Starshine Beta?

Anyone familiar with the climb (and/or adjacent climbs) willing to post relevant info? Need to put together an appropriate lead rack and wondering how much trad gear might be useful. Thanks!

There's this:
mountainproject.com/v/stars…

Concerning rack, supplement the recommendations with a half set of stoppers and a single set of cams to 2" and you should be okay.

Thanks! I read the MP info, but have read elsewhere that some additional rock pro is needed. What you recommended sounds pretty reasonable. I think I probably need a few more 10s and 13s (I have one 10 and two 13s) before leading this, but they're on my short list (pun definitely intended).

Now we just need a few consistent cold days and colder nights. They may be coming...

Any more info including experiences, route tips, etc would be appreciated!

Vince,

I'm not aware of protecting Starshine with rock gear - only climbed it when full of ice, never lead it, just lowered in from the top to run laps on it's various lines from toprope.

Here's the beta that was shared with me. Enjoy!!!

To get to Starshine (and a host of other smaller things along the way) park at the same parking lot. Go to the bathroom building. If you are facing the bathroom doors, go around the right side of the building and find a downhill trail that is about 50yards long that comes out on an old logging road bed. When you hit that road bed, take a right. Follow this trail for about a 1/2 mile. At the first trail juction, take a right (uphill). If you miss this trail, you will end up in someone's back yard shortly. You know you are on the right track when 1. you didn't end up at someones house, and 2. you get to a stream crossing where there are old log bridge supports spanning the gap (there is no top to the bridge any more). This is the Three Stooges gulley. There will be a little waterfall to your right that I included a photo of. There is more to that gulley above that waterfall, but nothing as good as what you see there. Continue past the old bridge and you will get to another small stream crossing with another trail juction just after it. Again, take the right (uphill) option. At that junction, you can look to your right and through the rhodos and see a small cliff line that I call the practice pitches (in the photos). It is maybe 150 yards off the trail.
Anyway, to continue to the top of Starshine, Take that right and head up a steep trail for 50-60yards till you reach the top of the ridge at a T intersection. Take a right. Go 100yards or so along the top of the ridge. Just at the point where the trail diverges from the top of the ridge, there is a little climber trail on the left that regains the top of the ridge again. Go up that and walk another 50yards or so. You will see a split, where a climber trail heads down to the left, underneath a little cliff line. This is the approach to the top of Starshine. Go down this "trail", very steep scramble through Rhodos. It puts you out right at the top of starshine. If there is no ice, it is the obvious dripping waterfall going down through there. Most people will lower in from the top and climb the last and steepest section. If you want to climb the route from the bottom up, you can rappell down that face. If you are at the top facing out, walk (aka schwack) along the top of the cliff face to the left till you reach a point where the cliff line is short enough to rappell in one rope legnth, or just rap down the climb (2 rope lengths) You can also walk around to the bottom. At the junction where I said there was a T intersection as you gain the ridge, take a left there and then just naviguess around the side of the cliff line to the bottom of the climb. It takes about 20-30min to hike to the top of starshine, another 20 to get to the bottom.

No need for rock gear but several short screws are helpful on the first pitch for it is often thin. First timers should always approach it from the bottom for the full value experience.

The route is actually called Sympathy for the Devil 2x2. You can go about 150-175 yrds from the "T" in the trail and bushwack to the bottom and climb it ground up. 240' WI4- (belay 3/4 up when you get feet, lower pitch is easier so you can run it out) It usually takes 16's no rock gear.
There are 6 route on the North Face. To the right of "Starshine" is Junior 220' WI4R. And sometimes a route comes in to the right of Junior, it also 4R (I dont know if it has been climbed)
To the left is Mother Russia 240' WI5-
To the left of M.R. there are 3 more short routes, you can aide up to the right of the sport rock routes, to reach the ice. Grade 3+ to 4.
The North East Face has 6 routes, ranging from 100-160' the grades from R-L are: Coyote ugly WI3, No Name thin M4 WI4, Pinnocchio WI4, Cinderella WI 4+/5-,Yellow Belly WI4 qnd Peter Pan M4/5 WI4.
I have no idea about you saying people don't want to give up Beta, on ice, PM me.

PS To Shannon; Why aren't you working? What you doing playing on the computer? And if you aren't working, then why aren't you up here drinking?

PSS, To Shannon: Im cooking grilled chicken nachos and Margaritas.

Thanks for the additional info!

Shannon, I definitely want to go ground up. The bottom looks thin in all the photos I've seen, but also not terribly high angle. I don't necessarily want to run it out, but I'm pretty comfortable with how it looks, anyway. I do have a good amount of 16/17s (Express and Irbis). It's the stubbies I'm a little lacking in. I mainly need to figure out the weather and how to predict decent conditions - it's just far enough to make it too far for simply checking conditions. I seem to be good at missing it thinking it's too warm.

Courthouse, I don't know anything about icy tight lips either. I don't know how open people are about sharing beta regarding the popular routes. I do know there seems to be a lot of stuff getting climbed that isn't openly discussed (like where's all the Cullasaja stuff I occasionally hear about, and I know there has to be stuff in Panthertown, but I can't find anything about it). Admittedly, I'm new to the slippery climbing arena, so I'm definitely not plugged in.

Anyhow, I want another day on rope (or at least a short route or two at Whitesides) before tackling Starshine.

All this info is super helpful - THANKS!

I (and others) will be posting ice climbing condition reports on:: Western Carolina Climbers Assoc. Facebook pg.