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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 15, 2009 - 01:32pm PT
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Maybe since I'm on my way to go skiing I'll post this TR first. That way, anyone has a problem with our style I don't have to hear about it.
Mt. Langley (14,042'). FA of the peak was a Clarence King goof in 1871 (he thought it was going to be Mt. Whitney). All through the last century it was the peak-bagger's Fourteener, with no route over third class. Must be nothin there.
Yet it's pretty obvious, even from the dusty shoulder of Hwy 395 south of Lone Pine, that the North Face is steep. Hard to get to, though. Roadhead is that strange stone Ashram under the South Face of Lone Pine Peak, and thousands of feet up a canyon of talus is enough to make you think skis.
Just under the wire of the Millenium, though, Alois Smrz and Miguel Carmona spent two days in September 1999 putting up "Rest and Be Thankful" (IV+ or V, 5.9 or 5.10, 15 pitches) on the North Arete, which clocks in at about 2000 feet. Yep, nothing to see here, move right along folks. They did a planned bivi high on the route, and here is one of their shots of some pretty excellent-looking rock near the summit. They called this pitch the crux, and likened it (how appropriate is this today?) to Tax Man at Josh.
Michael Thomas and I got intrigued with that and started digging around the Internet for photos of the 600-foot tower they skipped at the bottom of their arete, dreaming of a direct start. Also noticing other potential ridge lines on that rather big wall. We liked the idea of approaching on skis, too, only it was September.
We took the easy way, driving the Horseshoe Meadows Road to the second highest trailhead (10,041') in the Sierra that goes toward Cottonwood Lakes and New Army Pass. For an Eastside trail, the approach is casual. Five miles and only a thousand feet up brings you to the rim of Cottonwood Basin, famous for Golden Trout. But what caught our eye, of course, was the mile-wide, 1200' high South Face of Langley. Completely untouched. Notice the summit of Langley, right above the tallest part of the wall in the center. It's actually a ways behind the top of the wall, like half a mile.
Right then and there we forgot all about hiking around to the North Face. Found ourselves a gorgeous sandy campsite a little ways from the lakes and went to look at the wall. It's pretty nice wandering around that basin
Getting off the ground, though, was harder than it looked. Starting to probe the wall I immediately ran into roundy and insecure 5.10 climbing. Runout too. Not what we had in mind. Rap off. That was the only thing we left behind on the whole wall, a tiny rap sling. I will say, though, that the potential for more direct crack lines is pretty striking (the good stuff is just around the corner out of sight in this shot).
Toward the end of the day we hiked left up a big talus fan, and right on the edge of a deep chimney found a 5.9 start to get traction on the wall. Anyone who wants to carp about our style, here's your chance: we fixed two pitches and went back to camp.
Here's the route:
We named the line S-Wall, for obvious reasons and in honor of one of the classic lines at Quartz Mountain, Oklahoma (why not?). Here we are about five pitches up, still on the lower leg of the S. Clean, blocky High Sierra climbing, occasionally 5.8. Fun!
Where the S turns leftward you land on a little spire for a short pitch of downclimbing. Then things open up, romping up easy plates and knobs on great orange rock
Above there is a deep chimney that gets so wide at the top I had to lunge for the exit. No photo, and anyway you can probably climb around it. Now we're on the upper recurve of the S, the rock has gotten steep again, and we're distracted by a stuck-rope snafu that burned the rest of our daylight. Which led to some exciting exploration up steep Tuolumne-style knobs by headlamp, occasionally 5.8. Some of the most intense climbing on the route, with great position that unfortunately we couldn't see. Or photograph.
Eventually things started to ease off and we bounded along the final ridge to unrope at Midnight. I started getting lazy, but Michael prodded me onward to summit at 1:15 and finally down to crawl into our sleeping bags at 4:00 AM. A full-value day.
S-Wall (IV, 5.9, 15 pitches) September, 2008.
Sun drove us out of our bags to admire our route by ten the next morning. We broke out one of those packaged fondues and a baguette of sourdough for a victory feast, complete with uncorking a good Chardonnay.
There's so much more where that came from. Just direct-starting the bottom of the S would yield several pitches of 5.10 crack climbing. Not to mention the rest of the mile-wide wall. It's a shame the approach is so casual...
Yep, nothing left to do in the Sierra.
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meclimber
Trad climber
Dover, NH
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Apr 15, 2009 - 01:43pm PT
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Good fun and good job
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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Apr 15, 2009 - 02:21pm PT
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Nice TR Doug! Looks like a great place to go climbing!
