Type: | Trad, 650 ft (197 m), 6 pitches, Grade III |
FA: | Doc Bayne, Mark Lassiter, Nick Williams - 1993 |
Page Views: | 5,767 total · 35/month |
Shared By: | Andrew McDowell on Sep 24, 2010 |
Admins: | Ky Bishop, Steve Lineberry, Aaron Parlier |
As of 2021, there is a new online method for acquiring day and annual passes to Whitesides here: recreation.gov/activitypass…. $3 for a day pass, $15 for an annual pass.
Description
One of the the best routes on the right side of the wall. All the pitches are good and it follows a direct line up the good white rock for a ways. It is fairly well protected except for a few sections of 5.8, but in classic Doc Bayne style one actually has to free climb the harder parts of the route to get up it, unlike with Traditions and the Original route where there are pretty much bolt ladders through the hardest sections.
Warning: Climbing at Whiteside Mountain is extremely dangerous due to long runouts, poor protection, loose rock, difficult route finding, and other factors. The information in this posting is provided for informational and historical purposes only to aid in understanding roughly where the route has been climbed before. Information provided is approximate, subjective, and based upon sometimes vague memories and opinions of recreational climber(s) that may not have been recorded until long after climbing the route. As such, the information is unverified and may be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, and/or may contain errors. Any person(s) attempting to climb this route or any others does so at their own risk and is solely responsible for their party's safety using their own route-finding skills and judgement and shall not rely on any information in this posting. It is neither claimed nor implied that bolts, fixed anchors, and removable protection placement locations on the route including those shown/described are safe or suitable for protecting further ascents. It is the responsibility of climbers to thoroughly inspect bolts/fixed anchors before deciding to use them.
Notes from my ascent:
P1: Climb the 5.6 standard variation to the 1st pitch of the original route to the tree.
P2: Climb straight up past a sketchy fixed pin and hangerless bolt with a rivet hanger (5.8R) to a left facing corner. Continue climbing the corner for a few feet then step right onto the face to climb straight up past 2 bolts to a ledge with an anchor with a bolt backed up by tricams. (5.8+)
P3: Climb above the belay then angle up and left to cross over dikes. There is good but pretty tricky pro to be had in some of these dikes, with hybrid small cams being useful. Continue past one bolt to a 2 bolt anchor. Careful route-finding is required on this pitch to follow path of good holds and reasonable protection. (Note: the Shull-Lambert guidebook says to angle up and right from the belay which at least relative to where I belayed appears to be wrong and may be a relic of when people belayed further to the left on the tree ledge) (5.10b)
P4: climb up and left then hand traverse the horizontal weakness out right past bolts. Continue up the face past 2 bolts to a seam to a ledge. Belay to the left in a horizontal with medium cams or continue straight up a steep seam to another ledge. The moves on this pitch are never hard but the cumulative pump factor gives it the grade. It is fairly well protected with what should be clean falls into air in the difficult spots. (5.11d)
P5: continue up face past a bolt to a belay at a bolt under a flake (5.8)
p6: continue straight up excellent slab climbing (5.9)
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