- Edit (TBD)
Tall Boys and Breakfast Burritos
Description
A great route with some stellar crack climbing. The crux second pitch could be at home in Yosemite! The crux on the third pitch is unfortunately dirty and wasn't redpointed on lead on the first ascent; it will hopefully clean up with a couple more ascents.
Pitch 1: Stem up a dihedral of white rock. The crack is heavily vegetated, but fortuitous face holds make the climbing easy. Follow a fun clean handcrack up the left side of a flake to the blocky belay alcove. 5.8 80'
Pitch 2: Jam the clean varying handcrack up the flaring left-facing dihedral (5.10c) until it rolls over into splendid and sustained flared hands (5.9) up to a hanging belay where the crack converges with a groove/crack on the right. Immaculate rock and stellar climbing make this a stellar pitch! 5.10c 90'
Pitch 3: Take the right-trending flared groove/crack, which is dirty and cruxy (5.10c) for the first 10'. Above this short tough spot, the climbing is sustained and intriguing and the rock clean. Belay in a blocky stance where the groove wraps around the prow to the right and into the main corner system. 5.10c 190'
Pitch 4: A short easy traverse on exposed blocky ledges into the main corner system. Belay where convenient. 5.4 40'
Pitch 5: Weave and wander up the right-hand margin of the massive corner system following the line of least resistance and best rock. Be careful with the rather dubious rock on this long pitch. Top out on the expansive ledges directly beneath the summit block. 5.8 215'
Pitch 6: Scramble around the north side of the summit block to the Beckey bolt ladder up the northwest face of the summit block. 5.9 C1+ish
Location
Start 30' right of the prominent chimney system which cleaves the southeast face--Lawdogs' Lament.
Descent: Rap the summit block back down the west face. Scramble around to the north side where there's a cairn. 4th class down a short distance to anchors for the first rap. The descent can be done with either two double-rope raps, or 3 or 4 raps with one 70m rope. With a single 70m: rap from the upper anchor to the upper end of a major gully and either rap again or downclimb easy 5th class to a major ledge. Walk all the way out skier's right on the ledge and a few feet down a chimney to the next anchor. Rap down 35m to a ledge with a slung chockstone. One more rap to the ground.
Protection
Double set of camalots through #3 and one #4, double set of stoppers, lightweight aiders and prusiks/ti-blocks, one 70m rope will suffice, but you'll have to do a couple more raps or some downclimbing.
Routes in Baron Spire aka Old Smoothie
- 5Tall Boys and Breakfast Burritos5.10cAlpine · Trad · Aid