Type: Trad, Alpine, 1200 ft (364 m), 9 pitches, Grade IV
FA: Nettle, Davis 1996
Page Views: 10,814 total · 61/month
Shared By: Scott Bennett on Jul 26, 2009
Admins: Chris Owen, Lurk Er, Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes

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Description Suggest change

Astrohulk is a killer route on the Hulk, located to the right of Postive Vibrations. Maybe a bit easier than it's Valley namesake, it nevertheless delivers quality, sustained climbing. The rocks is great for an alpine route, but it's still grainy in spots. Not quite the same consistent high quality as Positive Vibrations.

P1-4 Multiple options: The easiest option is to climb the first four pitches of Positive Vibes, which can be linked into two long leads (definitely with a 70m, maybe a touch of simuling with a 60).
The harder first pitch option is the "Power Ranger" start, a thin, bolted 11d crack just to the right of PV.
Higher up, you can substitute the 3rd-5th pitches of "Venturi Effect" for the 3rd and 4th pitch of PV. This adds much quality and difficulty: Walk to the right edge of the big ledge atop P2 of PV. Look for a pin in a thin horizontal crack. Traverse out here into a vertical, flared crack. Climb it up to a fixed nut belay. (a short pitch, 5.11+)
Climb left from the belay and up into the striking corner. Gaining the corner is spicy 12a, and then it only gets harder. This pitch is higher in difficulty and quality than Romanitic Warrior's "Book of Deception". Bring RPs and very small cams. 5.12
Another short, exciting 5.11 pitch trends left from the top of the corner to rejoin PV just before it's 4th belay (the Bivy Ledge).

OK, here's where AstroHulk actually starts.

P5 From the "Bivy Ledge" go as far right as you can, passing under multiple cracks and corners, to the furthest right corner system. Belay at one bolt (and good gear) (5.9)

There is a more obvious left facing corner to the left of Astrohulk, with a nice 2 bolt belay at it's base. Apparently this is the Macedonian route, and the corner and the pitch above it goes free at 11+, but dead-end (for free climbers) above that.

P6 Continue up the left facing corner, sometimes switching to a parallel crack system on the left. (5.10)

P7 Continue up the corner climbing the "Sea Serpent" flake, a surprisingly solid wedged flake/pillar. Up higher, trend right on sustained stemming and thin cracks. Belay off bolts at the base of the obvious right facing corner. 5.11

P8 Climb the corner, past one bolt. The geometry of the crack is hard to describe, I'll just say that it's easy to lay-back, but not to place gear. While no move is that hard, the sustained nature of the pitch plus the difficult gear makes this the most committing lead. This pitch ends at the "Recliner" ledge with two bolts 5.11

From here, continue up cracks on the right to the ridgeline (5.9), or traverse left (4th class) to the "Venturi Effect" and rappel with a 70m rope. It also seems possible to rappel Astrohulk, but I haven't done this and imagine it would require 2 ropes.

Protection Suggest change

Double cams to #2 Camalot, single #3. RPs and wires.

Photos

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