Copperhead  C3

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Type:  Aid, 1 pitch, 100 feet FA:  Aaron Walters and Bob Bradley, 1994 Submitted By:  paco on Mar 22, 2003 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Season raptor closures MORE INFO >>> The following areas are closed from March 1-July 31 or until further notice: Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sheep Mountain, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Lightning Rock and Checkerboard Rock are currently closed. The closures include the named rock formations and the areas extending 100 yards surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber's access trails to the formation. Alligator Rock is also closed. www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/area_closures.htm This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

A pretty dang cool aid line. Copperhead takes the seams and cracks left of Viper and just right of Autumn Mist.

Start in an alcove/chimney just down and right of Autumn Mist and Central Chimney. It's a bit awkward right off the bat, and I used a #5 Camalot to reach the first of the mank fixed heads. From there, traverse right passing an old bolt and two more heads to reach the base of the main crack. Continue 40ft or so on C1 cams and nuts until reaching the obvious crux. Now, bring out the trickery and aid lightly through the seam to the first of two bolts. Pass these and make a scary-larry hook move on rotten rock to one more bolt and then the anchors. Just so you know, this hook move is quite rotten and I've seen people resort to a cheater stick and even a pendulum left to Autumn Mist.

From here, rap 95ft or continue upwards joining Autumn Mist for its 2nd pitch.

Protection 

Bring doubles of cams to a #3 Camalot and one to two sets of nuts. For the crux, bring micro nuts, beaks, tricams, a big cam hook and a right angle pika toucan (or another beak?).

A clean ascent of Copperhead relies on two fixed heads on the traverse right at the start. The old A4 crux goes C3 w/o any fixed pro.

There are three bolts on the route and a three bolt anchor up top. All bolts especially the anchors needed replacement and have been replaced by Eli Helmuth.