Saber 5.5
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| Type: | Trad, 2 pitches, 280 feet, Grade II |
| Consensus: | 5.5 [details] |
| FA: | Pete Schoening |
| Submitted By: | ScottH on Jan 31, 2006 |
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BETA PHOTO: Leading up the first pitch of Saber.
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Description First climbed in 1950, Saber begins from the far right side of Loggers ledge and reaches the top of Castle rock in 2 pitches. Look for a left angling ramp just to the right of a large, low roof. This is the start of Saber.
P1. Climb the left angling ramp to the base of a left facing dihedral. The rock in the dihedral has been polished to a slippery, disconcerting, mirror-like sheen. When you hit a diaganol crack heading up to the left follow it to Saber ledge. Belay from bolts. (~90 feet)
P2. A few easy moves (~5.5) on the left side of a wide chimney take you up onto emminently forgettable and blocky terrain. The climbing gets easier as you ascend, and I found myself on 4th or 3rd class terrain long before reaching the top of Castle rock (~190 feet).
I've stuck with the historical rating for this climb, which may be a bit of a sandbag-- a more realistic rating for the first pitch may be 5.6. Combined with the polished rock, this route is probably not the best choice for a fledgling trad leader. One star for history and for being an accesible moderate as well as a good place to booty gear, but I can't imagine wanting to do this twice.
Protection Wires to 4"
By Ray Birks
Apr 27, 2006
| I agree that it's a bit of a sandbag. We started just to the right of the ramp and made a little traverse to get onto the ramp itself. The route moves left after the crack/ramp and traverses a bit until you get to a huge homemade anchor below the second pitch. We broke the second pitch into two pitches just to give others a chance to lead. You can walk off to the right and get back to your stuff. |
By Blitzo
Sep 13, 2006
| A fun easy route. |
By chris t
From: cle elum,wa
Nov 6, 2007
| Gotta appreciate those old petons for history sake! Worth the trip! |
By Kevin Peter
Jul 24, 2012
| As of July 23, 2012 beware of poison ivy on the second pitch deep in the large offwidth. It is easy to avoid and route your rope around it to the right. An enjoyable first trad multipich and one to take beginners on. |
By CHopwood
Sep 3, 2012
| The direct start, up the crack, is way harder than 5.6. I didn't realize people traverse in from the right. |
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