first ascent [TR] Gunsight Range- Various 8/7/2006

[Sol]

Climb: Gunsight Range-Various

 

Date of Climb: 8/7/2006

 

Trip Report:

My good friend Martins Putelis and I spent Aug 1-8 in the fabled Gunsight Range.

 

 

We spent the first couple days slogging our way up through Bachelor Creek and over to the Dome/Chickamin col with some pretty monstrous loads. We climbed Dome, and then traversed the Chickamin Glacier to an immaculate bivy on the nunatak directly beneath the W Face of the North Gunsight Pk. The Chickamin had a few thin bridges, and was gained via a sketchy downhill leap across a five-foot gap in a broken snowbridge.

 

Near the summit of Dome:

 

Tower of Babel Bivy:

 

We gave the W Face of the North Pk. a shot on our first day. P1 went fine, but we had a hard time locating the line to pull the roof and access the prominent cracks above on P2. Figuring we had plenty of time we bailed off with intentions to return. With plenty of time left in the day we scoped a different line in the cirque and gave it a whirl. The first pitch lived up to everything we had heard about the range, splitter fingers on perfect, clean, well protected granite, it clocked in at about 9+. P2 was a differnt deal a loose yet fun 10a chimney we dubbed the Hall of Hollows:

 

 

 

We rapped from the top of p2, stoked on an adventerous and fun first day in the range.

 

Day 2 saw us traversing onto the Blue Glacier to see if this hook-em-dook-em about the top of the 1979 Skoog/Brill line on the E face of the Main pk. falling off was really true. Well, it was, its gone.

 

 

Not wanting to waste the day, we looked to the right of the line onto the NE face to see if anything else would go. We spotted a few nice looking cracks that lead to a prominent flake breaking the headwall above. what the hell, lets do this. The climb couldn't have gone any better, splitter, mostly well-protected, onsight, and all free at 10c.

 

FA: NE Face Main Gunsight Pk. III 5.10c

Sol Wertkin and Martins Putelis

August 7, 2006

 

P1: from the moat crossing at the very bottom of the face work left on ledges and ramps to the base of two prominent hand-sized cracks to the right of the 1979 line, just left of a dark corner 5.6

 

P2: Climb the twin hand cracks to a ledge, move just right and climb wild eroded out dyke fist crack, move left, mantle, and continue via face holds to a good belay 5.10b

 

Martins getting ready to mantle:

 

 

Looking up the twin cracks from the base:

 

P3: Traverse right via prominent flake, mantle and continue up, look left around corner to perfect splitter, climb splitter to arete belay 5.10a.

 

Martins seconding P3:

 

P4. Work up thin corner on right, move left to prominent flake seen from below. Pull bulge on left-hand side of flake into mind blowing splitter in amazing position. Continue up to slab of E face and climb left via runouts to good belay on base of the SE ridge. A long pitch 5.10c

 

Beginning of P4:

 

Pulling into the splitter:

 

P5: Continue up moderate and airy ridge to summit. 5.7

 

SE ridge with Sinister in the background:

 

The next day we woke up late and climbed the unique and fun South Cannonhole Ridge on the S Gunsight Pk.

 

 

Its a super fun ridge that besides the memorable traverse is quite easy.

 

Martins starting the traverse:

 

 

Myself contemplating the Cannonhole:

 

Stoked, we bowed down to the Gunisight gods and thanked them for the great time.

 

 

Gear Notes:

NE Face: Glacier gear, double set of cams to #3,one #4. Double ropes.

Cannonhole ridge: single set to #3, nuts, single rope.

 

Approach Notes:

just pm if you really want this stuff.

[Farrgo]

Awesome job Sol, sounds like a great trip. Nice send.

[DanielHarro]

What a trip guys!! Nice job and thanks for sharing...

[goatboy]

Great TR and nice photos -- thanks! What rating would you give the cannonhole ridge? How long did it take?

 

Thanks

[dberdinka]

Well ain't that the shit!

[Sol]

Great TR and nice photos -- thanks! What rating would you give the cannonhole ridge? How long did it take?

 

Thanks

The cannonhole ridge is awesome, an area classic for sure. As far as ratings go, its mostly about 5.2. But, the memorable traverse goes at about 5.8. But its not like push your limits trying to lead this 5.8; its a good pitch of 5.8 for solid 5.10 climbers. It only takes a short half day from an area bivy.

[John Frieh]

Great work you guys! Tasty granite... huh!?!

