The East Face of North Gateway is closed to climbers every year from around Feb 1 until early August, depending on when the birds fledge. It's not posted out there, but since the closure has been in effect for 20+ years it is incumbent on climbers to know about closures by stopping in at the visitor center and asking. The falcons always nest in a big pothole above the traverse ledge and below the Kissing Camels arch.
BETA PHOTO: The West Face of North Gateway Rock, showing a han...
Description
This is a classic old Garden route. Most people just climb the first pitch. Some loose rock will be encountered, but the moves and position are worthy. (Beware that the bottom right half of the pillar fell off many years ago after a large, 2-day rain storm. A similar event such as this could cause the collapse of the rest of the pillar.)
1) Traverse left into the crack that forms the left side of the large pillar. Climb straight up past pitons and a couple steep moves to a nice traverse move right to the anchor atop the pillar. (5.9, 85 feet)
2) Traverse right, then up for a few moves, then right again past many pins to a ledge with a tree. (5.11, 100 feet) -- A low variation to this traverse exists as well. FA by Peter Gallagher & Mack Johnson, '79. (5.10)
3) Climb up through a bulge above the tree, passing a few pins, to gain the upper slab of North Gateway Rock. Continue to a belay near the top of a pillar-type feature. (5.9, 100 feet)
4) Climb the slab above past a few pins to the top of the formation. This is the last pitch of Indecent Exposure. (5.6 R/X, 130 feet)
Descend from the summit by walking north along a huge ledge, then going east through a notch and down-climbing 10 feet on chopped steps, in order to access a big ledge on the east side of the formation. From there, walk south to access the Tourist Gully for the quickest and safest descent. Information taken from Mark Rolofson's Soft Touch 3 guide.
Location
The route is located on the West face of North Gateway Rock, at the height of the path along the base of the cliff, and below a roof and right facing corner that were formed by the large rockfall that I mentioned in the description. This is right of Men at Work, and left of Horribly Heinous.
Protection
Quickdraws and a few cams from 1" to 5" will still leave you with some runouts on the first pitch but on easier climbing. The second pitch requires 11 or 12 quickdraws.
I added new webbing to the first pitch anchor yesterday, equalizing 2 pitons and one newer eyebolt, and thus eliminating the old steel cable American triangle. (The 2 eyebolts are not great, and the one that I did not include in the new webbing anchor is loose.)
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