This route is INTERESTING. If you're looking for an adventure, it is a must do.
P1. Climb the obvious crack for 140' 5.7-5.8
P2. Move climber's right and follow twin 5.7 cracks to a notch or shoulder.
P3. Move climber's right again and begin to "tunnel." This is where the climb gets crazy. You are in the Great North Chimney. Basically, there is a detached piece of granite (about the size of two football fields) that you climb through. I thought it felt like a coffin. The route finding on this pitch is very difficult because there is low light. My partner and I tunneled all the way through to the SW side. CRAZY. We found a plethora of bail gear at this point.
P4. Climb a beautiful 5.8 corner.
P5. This pitch is chossy and depending on your skill, you might want to unrope.
Location
Finding the start of the route is key. You can easily get off-route. Descent is dubious. We rapped 4 single-rope rappels.
Protection
Standard alpine rack, two ropes seemed unnecessary. Check out Joe Kelsey's Wind River book for further details.
The Chimney is a cool feature. Looks out both sides of the "steeple". At the top of the chimney I went through a small escape hatch onto the big sundeck ledge below the last very nice pitch, and scenic summit. Chimney pitch can be lead all as one with a 60. Don't remember a 5th pitch, as the nice 5.8 corner ends with a mantle right onto the summit. Descend with a fixed rap or two, and some easy downclimbing to the south west. "Death Block" in kelsey guide is gone. We had the luck to run into one of the original FA'ists of the route while camped in the area (he spotted us on the ridge while fishing), and he commented it was one of his favorite Wind River summits.
By Stan Pitcher From: SLC, UT Aug 13, 2008 rating: 5.8
For us the 5th pitch was the 5.8 corner ending on the summit. After moving the belay to the notch below the chimney, the 3rd pitch gets you up into the chimney a ways and the 4th up and out of the chimney to the bottom of the 5th pitch (watch for rope drag in the chimney!) I think there were 4 single rope raps to get to the slopes below the Steeple/Lost Temple Spire col.
A very good but not great climb, interesting only for the novelty of the chimney pitch. That said though, the 5th pith (5.8 corner)to the summit is excellent. It is possible to descend into the Black Joe Drainage on the east side of the peak, from the notch after the third rappel. Keep bearing to the left as you descend, aiming for the snow fields. This was a great hike out; skirting the northern buttress of Haystack to reurn to our Deep Lake camp. I have attached photos of all of this.
I've done this route twice, so my enthusiasm is evident. Hard to imagine a better finishing pitch — a great 5.8 corner that ends as one virtually touches the summit with your hand, with exhilarating exposure the entire length of the pitch. The "chimney" is totally unique. More like a daylight, above-ground spelunk. You feel as if you have been absorbed by the bowels of the mountain the "chimney" is so large. Various ways exist to worm through this passage and exit below the aforesaid final pitch. All this and a technical descent from a beautifully sculptured peak. This is a great climb. I might do it a third time.
RSS Feed
Slideshow