Where are you going skiing? Are you coming through tahoe on the way? Drop me a line.
Peter
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ec
climber
ca
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Apr 15, 2009 - 02:24pm PT
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Thx Doug for a true climbing post!
 ec
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Apr 15, 2009 - 02:29pm PT
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Nice DR!
It looks like a great climb, and certainly you had a fun adventure. Well done!!
Any more pix??
Hmmm....maybe you're out the door with your skis already....
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10b4me
Ice climber
Rustys Saloon
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Apr 15, 2009 - 02:51pm PT
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thanks Doug. A nice tr. that is such an easy hike, I'm surprised more people don't go in to check that wall out. I will this summer.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Apr 15, 2009 - 02:56pm PT
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Beautiful !
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Apr 15, 2009 - 03:15pm PT
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Excellent post - great line. Congrats Doug!
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 15, 2009 - 03:24pm PT
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OK a couple more shots.
Looking up from the base. Up the center is where I got scared and bailed. The crack lines on the right look like the business, and run a good 400+ feet.
Here's another view of the crack section. Where we started is just left of the edge of this photo.
Good light on the left half of the South Face. Slight edge of the S-Wall buttress extreme right. Nice ridges...
Any of those look like your lines Sewellymon?
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Apr 15, 2009 - 03:34pm PT
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Great stuff.
That next to last picture reminds me so much of the stone and systems on Mt. Conness!
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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Apr 15, 2009 - 03:39pm PT
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nice work!
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Fletcher
Trad climber
the end of the world as we know it, & I feel fine.
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Apr 15, 2009 - 03:41pm PT
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Sounds right up my alley. Looks like a keeper. Thanks for the TR, with the all important Chardonnay. Can't criticize that style!
Eric
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crazy horse
Trad climber
seattle, wa
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Apr 15, 2009 - 04:10pm PT
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Thanks for sharing doug!!! much appreciated.
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 15, 2009 - 04:26pm PT
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Hi Chief,
This little creek is five minutes from rope-up.
Or if you prefer lakefront property with bouldering, this is 20 minutes away.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Apr 15, 2009 - 04:27pm PT
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Great post, and looks like a great route. Thanks for a wonderful break from tax day issues.
John
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Apr 15, 2009 - 08:45pm PT
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Very nice Doug! You never fail to make me home sick.
Thanks for posting.
Bruce.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Apr 15, 2009 - 11:05pm PT
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Was this last Sept?
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 15, 2009 - 11:10pm PT
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Yep, last September.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Apr 15, 2009 - 11:28pm PT
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Doug-
Fantastic! Keep 'em coming and share the stories.
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Dudeman
Trad climber
California/Idaho/Beyond
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Apr 15, 2009 - 11:56pm PT
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Very cool adventure Doug! Great images also!
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Apr 16, 2009 - 12:07am PT
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Man, just what I needed. Thanks!
What a sweet wall... so much unclimbed rock. Extraordinary. Put that wall fifteen minutes from the road and you would have another tahquitz... out there... its a sierra climbers jungle gym. Just the way it should be.
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JOEY.F
Social climber
sebastopol
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Apr 16, 2009 - 01:21am PT
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Really!
Tax day over, this is great...
Plan High Sierra, asap
Nice.
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Apr 16, 2009 - 02:10am PT
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TheChief
WOW. That is gorgeous. Looks like some fun can be had there... woah. How's the rock quality? Looks solid.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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Apr 16, 2009 - 12:49pm PT
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Cracks? What cracks? I think a huge bolt kit will be needed to get past the blank sections.
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Alois
Social climber
Idyllwild, California
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Apr 17, 2009 - 11:25am PT
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Hi Doug
Congrats on what looks like a good route on this seldom explored peak. The South side looks full of possibilities. Langley today is in about the same situation Lone Pine Peak was in the mid 80s, a lot of potential and a few routes. The North side of Langley to the right of our arete (Rest and Be Thankful) has some wild possibilities on some much steeper ground and remains to be explored by those who don't mind long approaches and solitude. BTW, thanks for mentioning our effort on the North Arete. We loved the Tuttle Creek drainage and the wild scenery there, what a place.
Cheers and good climbing, Alois Smrz.
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 17, 2009 - 01:03pm PT
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Greetings Alois,
Congratulations on the Rest and Be Thankful arete. Sure looks like a stellar route. Looong too. I suspect that your 15 pitches were a lot longer and more direct than ours. I mean, one of ours was just a 20' downclimb off a tower. With that one photo you fired my imagination, that's for sure.
