[Hide Comment] Some additional description for this route:

The first pitch begins just left of the SE Arete, on the far right side and lowest part of the South Face, in a shallow chimney weakness. The second pitch goes slightly left and up, until its possible to head left under the roof on easy terrain aiming for a wide and very exposed vertical crack/flake. Third pitch climbs up the steep, wide flakey crack to the left side of the roof, and, traverses to the left then up steep weaknesses trending slighly left and belaying beneath a large corner. 4th pitch climbs up the large corner to its top, stepping left to a fixed belay anchor. Either traverse off left here (recommended finish), or, up and right to the top.

Descent: we traversed off left per the recommended finish. Follow the ledge around west to a terrace. North to the saddle. Descend gully (possible rappel) and, staying left, go around the west tower and back around to the start of the route (or, down to the refugio for lunch/dinner and a pitcher of red wine!). Nov 2, 2010

[Hide Comment] Watch out for rope drag on the pitch three as you traverse underneath the big roofs and around several sharp corners. Dec 21, 2012

[Hide Comment] We went for the summit- loose, runout, easy, and we got down with a single 70 meter rope.
Dec 17, 2013

[Hide Comment] Bring a BD number 2 for the traverse pitch (pitch 3?). The whole route eats gear... I'd do it a hundred times over. Jun 26, 2014

[Hide Comment] Great climb. First pitch is definitely polished (heck, they all are to some extent!). The roof traverse felt very familiar to a Gunks climber - the jug holds are there just like they should be right under the roof! The following pitch was a little scary, as 2 Austrians rapped down on me and knocked a ton of gravel off. Couple of new dents in the helmet, but fortunately no one got hurt. Just be sure to watch for folks rapping the route and clip the plentiful fixed pro as you go to be safe. Sep 28, 2015

[Hide Comment] I just did this route, and thought I should weigh in on a couple of crucial points:
Rack: I use plenty of gear, and was ok with a single rack to #3 camalot IF and this is very important, you stop at the first belay at about 20 m. If you run the first 2 together as is often described, you will be 40 feet out with no gear, because it is a blue cam crack the entire second pitch! I did this and it wasn't fun!

Some of the guidebooks send you into a very dangerous situation. After you traverse left on the chossy ledges, you climb up and left on a short overhanging flake. This leads to another big ledge. From here,some of the route descriptions tell you to climb up steep cracks. There is a beautiful steep crack with some fixed pins here. If you climb this it leads to a nasty 30 foot traverse, with the only gear a bent over fixed pin at the start! Both you and your second will be really scared!

Instead, just walk left on the ledge till under a large dihedral. An obvious, easy line goes straight up to the next belay. The new Rock Fax guide shows this clearly. Sep 11, 2017

[Hide Comment] I brought gear (single rack) but didn't place much. I just clipped the fixed gear. Really cool route - the traverses are incredible. Rock quality isn't bad - not sure what the other comment above it about.

We descended with a single 70m rope. Descend off the north side of the south summit for a short rappell to a large platform. Hike down west to a side anchor (note there are 2 of them - the "main" rappell faces east into the gulley is for 2x50 meter ropes - use the other one and head for a MASSIVE chockstone boulder (this one heads further west). Land on the chockstone boulder and you will see some slings wrapped around a boulder pinch point. From here its about a perfect 35m rappell to the dirt in the gulley. Down climb/down scramble to the end for one final 30m rappell. Aug 24, 2023