Approaching the overhang on pitch 1 of Jubilant So...
Description
Approach:As for Black Velvet Canyon, turn north off Highway 160 onto a dirt road, 4.6 miles west of the intersection with Highway 159. Take the obvious left turn BEFORE the left turn that leads to Black Velvet. Continue down this road, turning right at a distinctive 4-way intersection. Drive as close to the canyon as you are comfortable. From the parking area, hike west into the canyon, following burro trails where possible and cross-country where not. Stay on the north (right) side of the wash, aiming for a notch up-canyon on the right side. The trail becomes more distinct up a steep hillside towards this notch, left of an deep canyon. March up this steep section to a flat area known as the Football Field. From here the southface of Windy Peak is obvious. Hike on up a couple hundred more feet to the base of the face. See photo. The approach is considered strenuous, and will take an hour or more.
Climb:(P1) Follow an easy crack (the left of two obvious cracks) up a short pitch to a ledge with a bush.
(P2) Continue up the crack into a wide chimney full of loose blocks, belay where possible.
(P3) Continue up and right and find a belay below the left side of the huge roof.
(P4) Traverse right under the roof, belaying in a small corner with huge loose blocks.
(P5) Surmount the roof (5.8) and continue up easier ground for a short distance to belay in a gully.
(P6) Continue into the gully, do some chimney moves, then move right into a water streak. Balancy moves past a bolt lead to easier ground, step left to a bush to belay.
(P7) Step back right into the water streak, and continue up difficult 5.8 moves onto easier ground. Climb a corner to a belay notch.
(P8) A 5th class move leads to 4th class slab and the summit of Windy Peak
Descent:Hike west along the summit ridge and then drop into a gully that leads back south. Depending on your instinct and luck, moderate bushwacking may be in order. Hike down the gully until given a chance to sidehill left. You should end up right at your packs.
Another incredible Joe Herbst route, in a beautiful canyon with an absoultely magnificent summit that I never wanted to leave! A Red Rock climb that won't be forgotten!
My two cents.... We had gear up to a #3 but I felt some larger gear would have come in handy in several spots on a few of the pitches. Also...there's a bit of chossy rock to deal with at times.
I think that most 5.7 leaders will be over their heads a bit on this one. Wide gear is getting lighter and you'll appreciate it on pitch 2. It's as good as everyone says, enjoy it!
As an alternate to the water streak for P6-P7, jodie b. nicely lead the corner up and slightly right of the large oak (at the top of the gully). This seemed like a nice variation to a scary, largely unprotected water streak.
At all costs link pitches 4 and 5. I've now done it both ways and the hanging belay from the detached block at the end of p4 is unnerving. The start of p5 puts the leader's butt in the belayer's face right at a crux sequence with a potential lead fall directly on to the anchor.
Linking the pitches requires some thoughtful rope management to avoid rope drag but we managed and the rope fed smooth as silk.
While the water streak is probably too much for the 5.7/5.8 leader, it is a beautiful pitch with fun moves on excellent rock. While you can't put gear in wherever you like, the pitch does protect and is a lot of fun.
By George Bell From: Boulder, CO Apr 22, 2009 rating: 5.8
Fantastic climb with a remote feel. This wall starts high up, so the approach has significant vertical gain. The roof on P5 is burly and was led by my partner with difficulty. Seconding, I climbed up the fridge-sized "loose block" on the right and so bypassed the burly roof. I thought the hanging belay was pretty cool and great for photo ops. But I'd skip it next time.
The P7 "water streak" is out of character with the rest of the route in that serious injury is possible for a shaky leader. If you follow the chalk, there is a 30 foot section of sustained 5.8 smearing/stemming with tiny edges for handholds and only a thin crack near the top for protection. An ugly 20' sliding fall is a real possibility onto the sloping ledge up and right from the belay, with another 20' of tumbling if you don't stop there. I recommend avoiding this pitch (as shown in the Handren topo) if you are not feeling confident.
On P7 I climbed the water streak but did not follow the chalk. Zig right on a 5.7 upward traverse, then zag left on an unprotected 5.4R ramp, rejoining the chalked line above the 30' sustained section. The rock was a bit fragile and it didn't appear anyone had gone this way recently. There is also a single bolt about 40' above here that confused me (apparently, this bolt is on the last pitch of Hot Fudge Thursday). Instead, I moved left and up, past a large detached block lying against the face to easier ground.
The descent is simple by RR standards, the Handren guide's description is perfect.
By Scott Rice From: Colorado Springs, CO Dec 23, 2009
Beautiful sunny mid-winter day on 19 Dec 09. Got an early start and had an amazing time up this. Made 5 pitches out of it. Scrambled up the first "pitch" then linked P2 and P3, and P4 and P5 through the roof. Ended up with awesome ledges to belay from besides the hanging belay right before the roof section.
Water streaks are a little dicey like mentioned. First one is protected by the only bolt on the route, a rusty quarter-inch with a homemade hangar. Second dicey move is about 30 feet higher but sunk a decent .75 C4 right below it, so a fall there wouldnt be too bad.
Striking views of the greater Vegas area and the entire basin await when you top it out. There is a summit register in an ammo can a bit north of where you top out at, as well as a nice ledge to take the view in from.
Descent is lengthy, hike off the slabs to the west, lots of loose rock. 10 hours car to car with a lot of BSing on the ledges and a good hour on the top hanging out. Have fun!
RSS Feed
Slideshow
