The Southeast Face route - though not the original ascent rotue of Warbonnet - is currently the most popular way of reaching the mountain's pointy summit. The route has several distinct variations but none involve climbing above 5.7. From the staging area (Bead Lakes), traverse northwest staying low for several hundred yards until directly below the Warbonnet/Cirque Lake Complex Col. At this point, head up the boulderfields directly towards the col gaining approximately 1000 feet from the lakes. Note that one can also take a direct heading from Bead Lakes towards the col but that involves "snaking" inbetween some steep faces. Once at the col, scramble to the col's highpoint below Warbonnet's southeast face. First pitch goes up a high angle gully (5.4) for about 100 feet and ends at a 3 foot evergreen on a narrow ledge.

Route Description

Pitch 1: 5.4, c. 100 feet. From the highpoint at the Warbonnet-Cirque Lake Peak Col, climb up the slabs and solid flakes toward a small tree (c. 3 feet tall) on a narrow ledge system. There are actually two small trees about 10 feet apart. Aim for the left one. A variant of the pitch climbs toward the right tree and involves a fun lieback move (c. 5.5 or 5.6).

Pitch 2: 5.5, c. 160 feet. From one of the trees, traverse left along a good ledge system. You will downclimb slightly at the beginning and come to a "split" in the ledge system - a low angling ledge that vanishes around a corner and a high angling ledge that goes towards and behind a huge flake. Take the higher ledges. Climb behind the huge flake. Once inside, you'll see that there's a second (also pretty huge) flake wedged in there. Take the right fork (left fork is narrower and has many chockstones blocking the way) which involves a 10-foot downclimb move inside the "tunnel". Exiting the "tunnel" on the other side of the huge flake involves squeezing through a narrow slot (pack will need to come off; unexposed). At this point, you have a vertical chimney system directly above you. This is most likely what the guide books call "center chimney, 5.4". For the standard pitch three, move left and down. Belay atop a huge chockstone beyond the huge flake you just climbed behind (you should be able to catch glimpses of ledge systems below you).

Pitch 3: 5.7, c. 120 feet. The crux pitch of the route. Climb the "left chimney". From belay, move left and onto a spire-like feature sitting near the mouth of the "left" chimney. Grovel your way up the chimney (awkward!) for approximately 25 - 30 feet with no protection. The books rate the chimney at about 5.4 but it felt stiffer. The bad news is that a fall here would take you down to the ledge system below (another 30 or so feet below the belay chock stone). Exit the chimney left onto a dirty, low angle ledge or gully. Move up this gully (low 5th), to a finger crack (5.7 awkward) diagonalling up and left. Climb the finger crack for about 20 feet - pro is good but footholds are non-existent (smearing). Finish the pitch atop a relatively flat and huge ledge system at a tree. A variant of the pitch involves taking one of the other two chimneys. According to the books, the center chimney (mentioned above) is also rated 5.4 while the right chimney (supposedly starts directly behind the huge flake you passed behind on pitch two) is rated 5.6. All three chimneys supposedly bring you to the same ledge system.

Pitch 4: c. 5.5, c. 80 feet. Move up the wide ledge system (one or two fifth class moves) in the direction of the offwidth-like crack in a dihedral on the left side. Before reaching the offwidth, you'll see a beautiful hand crack in the face on your left. There's a small flake (probably with rap slings) at the base of the handcrack. Belay here. A variant of this pitch described in Kearny's guidebook, involves climbing higher to the base of another chimney (5.6-5.7).

Pitch 5: 5.7, 180 feet. Climb up the beautiful handcrack (c. 60 feet) with outstanding protection (cams) to reach the top of the ridge. Try to save a 2 inch cam for the crack at the very top of this section to protect your second from a very nasty pendulum. Turn right and follow the ridge (5.2, unprotected). You will pass a large block on your right (stay on the ridge) and the chimney (the chimney provides an alternative means of reaching the ridgetop and access to it is described above) with a rock horn wrapped up in rappel slings. Keep moving along the ridge and you will soon enter a "slot" that terminates in a semi-comfy notch. You now have a perfect view of the last (best!) pitch of the route - the summit block.

