Parent Prusik Peak
YDS rating 5.7
Pitches 4

This climb mainly goes up easier terrain on solid rock. The most distinctive pitch is near the top and goes up a short exposed slab (5.7). Otherwise the climbing is 5.5 or easier. Stay fairly close to the ridge proper looking for easiest path. Spectacular position and fun climbing make this a classic. It would see 100X the traffic if you didn’t have to hike 6 hrs to get to it.

Protection

  • MP: Nuts and pro to 3 inches. There are no bolts but may be able to use slings for anchors (another comment says there’s slings at every anchor).
  • sqwirll: single run of .5 to 2 camalots, a half dozen nuts
  • Stephen Davis: You don’t need to bring a number 3 camalot; and if I brought doubles of any sizes it would only be #1 and #2. Though doubles are not really necessary if you’re a 5.8-5.9 climber, this route takes great gear wherever you want to put it.
  • Zacks: We brought a single set of cams frome .5 to 2 and where happy, along with nuts and the dmm offsets
  • Alex: Bring doubles or save a 2 or 3 for the 5.6 lie back on pitch 4
  • Harvest: #0.2-#2, med offset nuts
  • jason: Took a .5-2 and light nuts. Next time would take .4-2 (or 3) and double in .75 and 1.
  • Jarred: Gear: single rack to 2”.
  • dydaley: 8 cams, 10 slings with some doubles in there and a cordalette. set of X4 and C4 to size 2. perfect light rack.
  • Rope:
    • Stephen Davis: We did this route with a 50 meter twin rope doubled in half (25m climbing), and it was very doable
    • Zacks: We used a 60m twin in folded in half (30m to climb) and it worked ok, we had to add a traverse pitch after p2 and p3
    • Lan: 60m rope was plenty for P1 and P2.
    • Trevor: Done in 3 pitches with a 70m rope.

Pitch 1

Begin at the highest point on Prusik Pass. Looking at Prusik Peak you will see a distinct 5.6ish crack that will take you through blocky climbing to the West Ridge. Belay when the ridge levels out or when you hit a flat trail. This is a long pitch.

Lan: P1 basically seems to be choose your own adventure. On P1 above the first crack in the pictures, you get to a point where there is continued 5- scrambling or there is a right handed corner crack (no harder than 5.5 or 5.6). I took the corner crack and belayed at a ledge just below a slabby right handed flake. The slab traverses left and around the corner is the ledge with the trail referred to in the pitch description. I saved traversing the corner for my second to limit rope drag.

Pitch 2

Follow the flat trail around the Northside of the ridge. Climb up 15 ft to the southside of the ridge. The exposure is great here. Stop and belay at a “slingable” block before the 5.7 slab crux.

Pitch 3 – 5.7

Clip the pin and pull the crux. Ascend back to the southside of the ridge for more exposure then drop onto the northside of the ridge, down climb and traverse the trail to the start of the last pitch. Belay from a large ledge system.

Pitch 4 – 5.7

I f you look at Beckey’s topo there is a “short jam” crack after the easy ledge traverse to get to P4. There are two options. The OW climbing on the left (see pic) requires pulling a small bulge on hand jams (5.7ish) and protects with nuts and a .75 cam at your chin. Option 2, to the right, is a layback crack. You can belay the second through a notch at the Peak.

If opting to do the corner crack on P4, continue straight up from the crack and find a fixed 0.5. Avoid hellish rope drag by just going straight up the exposed arete on knobs where you will be welcomed by a shiny bolt.

5.7 OW option

Protects well with a #2 and then later a #1 near top

5.8 finger crack option

Protects well with nuts.

I led up the finger crack, which had great fingerlocks and adequate feet. After a few more flakes, I encountered the final squeeze chimney. Suspending my pack between my legs, I squirmed up the chimney easily and flopped onto the summit. What a great finish!

Top

Descent

Descent consists of 5 – 60m single rope rappels from the summit – very straightforward

The descent route leads one back to the start of the route, so it is pretty easy to leave packs at the base.

Reports

Prusik Peak 2020

We started the morning at 3:15 AM at Colchuck Lake Trailhead… or so we thought it was Colchuck Lake. It was completely dark, it seemed like the end of the road… the trail seemed a bit brushier than a super popular trail should be, and I could have sworn it is way more forested than…