Start on the north face of Lost Arrow Spire on a flake traverse that reaches a vertical crack with the original Lowe piton in it. Clip it, enjoy the nostalgia, and stem or jam your way on up. After the crack ends, clip the bolt and work through the highly pocketed face to the exciting and well protected hand traverse. The crux seems to be the tail end of this traverse. Attain the ledge and belay. Pitch 2 works left off the ledge. Protect before you make the leftward move over the arete as there is NO protection beyond it. It is 5.5 only. Caveat: If you do protect it the rope drag will kill you. Choose your poison.
Protection
Lost Arrow has 1 bolt and 4 pitons on the 1st pitch. Otherwise a standard rack will work. Bring some runners also.
Good point Christina, 1 60 meter rope will get you down, but recommend that you use 2, as 1 rope forces you to hit the ledge on the left and downclimb. Also, it is a rather hairy drop off into a free rap.
By John J. Glime From: Salt Lake City, UT Aug 19, 2005 rating: 5.7
Great climb, in regards to the very severe rating, I think this is terribly misleading to any would be ascentionists. The route description above states that during the second pitch when you cross over the arete and onto the east face that there is no protection. Actually there is a perfect #2 camalot crack that splits that face and diagonals up towards the summit. You can easily place as much gear as you would like in this beautiful crack, and as long as you use shoulder length runners, the rope drag is not a problem in the least. At the end of this crack, there is about 15 feet of unprotected climbing to reach the summit plateau, however, by that point I would say the climbing is in the 5.4 to 5.5 range. No problem, if you have already led the exciting first pitch. My point is to say that do not fear this climb because of the very severe rating. It is a great climb that is very protectable until the last 15 feet and the last 15 feet are easy.
Gotta agree here. Though the move around the corner is very airy, (you can get some small nuts here, but they'll ptobably fall out once you are around the corner:-)...the climbing once on teh face is easy, huge, City Style dishes. If you are freaking out, you can go left and get some gear. I lead this as a total beginning leader, and though it is runout...it would take a cannonball in the chest to blow you off those dishes. VS is misleading....R is fine. Besides...the real scariest part is lowering your ass over the edge to rap!! have fun!
Agree with AC's comments....the 5.5 is R if you go straight up, but huge and positive. R....not X. Besides you can place a few small nuts at the edge, equalize/runner well a la gogarth....your in there! Heads up for lightning on those afternoon ascents...had a VERY close call here once....with the only cloud for 20 miles. weird.
Amazingly cool/improbable route, a great summit, and a wild rappel.
There is an alternate start about 50 feet right of the described start that travels up and left on a low-angle ramp, then steps around the corner and heads into the dihedral at the second pin. This can be protected with wires and aliens and I like it better -- stepping around the corner here is wild. In the photo (#3) of pitch one, you can see this ramp straight right of the climber -- it turns the corner onto the face where the climber is, and then joins the right-facing corner just above where he is.
Also, this is easily led in one pitch if gear is runnered well.
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