Pitch 6: 5.4, c. 120 feet. From the belay notch, move down 10 feet onto a huge, flat chockstone. The chockstone is wedged between the summit rock and the "subsummit block" and has nothing but free air below it. Protection can be worked out here. Move up the friction face (8 feet, crux of pitch) to reach a ledge on the right side of the summit bock. There was a short "fixed" rope in place presumably to "aid" in friction moves. Note that it's not really attached to anything however. From the ledge, move up the face to reach the summit ridge. You will have one piton to clip here. Move up the ridge and clip the rusted tin foil bolt/hanger. The angle of ridge eases at that point and going becomes 4th class. You will pass a set of rap bolts (newer summit register is hanging here). Continue moving up the ridge until about 15 feet below the summti horn. Belay off gear (good ledge). Take turns with your second belay each other up the final 15 feet to the summit. An older (empty) summit register container is here.

Descent:

In the case of this peak, the notion that getting to the summit is only 49% of the success rings particularly true! Both guide books vaguely refer to rapping the route. That (judging by the many rap slings around horns, trees etc.) is probably a straightforward matter ONCE you backtrack down pitch 6! Getting down pitch 6 does not seem straight forward however. The hand-sketched rotue topo from the web, suggestes a relatively simple rap route directly down from the summit. This is how we descended but it is NOT recommended. Suggestions for alternative rap routes follow.

On the summit ridge, belay each other down over easy terrain to where you saw the rap set up, consisting of many slings slung around 2 very rusty bolts, 1 decent-looking bolt, and one rock horn. Do a DOUBLE 60m (not sure if two 50's reach) rap directly down the side (side you just climbed from of course) of the summit block. This has got to be one of the wildest rappells. You will have about 120 feet of free air rap (with hundreds of feet of more "air" below you) before reaching a slopy ledge system (you will not have much rope to spare - knots are a very good idea here). Traverse this ledge system left (climber's left) for about 20 feet and you should see a rap set up consisting of three pitons (two rusty, one nice). It is from here onwards that this description should be looked at with caution. Do another double 60m rap directly down until you see a decent ledge system (again near the end of the 60 m ropes). Caution - there's a nasty crack 20 feet below the rap station and sucks in the ropes (*). Here, we slung a rock horn. At this point, you realize that you are not where you want to end up. One more double 60m rap brings you down to what from the top seemed to be the ground - it's not. You're now on 3rd class, very dirty ledges that have a nasty drop off. Unrope, traverse the ledges left (climber's left) in the direction of the Col you started from earlier in the day. Follow the ledges to their edge heading in the direction of the Col. When the ledges "run out", do a single rope rap (c. 60 feet) into the dirty gully on the side of the Col opposite to where you came from on the approach. The gully is class 3 only but there's NOTHING solid. You should now be about 200 feet below the Col and facing the crux pitch of the day. The leader should run up the gully with the rope (have the second stand out of the way of the many boulders that will be coming down). Once the leader is up on solid blocks of the Col, the second should tie into the rope and be belayed.

Above is a first hand accound of how "we screwed up the descent". Given the absence of any known published material on the matter, I've included it for completeness. Better options to try out:

Possible Descent Option 2: Rap the rotue as the book suggests. The only difficult part here is getting down the sixth pitch. This would mostly likely involve downclimbing the exposed pitch. Once below the sixth pitch, you will know how to rap the rest of the way (you will have seen all the rap stations on the way up). The only questionable part here is once you're back at the belay station atop pitch three, you most likely do two more raps directly down. On the question of double or single rope - UNKNOWN?

Possible Descent Option 3: Rap directly off the summit (DOUBLE 60m ropes) as described above. Do another rap as described above however do NOT go far down, but rather traverse left - apparently you can see (I missed it) another rap set up. Given the layout of the mountain, you will not be able to just rap down to your staring point. This option will most likely involve some traversing (leading some sections?).

(*) The rope sucking problem mentioned above is interesting. As the first climber raps down, the rope is foreced into a deep groove under the climber's weight. Once the rope is unweighted and the second climber is ready to rap, the rope remains tensioned since it's stuck in the groove and cannot be threaded thru. the ATC by the second climber. The problem happened to us and the second party who rapped behind us.

Essential Gear

Two 60 meter ropes. Helmets - especially important since the descent could be a dirty adventure. A full rack (depending on how comfortable you are running out 5.7 terrain) including a very good selection of cams from micro units (useful esp. on pitch 6) to about 3 inch units (pitch 5 takes cams very well). Some mid-sized stoppers. Several triple length runners for slinging horns and trees on lower pitches.

More Route Photos

Images



[ View Gallery - 18 More Images ]