Weather forecasts

Gear

• 60m rope
• Crack gloves
• #0.1-3 with double 0.3-0.5 and triple 0.75-2, single #3.
• Nuts
• 14 draws (6 sport, 6 alpine, 2 double alpine)
• Radios? They’re long pitches, but seem like should have ok visibility.
• Rappel sling in case we have to set a rappel for descent
• Recommendations
  • kmfoerster – At least a double rack of cams .2-2 and one #3. Metolius 00-1 proved quite useful too. With this route triples of certain sizes would not go unused. We had triples of .4-2, which we thought was just a bit overkill. If doing it again I’d bring triples of .75-2 instead. Selection of small to medium stoppers. 10 alpine draws and 2 double length slings. Seasonally dependent snow gear.

Approach

At about 7,300-7,400′ on Asgard Pass trail, cut over west on scree and talus.

P1 – 5.10a, 58m, ⭐⭐

Ascend fifty feet of easy climbing, climb ten feet of face around the right side of a recessed pod, and then back into the main crack. Punch up the main crack, with some smaller over lapping cracks, offering very fun and engaging movement. Atop the main crack, continue through broken and moderate terrain to the obvious ledge and climb 20 feet beyond the right of the two tree/bushes. Belay on .1-.3 cams and small nuts at the base of the beautiful corner above. Note, this pitch protects well using slightly more thoughtful placements relative to the other pitches on the route; all 5.9 moves could be pulled through on gear.

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P2 – 5.9, 55m, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stem your way up the initial 10-foot OW pod before launching up a gorgeous and sustained corner crack, offering spectacular and pure crack climbing from locker fingers to perfect hands. This is a powerful pitch that rewards strong arms and good jamming technique. Look for foot features along the way to ease the grade and add more creative movement. When the corner ends, continue up and left approx 20’ and stop at a crack on the right that accepts bomber med-large nuts and cams.

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P3 – 5.6, 45m, ⭐

Ascend the broken crack system directly above the belay, gaining a sloping ledge beneath a pair of obvious zig-zag cracks. Climb through these zig-zag cracks to a wide and large sandy ledge. Belay in the clean crack in the middle of this ledge.

P4 – 5.7, 58m, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This clean headwall with a splitter crack that catches your eye from the ground is even more spectacular than it looks. Even more defining is the friendly grade and secure climbing, especially for such a dramatic and full pitch. Begin approx 15-20 feet right of the belay and climb easily up the right side of the protruding ear. Move left a few moves along a thin crack rail to gain the main crack, offering phenomenal and varied crack climbing with excellent movement. Take this long pitch up and slightly right to a large, flat ledge. Belay on the right side of the ledge, to the right of the vertical leaning block.

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P5 – 5.7, 55m, ⭐⭐

Climb up and left through broken ledges for approx 20 feet gaining a crack that climbs, pleasantly, up the right side of a right facing dark ear feature. Zig zag up and generally left through varied crack systems, face features, knobs, and small ledges. Exit off the left side of the face, turning the corner into a belay alcove approx 20’ below and to the left of the summit pinnacle.

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Descent

After summiting, work S and W across broken 3rd and 4th class terrain, slowly losing elevation until you gain a clean gully (approximately 500’ from the final belay station). Descend this to a large and obvious ledge, then scramble SW to walkable terrain, intersecting the standard summit descent from Dragontail. Note, this was the easiest descent found by the FA party, however, many alternatives exist.

kmfoerster – From the top we followed the descent description trending southwest down ramps and ledges to the Dragontail trail. We found a way that stayed in 3rd or 4th class terrain with only one spicy no falls allowed section. I built some cairns along the way. Its a quick hike back to the base following the Dragontail southside trail to Asgard.

Plans