Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.56170°N / 118.224°W |
Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.8 (YDS) |
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Number of Pitches:
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8 |
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Overview
From the Stone House, there is an impressive formation opposite the Stone House on the far side of the north fork of Tuttle Creek. Although it is dwarfed in size by the surrounding south face of Lone Pine Peak, there are several interesting day climbs on it. This is the Stonehouse Buttress.During their stay in the Stone House during the winter of 1970, Joe Faint and Galen Rowell had plenty of time to contemplate this formation, and one day they climbed the Chimney Route (IV, 5.8) on the Stonehouse Buttress. It seems more like Grade III.
Getting There
From Whitney Portal Rd., go left onto Olivas Ranch Rd. until you can go no farther along the north side of Tuttle Creek. Without 4-wheel drive, you will be stopped at an uphill sand section and have an additional half mile of the hike.Continue from the road end and take any of several animal paths diagonalling up and west. Cross a gulley which may have a snow melt creek in early season. Continue up to the Stonehouse Buttress. Just left of the center of the buttress is the start of the Chimney Route in a large broken area.
Route Description
From the base of the buttress and just left of the toe1) Start up a broken chimney to a ledge with a tree (120’, easy 5th)
2) Move up and right into a corner. Belay just above a bush (140’, 5.7)
3) Avoid the bolt below a steep chimney, clip a pin, climb the left facing corner for 25’. This corner continues left into the Milky Way Chimney route. Mount the flake on the right, clip a pin and traverse right into the chimney. Move up the chimney to a good ledge (100’, 5.8)
4) Continue up the chimney to an alcove (160’, 5.7)
5) Climb up the vertical chimney past chockstones to a comfortable ledge (120’). Variation: From the alcove, make a difficult step out left around a corner and up. Climb cracks to a ledge above a twisted tree. This variation is more difficult than the 5.8 rating.
6) Move up the chimney and exit left onto the face to a 2’ ledge.
7) Runout face climbing to another broken ledge (130’).
8) Move up a broken gulley to the summit (4th).