Weather forecasts

20 mile approach

Protection

Doubles from .3 – 3, one #4, set of nuts, a few small cams. Gear belays/anchors.

Mountain Project

Location

Located on the blocky, stepping stone-like Ka’aba buttress 2 doors to the left of middle finger buttress. If camping on the north side of upper Cathedral lake, walk around the lake on the west side and up to the buttress. Do a bit of scrambling to get on to the large block for the first pitch. It’s easiest to get on this block from the east but seems like there may be a bit of snow there early season. Short approach time from the lake, ~15 minutes.

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Pitch 1 – 5.7

Head straight up from the large block and follow the triple crack system to the end of the roof and belay from there.

Pitch 2 – 5.8

Head left from the belay on a thin and exposed flake (though very secure). Pull some laybacks up to get you over a block, then follow a left-facing layback corner and belay from the big sandy ledge.

Pitch 3 – 5.9

Money pitch. Head up on the right side of the sandy ledge to a right-facing finger crack corner. Mantle left and then head up the wild twin handcrack. Belay from another large ledge.

Pitch 4 – 5.8

Head up but stay left of the prow through a short bit of a low-angle offwidth corner (easy). At this part there seems to be 3 options. Take the corner on the left side (5.8), the clean-looking middle crack (5.9?), or the corner on the right (5.8?). Whichever way you go will involve some crazy moves with the “diving board” rock up top. Build an anchor on the ledge and extend yourself back to the lip and belay.

Descent

Walk east to the saddle of Amphitheater and down the trail to the south and back around to upper cathedral lake.

Plans