Type: Trad, 500 ft (152 m), 6 pitches
FA: FFA: D.Mabe, A.Dembik 5/28/11
Page Views: 7,699 total · 50/month
Shared By: Wiled Horse on Jul 20, 2011
Admins: Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen

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Description and Approach Suggest change

An adventure engaging chimney and crack systems of all sizes on a series of pillars in 6 short pitches. Tends to be sandy at the beginning of the season.

This route was originally called the "Serial Pillar" before the free ascent. It is tucked back only a short ways in the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. After the 3rd creek crossing on the Call of the Canyon trail, head west on a faint trail through the ferns. Find the weakness in the slickrock of the SECOND spur from the gulley (small cairn), ascend the slickrock band, which leads to another faint trail that contours, crosses the draw, and switchbacks up the hill. It eventually contours the loose hillside level with the route and to its base. See approach map.

Route Suggest change

Fixed handline or Indiana Jones bullwhip will help get you up the crumbly house-of-cards to the base of the route. All belays from bolts except for Pitch 4.

P1: 5.9, 100' Classic chimney behind a huge left-facing flake with assorted size cracks in the back. At the top of the chimney, make an exciting traverse right, past a bolt, to a semi-hanging bolted belay.

P2: 5.10+, 110' Cruxy moves off of the belay to excellent hands in right facing corner. The crack widens as you traverse the roof. Layback past two bolts followed by continuous V-slot big hand crack to a nice 3-bolt belay perch. Awesome pitch!

P3: 5.9+, 110'. the "Pitch of Despair". Follow a right facing crack after an awkward start to a delicate ledge traverse left, across some dirt and roots of the crow's tree. Double handcracks in chimney lead you to clunge through a tree/moss-clod(!?) protected by bolt and into a squeeze chimney. Finish on fragile face/arete climbing to a nice ledge and bolted anchor. Have a picnic and offload extra gear.

P4: 5.10+, 80' Reachy start followed by face traverse past a bolt. Steep, thin, and excellent jagged finger crack splitter widens to thin-hands V-slot and hero-hand crack through a bulge. Gear Belay (#3 Camalot and tree) on another good ledge. Incredible pitch!

P5: 5.9-, 60' Brief crux thin hand crack/lieback in right facing corner and jagged flake followed by a wide slot and a few sandy ledges up to the "Treehouse". Make an exciting step over to a dead tree and venture behind the pillar for another 30' to bolted belay (this was not intended as a rap anchor). Short pitch.

P6: 5.9+/10-, 80' "Window Pitch". Exposed, fun, and generously protected wide chimney. Exit with a steep broken crack out the roof where the pillar pinches against the wall. Finish on loose and dirty terrain to the top of the pillar! Creative pro. Nut tool may be useful to clean out placements. Bolted anchors set back on the main wall.

Descent: Suggest change

Rappel.
You really need a 70m rope (a 60m won't make the first rap), or 2 ropes. All raps are bolted.

R1: rap down the FACE of the pillar to a ledge with small tree, watch ends! 115'
R2: rap down the vegetated gully to picnic ledge. careful pulling the rope. 80'
R3. rap the face left of P3 staying left of the crow's tree. Swing back right in to the P2 belay perch. Pull the ropes gently so they don't get caught in the tree. 100'
R4: rap P2, over the roof to P1 anchors, 100'. -OR- 150' to GROUND.
R5: 50' to ground.

Gear: Suggest change

bring healthy sized rack from thin to big. The following should be more than enough for the grade:

BD Micro-cams #0.1-0.3, (2)#0.4-#1, (2-3)#2-#3, (1-2)#4s(C4). A #5(C4) is handy for a couple of spots but not necessary.

a handful of slings/draws,
70m rope or two ropes

Photos

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