Worlds Best Snow/Ice-Free Big Rock Faces?

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Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Dec 15, 2008 - 10:12am PT

I'm going to defend my pick, but Clint has a point. The Bugs always seem a lot bigger looking at those pictures than they are when you're actually there. However, the granite is wonderful to climb on, and the compact nature of the range gets you to most of the formations pretty quickly (which is relative). The place suffers from the Canadian "problem" of weather, I think you can count on roughly half the days being climbing days... so you tend to climb like crazy when it's good weather knowing you'll be forced to rest up when it's not.

The South Face of the Howser Spire Massif is what I was thinking when I responded, The Beckey-Chouinard Route is 19 pitches and goes free at 5.10a. The Catalonian Route is 20 pitches 5.10 A2, the South Tower Minaret is 11 pitches, the Italian Pillar 14p at 5.10 A4, the Southwest Pillar 14p at 5.8 A3.

Many of these lines have aid, at least in the Green & Bensen guide that I have (1990, perhaps there is a later version), so there may be some possibility of FFA for a strong party.

Most of the other spires have some longish, 10 pitch climbs, many go free in the 5.10 difficulty range. Snowpatch Spire has 8 and 9 pitch climbs on it...

You can tick off the 50 Classic Climbs in NA route N.E. Ridge of Bugaboo Spire if you can get on it. We thought we might have an advantage on the day after a bad weather spell, but the climbers from Bellingham WA have some awesome weather forecast juju and arrive in time to make you feel like you're on the E. Buttress of Middle Cathedral Rock. There are other routes to do there too.

There is ample shorter climbing in the range, and nice places to be.

Hazards include falling rock and weather. The latter is especially nuanced, with lightning being my particular fear, after reading about the team being hit after summiting one of the Howsers, which describes the author coming to seeing his partner laying, still unconscious, with his clothing smoking...

...ability to travel in an alpine setting is necessary, but this is relatively mellow, and knowledgeable people learn quickly.

There are places to go "off the beaten path" but less and less as time goes on, the 80s were wonderful because it seemed the range was more than large enough to hide everyone. In the 90s the annoying sound of the heli-hikers going out disabused us of the idea that we were in a remote corner of the world.

I'm talking myself into a trip with Jaybro to look at Jello's airplane scouted big wide crack!

Jaybro

Social climber

wuz real!

Dec 15, 2008 - 01:27pm PT

Blame Canada!
But, those other places that Clint mentions;

Supertacoan Mike Freidrichs has climbed a bunch at Elephants perch and is very enthusiastic about it. He has made the comparison that there are multiple routes of "Astroman level quality," I don't know how well it adhers to the 10 pitch rule. Ten or fifteen yrs ago, Bird Lew asked me if I knew anything about climbing there. I asked Mike, and he gave a bunch of info that I passed on. Maybe I can round that up next time I'm at the ranch.

Rev Mike of the Greater Vail area went to El Gigante a few years ago to attempt that "Longest Sport Climb in The World"™. He seemed to think there was a bunch of worthwhile stuff to do there. I spent most of a drive from his house in Eagle en route to Rifle, looking at his photos and videos of the place stored in his camera.

Oplopanax

Mountain climber

The Deep Woods

Dec 15, 2008 - 01:35pm PT

Cochamo, Chile.
Rio de Janiero and inland areas of Brazil with granite domes up to 1300m high
South Africa has lots
Frey area of Argentina has numerous 10-pitch plus routes plus cragging.
Kota Kinabalu - Malaysia

numerous tepuis in Venezuela.

mongrel

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

Dec 15, 2008 - 01:49pm PT

If you must have snow-free during N. temperate winter, you are headed for El Esfinge, or Argentina, or Africa. But during our summer, there are numerous fabulous pure rock lines, including many >10 pitches, in the two oldest big-mountain destinations: Mt. Blanc range and Canadian Rockies. You may have to stroll over a well-marked glacier with zero or minimal crevasse hazard to get to the base, then change into climbing shoes and motor up long pure rock routes, 5.9 to 5.12 whatever you wish. The numerous routes engineered by Piola and his ilk have perfect chain belay/rap stations the whole way, 6 to 20 pitches. Dolomites are terrific but the moderates have significant loose stones lying around (the rock you actually climb on often being quite solid). Rockies do not have too many continuously hard lines, but a few, and always with one or two bands of stuff that it is a miracle it is sitting there at the angle it is. Yamnuska is pretty firm, but I don't think meets the 10 pitch threshold.

DanaB

climber

Dec 15, 2008 - 01:49pm PT

I've been to the Dolomites, and some of the walls there are 2000-3500 feet, some (the Civetta) perhaps a little bigger.

lars johansen

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Dec 15, 2008 - 01:52pm PT

Saw some very promising looking big walls in southern Turkey near Antalya. Research tells me the Brits have been there. Lots of shorter stuff on sea cliffs in Turkey and Greece.

WallMan

Trad climber

Denver, CO

Dec 15, 2008 - 02:39pm PT

Melissa - the North Ridge of Mount Stuart from the bottom to the top is over 3000 vertical feet of rock. Stellar climb - close to home - cool bivy options. Very little and easy snow for the approach and descent.

Washington state, the Enchantments is the name of the area.

The 50 crowded classic version cuts in about half way. Instead, start from the bottom, and do the gendarme at the top. Crux is 5.9. Many very cool 5.5 through 5.7 pitches.

Wally

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 15, 2008 - 06:45pm PT

Thanks a million. That's lots of googling fun, and hopefully a few memorable real destinations too. :-)

Captain...or Skully

Gym climber

Where are YOU from Holmes?

Dec 16, 2008 - 12:43am PT

WooHoo!

Rocks.

Rudyj2

Trad climber

Dec 16, 2008 - 08:44am PT

Bump for big rock faces.

David Knopp

Trad climber

Dec 16, 2008 - 03:23pm PT

Mt. Slesse n. buttress. some glacier travel, long route not too hard with significant weather issues. Mt. Bardean, the tuning fork-what about combatant, or Tiedemann, too?

Jaybro

Social climber

wuz real!

Dec 16, 2008 - 03:41pm PT

I like glacier travel, I'm just not as psyched for shoveling or climbing through snow.

Captain...or Skully

Trad climber

North of the Owyhees

Dec 31, 2008 - 12:25am PT

bump

scooter

climber

fist clamp

Dec 31, 2008 - 12:40am PT

This is a little closer, Mt. Mendel. Pretty steep alpine ice to a few pitches of rock, 5.7-5.8ish. Really fun. And much cheaper and safer than Kryg. or Patag.

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10b4me

Ice climber

the sads

Dec 31, 2008 - 01:02pm PT

Melissa,
are you talkin' trad or sport?
if sport, you might head to El Potrero Chico.
A friend of mine just got back from there. She climbed a 12-pitch route.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2008 - 01:21pm PT

Traditional, generally speaking, as my sport experience is limited to a few pitches at less than 5.10 w/ a 'leader must not fall' mentality.

I don't do ice or snow at all.