Multi Pitch Review: Freeway, Mighty Mouse, Alaska Highway, The Rostrum and Written in Stone

My back healed up quickly and without any complications. I was back to work and leading within three weeks of the injury. Unfortunately my motivation to continue projecting Spirit of the West had waned, but I was keen to continue trad climbing. Here I’ve compiled a brief summary of some standout multi pitches.

Freeway

Not sure, took a huge whipper on P1 though. Will update next season.

Mighty Mouse

A classic alpine multi pitch located in Geoffrey park in Pemberton. Perhaps the most splitter cracks I’ve ever climbed? 

The best pitches were the 5.10d finger cracks. The crux was a bouldery 5.11 which Lindsay graciously led (She’s been my rope gun the last few months). The final pitch was a tricky slab which climbed beside a tiny seam. I used all my small nuts and rp’s. The true crux arose when we were hiking back. The trail alternated between dense sub-alpine Alder brush and the boulder fields which lay at the base of slide chutes. In the dark we lost track of the cairns and found ourselves re-entering the bush sans trail. Obviously being too stubborn to turn around, we persevered for at least an hour through some extremely dense vegetation before finally arriving at the next boulder field. It took another half hour to find the cairns again before we were on the trail back to the car. Unfortunately the highway was closed just past Brohm lake on the drive back. A midnight swim at Brohm lake was therefore required, followed by another night in the minivan in the Brohm lake parking lot. Thanks Cheryl for being so cozy!

Route Review:

Rock Quality: 8/10 - the first pitch had a bit if choss but it was amazing for the rest

Type 1 fun factor: 8/10 - the handcrack hurt my feet :(

Wheelbarrow rating: 1 wheelbarrow (the fist crack was a bit uncomfortable)

Approach: 1.5 hr

Downproach: 2.5 hr

Grade: 5.11a (bouldery crux) 1 wheelbarrow

Digression: Wheelbarrow Grades

The wheelbarrow grade informs the climber on the physicality of the pitch. The number of wheelbarrows associated with the grade tells you that climbing this pitch will feel like filling up x number of wheelbarrows of dirt. For example, physical off widths will have a higher wheelbarrow rating then a finger crack or face climbing pitch. Examples:

1. 5.10d "okay, not too hard but I need to pay attention" 1 wheelbarrow "great, should be fine"

2. 5.9 "wow, should be an easy lead!" 10 wheelbarrows "good god I might die"

3. 5.12a "okay this will be pretty hard. I'll have to give it the beans" 15 wheelbarrows "fuck this we are either rappelling or its your lead and I'll jug it if you could fix the rope I don't fancy dying today"

Alaska Highway

My friend Colette visited town for a week, and was psyched to go up on this one with me. I have some history with Alaska Highway. I first tried it two years ago. I found myself sitting at the hanging belay of pitch 2, with my climbing partner power screaming and whipping all over the pitch up and out of my sight. I was terrified. Pitch 2 features an overhanging groove, which requires every bit of granite trickery you can muster. Stemming, finger cracks, hand jams, flares, you name it. I was brutally underprepared. We ended up bailing after the second pitch, which was a terrible rappel.

Last summer, I went with my friend Callum, and I led the pitch, but I fell twice. It was cool to experience that progression though. This year, I was able to send it! With Colette on the belay, I led every pitch of the route. Here’s a rough breakdown:

1. 10d (more like 10d with a v3 boulder problem) the tree was previously used to climb over a roof, but was taken out by a rock fall. Now it’s a committing v3 boulder problem.

2. 11c/d (feels like 12a at least). Burly overhanging groove. Expect every part of your body to be used and subsequently pumped.

3. 11a An incredible steep corner system! One of the best 11a’s around.

4. 10d Powerful laybacking into a strenuous offwidth.

5. 11b Amazing crack traverse into some seriously runout face climbing. Easy terrain in the runouts.

Colette far below on the mega P3 of Alaska Highway

Rock Quality: 6/10 - the first pitch had a bit if choss but it was amazing for the rest

Type 1 fun factor: 5/10 - not a whole lot of type 1 fun, but endless amounts of type 2 fun!

Wheelbarrow rating: 11 wheelbarrows due to excessively bury P2. You might puke your guts out on this pitch!!

