the harder chute, Passion Play # 629.
The NE face of the Flumes formation is a great area to explore. I highly recommend Tilting Terrace (# 693). It has one 5.8 move, but is otherwise 5.6. The second pitch is 5.4. Rappeling off the first picth requires one rope. It's a double rope rappel (or two rappels) from the top of the 2nd pitch. Or you can walk off over the top of the formation. I enjoy this jaunt, though it's pretty long and a bit steep before you hit the climbers trail that leads back to the Balconies Trail. Just head up and straight west from the top of the climb. Going up and right from the Tilting Terrace first pitch anchors is a fine climb called Adam's Apple. It's well protected and has an interesting 5.9 overhang. This is a walk-off too, if you want it to be. Again, head up and west.
Since you are comfortable leading in the 5.6 range, there are several climbs in that range good for top-roping in the Twinkle Toes area at the base of Machete Ridge. Take a peek at the desk copy of the guide for details. They are climbs # 805 and #808. The first pitch of Twinkle Toes (#805) is a great toprope climb. Both of these climbs involve a rappel or a lower-off. Both have bolts and rings in place to facilitate this use.
Chockstone Dome should not be missed. It looms over the entrance to the Balconies Caves. An approach trail cuts up and left just before the caves. All the climbs are one pitch and are protected well by Pinnacles standards. They all require a rappel. One rope will do. #761 (5.3) gets you on top. You can toprope or lead the other climbs. #759 is rated 5.8, but I don't think it's that hard. It's got six bolts for pro, too.
East Side
You might want to try Teaching Rock near the Camel. Three trails take you to the reservoir: Caves, Moses Spring, and Rim. Take the Rim trail. It leaves the High Peaks Trail about a quarter of a mile (and many switchbacks) after the fork where the High Peaks trail takes off right from the Caves/Moses access. After less than half a mile along the Rim Trail, you'll see a prominent pinnacle on the canyon rim. This is the Camel. The Teaching Rock is to its right. Several routes are available here. Walk onto the rock from the S.
The 4th Sister has a good route # 239, though the approach is less than straightforward. Walk the gully/trail up and left from the 1st Sister rope-up spot. You'll eventually reach a steep, dirty gully between the 3rd and 4th Sisters. Scramble up this gully until you can't. Face west and make two 4th class moves onto the shoulder of the 4th Sister. Go up and south from here. The climb starts in the cleft between the pinnacles. It's clean 5.5 with four bolts.
If you don't mind a walk, Pipsqueak Pinnacle is good. It's off the High Peaks Trail (well off!) and has spectacular views. Turn right about a mile up the trail and follow a rounded ridge to the north. Pipsqueak is the last big rock on this ridge. The left and middle routes (#395 and #396) are good. #397 is just awful.
Send me another note if you want beta about the High Peaks. I'll think about it in the meantime.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Robert,
Thanks very much for the fast, detailed answer. I will definitely try some of those climbs. I'm also glad that you mentioned Ordeal, since that is one of the climbs that I am really interested in and may try to lead this weekend. I have followed this route before and feel that I have the required level of expertise to safely place protection.
The basis of my question is to try to find additional climbs that I can safely lead but are not too easy (or too hard!). To give you more of an idea of the difficulty of routes I am interested in, note that I have climbed the First Sister, Rat Race, and Portent too many times, but have been turned back by Stupendous Man and Wet Kiss (which I could probably do now, maybe I'll try this weekend).
Beta from the high peaks area would certainly be appreciated as well!
Thanks Again,
Sean
AnswerDear Sean,
Before I mention a few more climbs, allow me to share a secret: a key technique to succeeding on many Pinnacles routes is stemming. A stem, even in the slightest concavity, will bear a great deal more weight than edges or toes. I was good at it. Jack Holmgren was amazing. I watched him gain impossible-looking ground in overhanging water chutes many times. He'd work stem after stem until positive holds came into reach.
That said, a 5.8 climb you might enjoy in the Twinkle Toes area is Dos Equis/Destiny, # 807. It's a bit runout after the crux (a couple of stems through a smooth area), but it deserves its three stars.
Also, I'll mention the Upper Crust area to the left (East) of the Reservoir on the East Side. A climbers' trail to it leaves the main trail just after you cross the dam. This crag has a number of one pitch routes, a couple of them moderate. Once you're on top, you can set up anchors for the harder routes. There are plenty of bolts up there. I didn't mention this spot before because the moderate climbs are very runout. Nodal Line (#216) is the best way up. It's on the very west end of the crag. Climbs # 213, # 214, and # 215 are death routes if you blow it. They can all be enjoyably top-roped.
High Peaks
From SE to NW, I'll mention four climbs. South Finger (# 512) along the top of the High Peaks Trail is a classic. It's best done in two pitches. Climb the easy face next to the trail with natural pro. Walk through the notch between N. and S. Fingers until you reach a wide crack leading up the W. Face of S. Finger. Chimney up and then climb the crack. A large piece, a # 4 Camalot or Friend, eases the mind here. You'll reach the top of the crack and find a good ledge to stand on. The W Face of the Pinnacle is above you and it's protected by several bolts. The summit is great. A rappel off the NE corner gets you back to the top of the initial face. Another rappel gets you to the start. Two ropes get you all the way to the trail.
North along the central part of the High Peaks Trail (after the railings and steep stairs and about a hundred meters further) you'll find The Sponge. It forms the left side of the trail just before a curve that takes you away from Condor Crag. Right at the top of the curve, face S and climb easy rock to a small saddle. Face E and climb the face above (some loose rock) past two bolts. They're hard to see and about twenty feet apart. Continue along a broad ar阾e for many meters to the summit. The anchor is in a low spot on the ar阾e after it levels out. Two mostly unprotected 5.6 climbs can be top-roped from here. A sixty-meter rope is a good idea, though a fifty will suffice with care. The rappel, even with rope stretch, is right to the bitter ends of a fifty. This is route # 536.
Around the corner and fifty meters farther on you'll find Burgundy Dome. The rappel route (#538) on the East Face a few feet off the trail is outstanding. Three hard to spot bolts protect it. The rock is steep and the climbing is far harder than 5.7 if you're not careful. #539 on the N. side is good, too, though I don't recommend leading it. Jack and I did some work on the bolts, but it's still a major run.
A couple hundred meters farther (well past the junction leading down to the west side) the High Peaks Trail will curve right and start to descend. After a couple of curves, it straightens out and travels E for awhile. The first major pinnacle on your left is Dragonfly Dome. The regular route (#566) is a great 5.7. The initial pillar is loose, though I place a piece behind it to get started. The first bolt is a long way up. So is the second. I've managed to place small (yellow or orange) aliens or Lowe tricams (pink) between them, but it depends on my mood whether or not I take the time and energy to do so. A 5.9 toprope is available once you get up.
That should get you started in the High Peaks.
Wet Kiss requires a pretty sophisticated mantle between the 2nd and 3rd bolts. I've got a funny story (in retrospect) about a guy who jumped instead of mantling. Have fun on Ordeal. If I don't get the sequence right, I sometimes have trouble right at the top.
Bob Walton
P.S. Here's my email address in case you end up with a free day and no partners:
[email protected].
