The Doppler Effect
5.12b,
Trad, 1900 ft (576 m), 16 pitches, Grade IV,
Avg: 3.3 from 4
votes
FA: Chris Kalman, Chris Moore, Cooper Varney
International
> S America
> Chile
> 14. Los Lagos (…
> Valle Cochamó
> Anfiteatro
> Pared del Tiempo
Description
The Doppler Effect climbs the beautiful northwest arete of Pared del Tiempo in the Anfiteatro. The bottom two pitches are 5.6R dirty bush pulling, and not very good. But the fantastic third pitch dihedral will instantly make you forget the two approach pitches. After that, the route sticks mostly to the true knife edge arete, following 13 more pitches and tagging two mini-summits on the way to the beautiful summit of Cerro Laguna. All the more difficult pitches are easily aidable, and the summit can be achieved by 5.10 C1 climbing. There are some slightly dirty pitches, but the route has a distinctly alpine feel, and the rock is always clean when you need it to be.
ROUTE:
P1-2: Indistinct garbage 5.6
P3: Really nice 5.11 corner ****
P4-5: traverse right, then up easier/vegetated slab
P6: Short OW splitter to 5.11+ bolted arete. Can split into two pitches and belay at base of arete if rope drag is bad. ****
P7: Second bolted arete pitch. 5.11-? Can't recall. ***
P8: Short fun easy pitch to reach "the nipple" ****
P9: Make your way along ridge proper until you can step right to the base of an elegant V-slot. Climb twin cracks. 5.9? ****
P10-13: short pitch traversing left, then short pitch up, then short pitch back right to base of splitter. Can do in 2 maybe?
P14: Short hard 5.12b crux on tips leads to quickly easier 5.11->5.10->5.9->etc finger crack /slab to exposed promotory. ****
P15: Climb bolted face with mantles and weirdness out left.
P16: Final pitch up bolted slab to 4th class terrain and the summit.
DESCENT:
Rap route to top of the second arete pitch. Rap off the right side of arete, free-hanging in space. Downclimb/descend slabs to the gully, then return to base.
Location
Hike from the bivy bulder up the main drainage toward the back of the amphitheatre. After about 15 minutes, begin looking for cairns leading into the forest on the left side of the gully (you should also be able to see the top of the wall). Follow the cairns through a short section of forest until you are in the gully proper, then hike almost all the way to the toe of the buttress. Keep an eye out left for flagging / cairns which cut through a short section of forest to the base of the wall. The first pitch is indistinct and difficult to find/follow. But the third pitch shallow right-facing corner should be evident. That's what you're aiming for.
Protection
doubles up to #3, #4 (Can leave after the pitch 7 OW), nuts, and a good variety of small camming units (purple tcu up to yellow) to protect the crux pitch however you like. An extra .75, or .5 may be nice for pitch 3 if you like to sew up laybacks. 12 slings/runners, one double length can be useful.
2 Ropes to Rap.
[Hide Photo] The stellar V-slot!
[Hide Photo] The crux pitch. Here's Cooper after the send, enjoying the 5.10 splitter fingers to the top.