The Rostrum

The first time I heard about the Rostrum was on Climbing Gold. Honnold describes an old photo of Peter Croft stemmed out in white painter pants as he solos the upper dihedrals. Crofts solo of the rostrum put him in the spotlight back in the day. I've since come to realize that it's one of the most popular and highest quality 5.11 multi pitches around. So, I talked Lindsay into having a go at it with me. I knew that I was interested in trying to onsite the route.

Approach note: without sufficient access to the top of the wall to rappel in (the usual method), we decided to approach from the valley floor by crossing the river. This turned out to be somewhat devastating. We lost one of Lindsays approach shoes in the river due to a cascade of decisions culminating in a shoe tossing failure. Our 6am start was made redundant by the 45 minute frantic shoe search. Ultimately we had to leave it. Lindsay put my approach shoe on, and I doubled up on socks for our 30 minute bushwhack up to the base of the route. It wasn't how we intended to start our big day of hard climbing, but we remained optimistic once we finally got to the base and remedied with a good snack break. 1, 2, 3, Do-over!

I don't know why I'm doing this with my foot
but its one of the only photos I have okay!

The first three pitches are long and steep, with the crux coming on P2 as a thin finger crack. Lindsay crushed her leads on 1 and 3, running it out to save cams on the splitter #1's section. We get to the big ledge just under halfway up beneath the crux pitch. It's an 11c finger crack, and I knew I had a good shot at doing it. It's somewhat jagged and uneven, which upon inspection led me to believe I'd be able to do bigger moves between bomber locks, sport climber style. Sure enough, I sent it! I proceeded to link into the short 5.9 which makes its way to the arete of the feature. Overhanging 5.9 jugs with incredible exposure! I was thrilled, but I knew we still had many hard pitches to go. I led the 10d enduro corner, before Lindsay rose to the occasion to lead the 5.10c #5 off width. She totally crushed, hand fist stacking and bumping that cam all the way up to the top. I seconded this one without falling, trying to use my best levitator technique. This involves jamming your knee into the crack and bracing beneath with your other foot, thus freeing up your hands to stack higher to pull your body upwards. The next pitch was an 11b hand crack, forging through steep dihedrals.

 I fought and fought and fought and finally found myself under the alien roof. It may well have been the hardest I've ever tried on a climb, and I wouldn't be totally forthcoming if I didn't inform the reader that I had myself a little cry when I finally got to the anchor. I pulled myself together for a brief moment as Lindsay climbed up to me, and then had another little cry when she got up to the ledge to give me a hug. Well, what are you gonna do. Lindsay quested out underneath the Alien roof, and led the boldest pitch on the route. The massive off width that splits the very top of the route can be seen from far below on the valley floor. 

She leaned back, and for a moment I saw her feet dangling, with nothing below to the valley floor. Then they were gone, and she had started battling up. "I paused to have a little cry when the #5 tipped out" she told me afterwards. Lindsay did an amazing job leading that pitch, and when the tipped out #5 cam fell out of the crack without so much as a jostle, I took a moment to appreciate that she had climbed it safely and that I had such a great partner. The top of the route held a few more tears for both of us, before we finished the hike out, not believing what a crazy day of rock climbing we'd had.

Lindsay Traversing out under the Alien roof towards
the final offwidth.

Rock Quality: 8/10

Type 1 fun factor: 8/10 - incredible! Even the easier sections were amazing.

Grade: 5.11c, 20 wheelbarrows due to all the off width and steep climbing.  Feels like Alaska Highway -> Rostrum is a natural progression

Written in Stone

The easiest free line up the impressive prow wall on the chief. Hamish was out visiting, so Holden, Hamish and I climbed it as a party of three, using one rope and a fix and follow method. This worked pretty well up until the final pitch, which I luckily got to lead. The traversing nature of the pitch below the steep headwall made the rope drag super tough to manage.

The route begins with  a few pitches of 5.10 before the meat. The final four pitches break down as follows:

5.11a slab - fantastic lead by Hamish. Tenous dyke climbing on slippery feet.

5.11b stem - My lead. Thin gear into a few hard stemming moves before a hero roof pull!

5.11c face / crack - Holden's hardest trad onsite! Super tricky face climbing. Amazing!

5.11d - my lead. Weird climbing in a shallow dihedral before a hero overhanging traverse. Then punch the final finger crack to the top!

Holden over the roof of the 11b dihedral.

The boys romping broomstick crack real quick

3 is a party

Hamish seconding the 11d pitch

Rock Quality: 7/10

Type 1 fun factor: 10/10 - So fun the whole way. Very Sporty

Grade: 5.11D, 3 wheelbarrows.