Local's Route

Local's Route climbs the backside of the Great White Wall via a massive, right-facing dihedral, starting at the toe of the buttress near the river. It eventually intersects the Tourist Route for a similiar topout and walk off. The route is approached from Long Draw and sits across the river from the giant cave that is Wild Bill's Wall.

It's likely that a handful of people have scoped this line due to the fact it is such a unique feature in the Canyon. A few people have attempted it (judging by some old bail anchors) but stopped short of the thin dihedral in variable rock about 400 feet up the wall. A few weeks ago, Jonathan Schaffer led through the spicy 5.11+ R terrain, placing only one bolt on lead from a stance, and the route was completed to the rim.

P1 (5.9) 30m. Face climb up to the base of the dihedral. Continue about a half rope's length to a stance.

P2 (5.10) 60m. Jam a crack off the belay back into the dihedral. Continue through 5.10 terrain in the broken corner system, and belay at a ledge below an offwidth.

P3 (5.9) 30m. Climb the wide crack and up eaiser terrain to belay at a small stance, with a flake on the left side of the wall, directly below the ominous looking, thin dihedral. Build the belay on the flake so that you are in good position for the next pitch.

P4 (5.11+ R) 60m. "The Chutzpah Pitch." Climb the steep, thin corner through difficult and demanding stemming moves. The gear is often small, intermixed with some larger pieces (a #1 and #2 cam). Plug a #1 cam, and punch it for a ways through committing moves (5.11+ R) to gain a stance with a bolt. Move up and right from the bolt into 5.10+ terrain, past a fixed pin and into a splitter hand crack. This crack terminates in a 10 foot roof that you must move left underneath. There are just enough feet on the face to make it manageable. Once left of the roof, climb the beautiful hands, fist and OW crack for 15-20 meters to belay in an alcove with stacked blocks.

P5 (5.8) 60m. Climb a cool squeeze chimney on polished rock to a lower angle weakness leading to a ledge.

P6 (5.8) 60+m. Face climb up 5.8 to a large ledge (at this point the route changes aspect from South to West and enters the Tourist Route/Rosy Arete/Lowe Route territory) Continue climbing off the ledge in a broken crack system to gain another ledge (about 70 m).

P7 (5.8) 60m. Continue up stepped terrain for a full rope's length to a belay on the right edge of the buttress, below an OW crack.

P8 (5.10+) 40m. Climb the short OW to a beautiful polished 5.10+ crack (you can't see from the belay - facing more southward). End the pitch just above the crack on a ledge system (below a set of three cracks in the face above)

P9 (5.10) 60m - Choose a crack overhead. They all ended up being in the 5.10 range. Above the cracks, continue with 5.7ish stepped terrain to a large ledge. Step across the chasm between the ledge and the wall and climb to the end of the rope. Belay at some large blocks on the end of a another ledge.

P10 (5.9) 60m. Move out left onto the face, shooting for a splitter crack in orange rock. Continue to the top of the buttress ending on a hand crack in a pillar.

From the top of the buttress, unrope and head into the notch. 4th class out to the rim and back to the road.

Descend Long Draw, past the Great White Wall, past the Tourist Route, all the way to the river. Walk skier's left around the toe of the buttress and head up another gully system. The obvious, right-facing dihedral in black rock is about a hundred meters or so up the gully.

(1) #5 Camalot, (2) #4 Camalots, (3) #1-#3 Camalots, (2) #0.75 cam - 0 TCU, stoppers.