Trip: Baron Spire - North Buttress/North Ridge (The Destroying Angel)

Date: 9/10/2009

Trip Report:
Layton, Brit and I went into Baron Spire for the North Buttress to North Ridge. Billed as "comparable to the becky-chouinard in length and setting but substancially harder." You go find out, but be sure to wear your visors and super fancy wrist bands if you are gonna pull this one off. Layton, Brit and I aren't cool enough to own such items, and I hope to god we never are!
Also be weary if you see Brit around, cause she is the cuttroat slayer....the most essential component of the trip, besides our visors which as I have already said...we aren't cool enough to own.




Gear Notes:
doubles 00 tcu-#3, 1 #4, 2 #5, 1 #6

Approach Notes:
Baron Lakes, head through the v-notch on the ridge to drop into the cirque at the base of the north face

knee pads, a gardening trowel and a 3-pronged trident would be helpful. also, a cool visor and carharts would make you a better person. if you do this before beckey-choinard then you will enjoy the beckey choinard more than anyone in history.

did you do it in a day? Think that is the 3rd or 4th ascent according to dowdel. You guys must have more pictures than that...come on hand them over. I want to see photos of the upper chimney pitches. There has to be more of a story to this excursion, visor? That thing doesn't get a drop of sun until 4:30pm. Thats cool that you pulled it off, took dowdel several summers and many partners to get it done. There is a 5.9 that follows the prominent corner system to the right of Destroying angel.

give you an idea what these boys did, the summit left of baron is the fang and is 600 feet, the north ridge is 1200+ ft with 2/3rds of the pitches 5.9 or harder. For those of you that have climbed sunrise book, imagine lots of that "5.9". Way to go guys, how were the anchors? any bolts?

Nice guys. You recommend the route? Have visor, will travel.

I would not reccomend it, and it should be noted that we did not top out as we ran out of time near the top and just one pitch on this thing eats up a lot of time (we were avg .8 hours per pitch since every pitch is an O/W, chimney, and/or spicey spicey fingertip crack).

There is a good topo at the Elephants Perch in ketchum, and they are very helpful to talk with. There is a good two bolt anchor at the top of the 2nd pitch(crux), which is useful since the stance is kinda shitty, and the rock is a little questionable at the top there. All the rest of the belay stances have good cracks in sound rock.

very cool outing & tr - looking at the date of your Warbonnet climb, looks like we might've passed each other on the trails.

Right on! That looks like a cool spot and route.