Pumpline
5.11a/b YDS 6c French 23 Ewbanks VIII- UIAA 23 ZA E3 5c British
Avg: 3.7 from 35 votes
Type: | Trad, 60 ft (18 m) |
FA: | Jim Yoder, 1984 |
Page Views: | 4,149 total · 22/month |
Shared By: | andyf on Aug 12, 2008 · Updates |
Admins: | Jon Nelson, Micah Klesick, Zachary Winters |
A pair of golden eagles regularly nest on Bridge Creek Wall. When in effect, starting January 1, PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB or travel within 1/2 mile of Bridge Creek Wall. As a reference, the climb Condorphamine Addiction is just outside of this 1/2 mile buffer, and is OK to climb still. The closure extends through August 15, but there is active monitoring to determine if the seasonal closure can be lifted earlier.
In 2014, there was an active pair of peregrine falcons at Snow Creek Wall, but no official closure was put in effect due to the location of the falcons. The site will be continually monitored with changes or removal of closures updated as necessary.
Description
For years, this has been one of the Icicles trad testpieces at the grade. Thin climbing up a thin corner with some thin gear leads to a brief but burly off-fingers crux pulling a bulge. Hope you can make the exit look elegant. I couldn't.
This climb was written up in a 1988 Rock & Ice article by Alison Osius, who'd once spent a summer guiding for Leavenworth Alpine Guides (LAG) and had come back to revisit old friends:
"For my last day, Katie [Kemble] trudged me up a loose hillside to a "wild crack" she promised no one had ever done. A steep corner up thin edges led to push-palming and bridging up the seam. At the roof that caps the pitch, I ran into trouble: I sunk awkward thumbs-down hand jams, moved my torso up with hands still low, and frogged my feet high. Caving in my ribs, I half-cornered the arête to get a foot up onto a shelf. Then I couldn't pull either hand out. I pumped out and rattled down to the rest. Repeating the process again and again and again, every time I panted "Sorry" one more time, Katie would sing out cheerily, "Oh, no problem." So I ventured and retreated at least eight times. A gouge began to trench into one hand. But I really wanted to finish the climb, and to name it the LAG Roof for Katie, [Jim] Donini, Karl [Schneider] and Dave [Stutzman]. Then came the magic moment when the jam felt just that tiny bit better. Visions of glory trumpeted; a great new routemaybe some copy so I could write the trip off! Then I was up, belly-flopping over the top.
That night something woke me at 3:00 AM: electric pain in my elbows. In the morning, I tried to tell myself I'd been dreaming. But, I thought, at least if I'd hurt myself, it was on something emotionally satisfying, that tied the climbs and people of Leavenworth together. An epiphany, come to think of it. Then, the more I thought about it, the harder the route got. Pretty soon my internal dialogue declared "11d, fer sure."
I called Yoder, and asked him about that crack. He listened to my description, asked a question or two. "Yeah, Pumpline. 11a. I did it three years ago.'"
("Penned in Leavenworth," Rock & Ice No. 25, May/June 1988)
6 Comments