SummitPost - Looking up from the anchors... -- Photos, Diagrams & Topos

Looking up from the anchors...

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Looking up from the anchors at the top of the first pitch of the West Side Variation.

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rpc

where is this?

Hasn't voted

Brian,

This is a nice route shot. I'm trying to think where this variation 5.8 start is relative to the standard 5.5 Pioneer route start?

thanks

radek

Posted Mar 7, 2003 3:38 pm


	Brian Jenkins	Re: where is this?
	Hasn't voted	On the exact opposite side (southwest) of the spire. It starts at a prominent crack here. The crux is about 4 feet off the ground where you have to traverse right around a large flake/crack to do some face climbing (just out of view to the right on the linked photo). This photo you commented on was taken from the anchors at the top of the first pitch (about 130 feet) at a nice ledge.
		Posted Mar 7, 2003 5:03 pm


	rpc	Re: where is this?
	Hasn't voted	ahhhh!! now I see. Thanks Brian. Looks like a fun (hard!) route. Try to enjoy your weekend as much as possible! radek
		Posted Mar 7, 2003 5:17 pm


	Brian Jenkins	Re: where is this?
	Hasn't voted	It's not hard. It sucked trying to do it with a somewhat-heavy pack on but the holds and cracks are all there. There is also the option of going straight up the crack from the belay ledge (I think it's 5.9) instead of the normal 5.5 second pitch. You might want to think about it. It's straight-forward and MUCH faster. We ended up spending way too much time on the 5.5 one and getting the rope wedged into a crack, a friction traverse and lots of grovelling.
		Posted Mar 8, 2003 8:58 am


	rpc	Re: where is this?
	Hasn't voted	Brian, we were in the area last weekend and I think I saw a couple of guys starting up this variation. Looks pretty intimidating for my trad level at this point!! There's a great brand new route just across from there in a pretty remote area of the park. Put up by the same person (Ryan Lawson) who put up Wherever I May Roam; the one I have in mind is 5 great pitches of bolted 5.8 climbing. We did the first two pitches and got lost on pitch 3. But we saw two guys doing the route after us and man, it looks incredible!!!
		Posted Mar 10, 2003 10:45 am