I like your analogy to LPP in the Eighties. It's practically roadside compared to the north face of Langley. Surprising to me that no one seems to have followed your lead up there in the decade since. But then exploratory climbing in the Sierra is not what it was back in the Seventies.
The North Face is steeper off to the right, eh? Sifting through various photos it's hard to get a fix on, but I had definitely noticed at least one more nice arete over on that side. Nice that you are encouraging on the approach up the canyon. I've never gone any higher than the South Face of LPP...
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Alois
Social climber
Idyllwild, California
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Apr 17, 2009 - 02:03pm PT
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There are at least three aretes on the North Face. We picked what clearly looked like the easieast one although it had a tower at the start that wasn't part of the ridge. We shortened the route by a few pitches by starting behind that 1st tower. If you go up there, climbing the first tower on our route can wait (not sure it would improve anything), the second arete to the right will have a line that starts at the floor of the canyon and looks like a grade or so harder (also 4-5 pitches longer) than the Rest and Be Thankful. That arete looks awesome, we wanted to come back to it, but for various reasons (injuries) never did. The approach via the Stonehouse and Keyhole Wall is not that bad. All the way to Keyhole you follow what could be called a trail, above Keyhole, cross the creek to the left and hop up the talus to the base. There are couple of flat spots bellow the wall, water is near-by. Wonderful place. With all the gear for multi-day climbing, 5-6 hours from your car, maybe a bit longer for us over 60...
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alpinerockfiend
Trad climber
The American West
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Apr 17, 2009 - 02:07pm PT
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Thanks for the TR and info Mr. Robinson!
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TYeary
climber
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Apr 17, 2009 - 04:21pm PT
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Alois,
Wasn't there something you guys called the milk bottle tower?
Did that ever get explored? Just wondering if I should get off the couch.
Tony
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Apr 17, 2009 - 04:51pm PT
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swole!
to borrow a quote
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Alois
Social climber
Idyllwild, California
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Apr 17, 2009 - 06:56pm PT
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Tony,
That tower is still there, invisible, except in perfect lighting and if you stop in the right location. As far as I know it is still unclimbed. I have a slide of it here somewhere, an owesome sight. Looks like another Petit Griffon!
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TYeary
climber
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Apr 17, 2009 - 09:03pm PT
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Nice.
Should'a sent a PM. Now I'll have to stand inline!
Tony
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 17, 2009 - 09:08pm PT
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There's a striking needle just offroute of S-Wall too, 2/3 of the way up. Michael wanted to go climb it, but it was already getting late.
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Alois
Social climber
Idyllwild, California
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Apr 18, 2009 - 12:15pm PT
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Looks like somebody could have fun on Langley and for a few years. Only two (or so) technical routes on it now and a ton of possibilities. It'a a good, a bit away from it all place, if you run into someone, you propably know them or know of them, what more could we ask for?
Doug, again, thanks for the TR, congrats on a new route and thanks for reminding us, there is still plenty to do in our (much loved) Sierra.
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Double D
climber
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Hey Doug, great TR...somehow I missed it earlier. Man I'm homesick for the Sierras and your pictures are just fuel to the fire!
Proud line for sure. Great to see that you're still at it BTW.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Splendid outing, Doug!
Thanks for fitting it in.
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LuckyPink
climber
the last bivy
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nice explore!
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josan
Boulder climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Doug!!!
Now from Chapel Hill, North Carolina is sent a huge hello...grateful you are still moving on stone. You are held in the light and thought of with smiles.
Be well, my friend
Jo Sanders
josan48@gmail.com
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Yowza, DR. That's "the business".
What it's all about. WooHoo!
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Jul 28, 2011 - 06:54pm PT
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Bump!
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gonzo chemist
climber
Crane Jackson's Fountain St. Theater
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Jul 29, 2011 - 08:31pm PT
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Really awesome TR! Now that I've finally got TIME, I was wondering what technical routes existed on Langley. Seems like a cruiser approach compared to a lot of stuff in the Sierra. And that rock looks surprisingly good!
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FRUMY
Trad climber
SHERMAN OAKS,CA
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Jul 30, 2011 - 03:31pm PT
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bump
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gonzo chemist
climber
Crane Jackson's Fountain St. Theater
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yet another photo of the south face of Langley. I was up there yesterday and snapped a few photos. What a cool mountain!
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