New Route! The Taylor-Wood Route on Prusik Peak, WA

Overview

New Route

The Taylor-Wood Route: David Wood, Fletcher Taylor August 18^th, 2023

Climb rating: 5.9+/5.10-

8 pitches of exquisite granite

The climb took us 10 hours

Descent: 5 raps down the couloir on the right followed by easy scrambling to the base.

One 60 m rope gets you up and down.

Getting There

If starting from Gnome Pond, hike through the talus field to the base of the south face. Pass the Becky-Davis route, and continue right along the base passing underneath a large tilted slab.

Route Description

A few Saturdays ago, on August 18, 2023, David Wood and I pushed a new route on the South Face of Prusik Peak. We used old-school, bottom-up tactics.

If starting from Gnome Pond, hike through the talus field to the base of the south face. Pass the Becky-Davis route, and continue right along the base passing underneath a large tilted slab.

P 1 You are aiming for the two small roofs directly overhead. From a large pedestal, climb up and trend left following an ascending crack system until underneath the first roof. Go left to pass the first roof and almost immediately find a small ledge in a shallow alcove.

P 2 Continue following the crack in the dihedral and aim for the roof above trending slightly right. Go right to pass this second roof. Above the roof follow the crack in a shallow dihedral. Watch for the loose flakes over your left shoulder. Follow easier ground to a good ledge in the alcove above. 

P 3 At the alcove, you have choices. Either tackle the off-with above or be like us and disco step left around the corner and finesse up a thin crack. The crack widens and becomes more reasonable. Follow the corner system through an awesome stem box and over easier mixed ground above to a spacious ledge.

P 4 Waltz up the slammer hand crack, around a block above, and onto varied ground with several interconnected crack systems and into a corner/wide chimney. Scramble up 20 feet to a dead snag.

P 5 (50 feet, class 4) Climb around the snag trending right and hop onto a ledge. Sidle along this ledge rightward stepping past a block and follow a ramp to a huge alcove. Belay below an elderly, gnarled pine tree.

P 6. (100 feet, 5.9) Scramble through an easy ledge system aiming for three parallel hand cracks on an east-facing tower. We tackled the left most hand crack to the top of the tower.

P 7. (50 feet, easy 5th) Follow a ledge system left and around a corner, and scramble up the corner/gully 50 feet to another spacious belay ledge below a chimney.

P 8. (100 feet, 5.9+) Climb the chimney for 50 feet (excellent gear in the crack to the left) until it opens into a steep hand crack on a clean face. Tackle the hand crack, which wideness into a short off-width section (optional # 5 placement if you are not used to off-width) and top out at a ledge above. You’re standing atop a large pillar. Before you is the face of the east summit block.

Backstory: I packed a battery-powered UV water purifier which tested just fine in the comfort of my own home. It died during the hike to Colchuck Lake. David has developed a resistance to microbes, including giardia, and drinks right out of the lake like a mule, so he was no help whatsoever. I drank the unfiltered stuff too: I had to. Next day, by pitch 2, I already had a case of the squirts. We would not be turned.

Essential Gear

Gear:Overall, the gear was pretty good the whole way.Doubles from micro cams to 3 inches. We used a single number 4 once.Optional number 5 for the short off-with section at the top of pitch 8.

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