 

The correct crack system through the roof on the second pitch of Nelson's route was very difficult for us to identify also. The one that ended up working for us was on the climbers left... you can see a good photo of it in the 4th photo down in Blake's TR here:

 

Did you guys walk across the top of the cannonhole? Sweet little ridge route... huh? Hey Blake: So much for it going unrepeated for 20 years

 

Great TR and nice photos -- thanks! What rating would you give the cannonhole ridge? How long did it take?

 

Goatboy: Blake and I rated the ridge 5.8 and encountered very similar terrain to what Frosty is describing. A small disclaimer though is as one can bypass some of the towers on either side the potential for finding harder terrain exists. It took us a few hours from the notch (where you bivyed on your sinister attempt). Fun climb!

 

Great TR you guys! Nice pics!

[Blake]

Way cool! John, maybe we'll have to try and 2nd Ascent their middle summit route after they repeated the south ridge/cannonhole.

 

Sol... what would you rate that first part of the W. Face?

Did you hop on the South ridge at that fun little 5.7ish right facing dihedral on the far left?

 

The cannonhole ridge is awesome, an area classic for sure.

[Sol]

John: yep, walked (stemmed, leaped) right over the ol' cannonhole, exciting. we belayed near the top of that last gendarme right before one would make a descending traverse to the last notch. i hate to break it to ya guys but we cleaned a bit of tat off that last gendarme, it would have been easily missed from a low traverse. proabaly not the 1st ascent. its so damn obvious i imagine the ridge was climbed years ago.

 

Blake: we went to the blizzard/gunsight col and just started climbing up the crest: CANNONHOLE RIDGE COMPLETE.

 

About the W face. on p2, when the cracks seamed out did ya just move left via unprotected face to the cracks near the arete? how was the face climbing? Ya know i printed out your trip report but forgot to bring it with us. too bad, cuz it proabaly would have helped. we started the first pitch directly above y'alls cairn right up the corner. whoops. stout 9+, with nests of tcu, hybrid aliens, and brass nuts. basically i stemmed carefully for about 20 ft to my last high piece, then i ekked my way up and right on hollow dirty flakes for 20 more ft before it ramped up to good pro and good, though hollow, hand cracks to the belay 5.9+ R/X. after looking at y'alls TR I realize that Blake started just right of the corner, that seems a bit more reasonable. it was proably the sketchy start combined with the surprisingly dirty, seamy, and gritty rock that prompted our retreat. stoked to train harder and head back there next summer, we're figuring about 11c/d to free over the roof. it'll be sick.

[John Frieh]

i hate to break it to ya guys but we cleaned a bit of tat off that last gendarme, it would have been easily missed from a low traverse. proabaly not the 1st ascent. its so damn obvious i imagine the ridge was climbed years ago.

 

First Recorded Ascent

 

About the W face. on p2, when the cracks seamed out did ya just move left via unprotected face to the cracks near the arete?

 

Yup

 

how was the face climbing?

 

Hard. Especially since we had none of these:

 

tcu, hybrid aliens, and brass nuts

 

we're figuring about 11c/d to free over the roof

 

Wait till you get to pitch 4

[Blake]

Did you see any of the three bolts Nelson/Dietrich placed on the face climbing in the general area about 60m up near where those cracks jump left below the roof? We never saw any and I looked really carefully.

 

stoked to train harder and head back there next summer, we're figuring about 11c/d to free over the roof. it'll be sick.

 

Hit me up in B-Ham this winter and I can give you as much info regarding freeing the line as I can recall.

[Alpinfox]

Wow.

 

This is my favorite trip report I've read in a while.

 

 

 

and regarding this:

I hope you aren't an editor of an outdoor magazine.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Nice work, guys!

 

It was good to meet you two on Itswoot Ridge.

[Weekend_Climberz]

That's a great looking area. Awesome photos and great TR

[Sol]

Nice work, guys!

 

It was good to meet you two on Itswoot Ridge.

 

nice to meet you too tom, how's your 100 highest bid going?

 

blake: no we did not find a single trace of Nelson's bolts? where the f#$% are they?

[Tom_Sjolseth]

I'm at 90 as of Tuesday. I've pretty much been going nonstop since I saw you guys on Dome.

[curtveld]

the 1979 Skoog/Brill line on the E face of the Main pk. falling off was really true.

Bummer about the loss of the Skoog/Brill

 

Way to put up a new classic to motivate us procrastinators