The Cormier-Magness Route

A good deal of variety for the slabs with fun climbing on every pitch.

(A couple of NOTEs added by RHall Oct 2019 the day after climbing the route for 4th or 5th time.)

1) scramble to the pine tree at the end of the first pitch of Beginner’s Route.

2) “The Wheat Thin Arete” 5.6, 190’. Step right of the tree 10’ and head up toward a bolt. Climb past a horizontal to join a thin flake. Follow the flake to an arête on the right, passing 3 more bolts to a two bolt anchor.

3) “The Cajun Washboard” 5.6, 170’. Straight up off the belay through some bulgy areas passing one bolt to a steeper wall. Move up and right passing 2 more bolts to a two bolt anchor.

4) “The Open Book” 5.6, 160-180 ft. Climb a bulge off the belay into an open book. Pass one bolt before reaching the top of the book. Protect and climb rightward through a green licheny area. Climb a short flake and hand crack up to a tree with an anchor.

Not the best way for two ropes to pass each other, but the photo does show the critical "climb rightward through [the] green licheny area. "  The ledge at the tree is large and it would have been much better for "rope2" to have passed there.

 [One way to speed up the passage is for rope1's second to leave the gear, rope 2's leader clips into it (and adds additional placements if he/she wishes) and rope2's second cleans and hands leader#1 their gear. This saves the cumulative time of rope1's second removing gear, plus the time of rope2's leader placing the gear. Of course, this has to be OK with all invovled. Communicate ! ] 

5) “The Northwest Passage” 5.5, 60’. Step up and left off the belay into a giant, steep flake. Trend up back right above the flake passing a small tree to a larger tree below a bulge with a horizontal.

 (RH NOTE: Alternate, easier route to right, which is actually where "Beginner's Easy" climbs through the feature, see photo) 

6) “The Low Beer Light Pitch” 5.4, 180’. Use the horizontal to clear the bulge. Trend slightly rightward avoiding a dirty water groove to the left. Double bolt anchor Installed in Oct 2021 by FA-er Chris Magness. [ PLEASE don’t use the tree, the ground around it is getting compacted and worn.]

(RHNote: Gear is pretty spotty on this pitch. However, there is good gear near the top of the pitch. Look for the obvious, brownish-rock open book,  in the crack near the top of this (but not the flared bottom) a good cam (0.5 or 0.75) can be placed. Easiest route is to the right of the placement.)    

7) “The Platinum Slab” 5.5, 190’. Follow a bulgy groove (pitch's 'crux')  passing a 3 inch diameter white pine tree to your left, then up to an old ¼ bolt bolt and a new 3/8 bolt. Trend up and left passing a faint dike aiming for a white slab and another bolt. Belay at the double bolt anchor, installed in Oct 2021 by FA-er Chris Magness.

(RH Note: After slinging the 3-inch white pine the easiest line is to move up and right about 40 ft to a tiny pine tree then back left. To make the belay you MUST flip the rope over the small pine so it runs directly to the next bolt, the new bolt 5 ft above the ancient bolt. Otherwise you’ll wind up blelaying off of the higher-up single bolt 30 ft below the belay.)

8) “The Top Out Pitch” 5.3, 60’. Climb easy rock straight up to the top.

NOTE the bold text, some climbers climb off route in these areas. If you head straight up from the Open Book, you'll find jungle land. Likewise, if you head straight up from the belay at the end of that pitch, you'll also find jungle land (and an easier variation). If you veer off route in these areas, climbing is feasible at a moderate grade, expect some shwacking!

Pitches 1-4 have fixed rappel stations and are set for rappel with two 60 M ropes. The upper pitches wander through Beginner's Easy terrain and with the anchors installed in 2021 you could rap off, but the terrain above P6 is so easy it's best to top out. Lead with a 60, anything shorter and you’re hosed.

A two pitch, 5.10 variation now exists to pitches 6 and 7. See description in the route index: mountainproject.com/v/the-c…

Climbing the first pitch of this 5.10 variation does not necessitate climbing the second pitch and will add another pitch more concurrent with those below, albeit a bit more runout.