Whiskey Bill  5.7 PG13

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Type:  Trad, 5 pitches, 600 feet, Grade II Consensus:  5.7 [details] FA:  Mike Arechiga and Brad Watson 1997 Submitted By:  J. Albers on Nov 1, 2010 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (3) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: The start of Whiskey Bill.

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Description 

Fantastic five pitch face climb up the south face. Climb a mix of chickenheads, friction, and crack for five nice pitches with great belay stances.

Most of the climbing is 5.6 or easier, but there are several short sections of 5.7. There are many sections (including leaving belays) where you need to climb 25-30 feet between gear; however, nearly all of the runout climbing is on positive holds. The 5.7 friction sections are all near a bolt.

Pitch one: Locate and climb up 15 feet to the first bolt. Continue past 4 more bolts to the first anchor. (5.7; 95 feet).

Pitch two: A fantastic pitch up a sea of chickenheads. Climb featured rock up 25 feet to the first bolt; this bolt is located in a big scoop and is impossible to see until you are 15 feet up from the belay (I marked the first bolt on one of the photos posted below). Continue up another 15-20 feet and locate a second bolt. Pull an easy bulge and look up at 55-60 feet of fantastic chickenhead featured rock. Weave your way upwards using slung heads and the occasional nut placement for protection. Finish at a nice ledge with a two bolt anchor. Outstanding rock. (5.6; 100 feet).

Pitch three: Either climb 5 feet up and left off the belay and sling a chickenhead and then proceed back up and right to the first bolt or alternatively, just climb 30 feet directly up and right to the first bolt. Continue wandering upwards keeping your eye open for gear placements, and eventually passing two more bolts. Climb 5.7 friction past the third bolt to a two bolt anchor (two fat Metolius rap hangers) (5.7; 100 feet).

Pitch 4: Step off the belay and climb up to a bolt. Next climb up right to a left facing corner. Climb out onto the face just right of the corner and follow a handcrack (gear) to a stance and a second bolt. Friction up past the second bolt to a two bolt anchor (5.6-7; 100 feet).

Pitch 5: Climb up and left to small right facing flake/corner. Follow the flake upwards to a two bolt anchor 80 feet up. The flake is intermittent and opens up to take small gear every 10-15 feet. Instead of belaying at the two bolt anchor, continue up to the summit and build a gear anchor (5.6; 200 feet).

Location 

Follow the main trail from the parking area until you are almost to the backside of the dome. At this point, start descending around the east face. You will pass Zipa-De-Do-Da Buttress and the Panorama Wall (there are one pitch bolted routes on these two walls) and eventually you will arrive below the first section of the dome with multi pitch routes; Looking Glass etc. are here. Continue onwards until you arrive at the South Face; Blitzo's photo may be helpful locating the face. The South Pillar should be pretty obvious because you have to walk around it to get to the West Face routes. Just before the South Pillar, there is a somewhat major break in the cliff line. Just before this weakness is a nice, long section of rock. Whiskey Bill starts at the lowermost toe of this section. Make sure you are starting at the lowermost part of the toe of the wall because there is one additional bolted route to the left of Whiskey Bill before the break in the cliff and the South Pillar. Locate the first bolt about 15 feet off the ground (see beta photo).

Protection 

Mixed bolts and gear. All anchors but the final summit anchor have two good bolts. Carry skinny longs slings for slinging chicken heads and a single rack from #2-5 Wallnut equivalent and #2 Camalot down to micro cams; perhaps doubles on the micro cams depending on your comfort level on the last pitch.

Photos of Whiskey Bill Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: Looking up at the second pitch from the first bela...	Close up of some of the amazing chickenheads.	I stopped partway up the 2nd pitch to snap this ph...
Looking down from the second pitch belay.	View from the summit looking southeast towards Lit...