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Peak Mountain 3

Your Own Personal Torture Chamber

FA FRA: Derek & Giselle Field (2019)
CREATED 
UPDATED 

Description

A few years ago, we were on a ferry going somewhere. The captain was making his usual introductory announcements, including a few tips on how to mitigate sea-sickness. One piece of advice from the captain was: "If you're feeling sick, avoid the temptation to lock yourself in the lavatory... unless you want to create Your Own Personal Torture Chamber."

Pitch 1 (5.10-, 80 feet): It's probably best to send the smallest person in your group to lead this one. Scramble up into the chimney and climb it on the outside. Avoid the temptation to tunnel into the depths... unless you want to create your own personal torture chamber. Instead, monkey out to a "hanging offwidth" encounter (crux). Past this, fight your way into an excruciatingly tight chimney. This is runout without a 9" cam. Inch by inch, work your way up to the comfortable and open belay ledge.

Pitch 2 (5.8, 110 feet): Hoist yourself into the bottomless chimney. Climb easy terrain past a couple weird moves into a large alcove. Climb out the left side of the alcove with a super improbable sequence at the lip. After pulling the lip and gaining a stance, place a directional micro-cam out left to keep the rope from getting pinched in the lip. Continue up the handcrack and then move left to a jug ladder just a few feet left of a fingercrack. Belay in horizontal shelves.

Descent: Walk straight back off the top of the pillar, dropping into the chasm via a short 5th class downclimb. Continue left (west) to open ground and cross the slope to the base of The Maw. From there, head down and skier's left (including 4th class move) back to the base of the Slot Club Wall.

Location

The gaping chimney left of The Closet and just right of Winner Winner Chicken Wing Dinner. 

Protection

Single rack to 3" + one 6" cam

If I had a 9" cam I would've used it for the top of the first pitch.