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2925 Hits
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81.18% Score
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13 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.11794°N / 115.48748°W |
Route Type:
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Trad Climbing |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.10b (YDS) |
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Number of Pitches:
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4 |
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Overview/Approach
Five Pack is a great route to combine with Edge of the Sun (5.10d) for a full day of climbing on what they have named the Bottle located on the right edge of the Magic Triangle on Magic Mountain. Five Pack is a relatively seasoned route for this section of Red Rocks, established in 1977 by Herbst and friends.
Five Pack sports two good pitches and two below average pitches. The second and fourth pitches consist of the best leads. There is a bit of bushwhacking along the entire base of this wall, but Five Pack is just around the corner (left) of Edge of the Sun. You start up a non-distinct chock stone chimney pitch that has a decent 30’ chimney section higher up. The 2nd pitch is a fantastic 5.8 stem chimney that converts to a varnished hand crack high above. The 3rd pitch goes up just a short distance and pulls an airy roof to the left before traversing far right into the prize of the route, the final 5.10d corner-roof. Proceed up 30’-40’ to a comfortable pod in which to belay directly below the arcing corner. Follow the corner and right face up and make the crux moves into the wide arch crack (4”-5” gear). The bolted line out right is the final 5.10d pitch on Edge of the Sun.
Five Pack is located on a little known feature in Pine Creek Canyon, named the Bottle. The Bottle is a sub structure on the northwest corner of Magic Mountain where it intersects the gully to a fairly popular route called Crabby Appleton, across from Cat in the Hat on Mescalito. We actually first noticed the solid fourth pitch (corner) of Five Pack after our descent of Crabby Appleton high up on the Bottle and decided to return to climb Five Pack, Edge of the Sun and/or Lunar Eclipse (5.11). We were not disappointed. The rap descent for all three routes is the same, three double rope raps down the “easier to pull” west face of the Bottle. Avoid rapping Edge of the Sun although it is set up for a rappel. Just rap to the top of its 2nd pitch and diverge from there (right) onto the better west face rappel.
Park at the Pine Creek trailhead. Descend into Pine Creek and head for Mescalito. Hop into the wash as though you were making for Cat in the Hat on the south side of Mescalito. Stay with the wash until below the Bottle which is directly across from Cat In the Hat. Ascend up the Crabby Appleton gully, but stay to the left side. Edge of the Sun starts directly below the arête on the Bottle. Lunar Eclipse and the preferred rap line for the Bottle routes is to the right. The chock stone chimney start for Five Pack is to the left. It is a bit of a bushy approach.
Route Description
400’+/-, 4 Pitches, 5.10b1st Pitch- 80’- 5.8/ Climb up the dirty chock stone chimney to a ledge and much cleaner short and easy chimney section. Run to the top of it and belay to the right in the base of the much taller varnished stem chimney above. Gear Belay.
2nd Pitch- 140’- 5.8/ This is a good pitch. Stem up the easy and varnished chimney and squeeze out to a hand crack at the top. Continue on until several meters below a roof above. Gear Belay.
3rd Pitch- 100’- 5.9/ Pay attention to rope drag issues. Pull the airy, but well protected, roof to the left, then traverse back way right to the base of a large right facing corner. Head up this corner on easy ground to a comfortable pod belay directly below the varnished corner and its arching roof line. Gear Belay.
4th Pitch- 80’- 5.10b/ Run up the obvious corner, move out right on solid edges of the face until you meet the corner again as it steepens. Make the crux moves, possible lie back, in the 4”-5” corner crack to surmount the last few meters which land you on a broad shoulder, summit of the bottle. Gear Belay.
Climbing Sequence
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