scott_johnston

Bob; No offense taken. I was just teasing about the walker. Steve loves to make fun of my various age and abuse related injuries. We have an inside "walker" joke. To paraphrase Mark Twain: Rumors of my climbing demise are greatly exagerated. I try to get out there from time to time. Re: That chimney up and left of the first belay looks really wild, quite Scotish. Looks like a tight fit though. It was all I could do to keep Steve from climbing that way. But I wanted to do the regular route first since neither us had been on it before. And it was my lead so I took off before he could persuaded me to grovel and scare myself in the chimney. Glad I did as we had a blast on the route. Sorry to hear about your foot. All the Best, Scott

Mike; Highway's open so access is easy again. The conditions for alpine climbing right now are in transition. We had a fair bit of snow in the last 10 days and not much sunshine to settle the snow pack. A few freeze/thaw cycles will improve things greatly. But at least it looks pretty much like a normal April above 5000' and not the barren desert landscape that we had a month ago. Scott

Climb: Cuthroat Peak-east couloir Date of Climb: 4/8/2005 Trip Report: After seeing to great photos posted of Polish Bob on their climb of the E couloir I couldn't resist. Steve House and I climbed it this morning and found great conditions. We left the car at 7:15am on skis. Left our skis at the avy cone at 9:00. The lower gully isn't too bad of a wallow. The ice on the crux (2nd) pitch is fat and no harder than WI3 right now. We soloed up the first pitch (WI3+) which was a bit sketchy. The ice here was great but there were several spindrift avys that hit us. After that we belayed the next pitch and sure enough I got nailed by a fair sized avy near the top. The section from the top of the steep ice in the gully to the ridge we simulclimbed. It is fun with some ice steps and solid neve otherwise and gear placements are available. Most of the loose snow should be gone now and the route is definitely worth doing but avy conditions could persist in warm weather. We topped out on the N ridge at 11am. We descended the N ridge to the notch which was great fun. Very Alaska like with all the cornices and firm snow on a, in places, very narrow ridge. We rapped off the cornice at the notch and walked back to our skis by 12:30. Skiiing out was a major pain as the snow had turned a combination of mush and breakable crust. A great day out on a fun route. I highly recommend it in these conditions. Bob: I had a little trouble getting my walker up the crux pitch but managed. Gear Notes: 60m rope For the climb: 5 ice screws small rack from stoppers to #3 Camalot 4 knife blades 4 lost arrows Approach Notes: Skis or snow shoes advised. The snow is not firm enough to walk on yet. I'd recommend the descent of the N ridge like we did to save a traverse of the mountain and allow you to pick up any gear/skis stashed at the base of the route. Dodging spindrift avys on P2 Steve Going for the N ridge ]http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/upload/449449-stevebelaying.jpg' alt='449449-stevebelaying.jpg'> Steve belaying on P2

Bob; I was just going off of what the guide book said. It seemed stout but controlably doable (and very fun with a top rope) to me. Steve hiked it with some fairly sketchy gear in places. I have only been on three M7 rated pitches in my life so I am no real judge. Whaddya mean glad to hear I'm climbing!! I may be old but I ain't done in yet. As long as I can get my walker to the base of the route I usually do OK. Take care, Scott

Boys: I can attest to virtually all of Colin's affore mentioned exploits (except, alas, his near onsight/redpoint of the van load of girls) while he vacationed in the frozen north. He and Freddie had the locals talking. While I didn't get to climb with him I did have the pleasure of contributing to the delinquency of a (near) minor. Colin; you have to learn to sip that $60 Scotch, boy! We shared the gracious comforts of Chez Blanchard for several nights. While Freddie and Colin were on Nemesis. Steve and I were climbing at the other end of the Stanley headwall on French Reality (is that an oxymoron or what?) I have attached a photo of The Boy Wonder (Steve that is) on Pitch 2 (M7) of FR. Steve and I tried A-Strain a few days after Colin and Freddie. Perhaps due to our age and being a bit wiser (or maybe just bigger wuses) we bailed at the schrund in the face of -30C temps and high winds which were making the route a spindrift hell. We had hoped to take advantage of the youths' hard work of clearing out the snow mushrooms...but alas my toes are still numb. Good work Colin on a great trip. Steve and I even went back to the A-Strain a few days later but didn't get farther then the parking lot at 2AM due to very high winds. Instead we wisely retreated to bed and arose late to climb Curtain Call which was in great shape according to locals. Afterward SH and I climbed in K-Country on very wet, almost falling down, ice that wouldn't take screws. The alpine climbs were not in good shape in general due to unsettled weather. I would echo Colins observations that the ice may stay good onthe N aspects and deep clefts especially up near the Ice Fields. The good news is the the skiing at Rogers Pass on the way home was as good as it was in Feb! Scott Steve on P2 of French Reality

Jim: I just had another thought form an inclusion into Vol II. W ridge of Paisano below Buragndy Spire. The Red Fred gives a very cursory description and does not do the climb justice. I has about 7 pitches of moderate 5th class rock from 5.6-5.9 on very good rock. Steve H and I trimmed up some of the offending shrubbery a few years ago. Great position. A better route than N Face of Burg. But when combined, these two routes make for a great long day and make the approach much more worthwhile. I highly recommend it. Scott

Mike; compared to the two routes you mentioned Gato is a veritable trade route now. I personally know of 5 1/2 ascents to date. All of them faster and I'm sure in better style than Larry's and my FA. And now with the new and improved second & third pitches (edited this summer) so you don't have to do the scary 5.8 corner grovel.......well,what can I say. I personally do not have photos of the crux pitch. We didn't take a camera; light and fast and all that. Besides I was too busy trying to not fall out of it. Anyody else? Jim; Hury and get that book in print. Someone stole my copy and I need another. Scott

Miller; You are right. I just tried to look at the topo on the NCMG site and couldn't. I'll have to have our webmistress check it out. In the meantime: I posted a TR on this route in the N Cascades TR section earlier this summer. Cn't recall when but I would think you could search that forum. Hope that helps. Scott under the name le Petit Cheval or Spontenaity Arete.

Were you one the two big rope teams on the Quien Sabe Glacier Saturday? No, I was with one person. The big group(s) was an AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) Alpine Guides 10 day training course.

TJD; I have to confess to being pretty confused by your posts and I am not sure what part of my "story " you don't buy. The part where there may be alternative motivations than your own for people to hire a guide or seek instruction? I don't think I ever impuned your "mountaining" skills. Seems like you and I completely agree that it is the individual's experience that counts in climbing. One person's adventure can easily be another's walk in the park. And by the way; we don't sell the mugs and t-shirts, we give them away. Spliffy: You are right; we were doing some jugging/big wall logistics instruction that day on Sisyphus. More a skills thing that an adverture to be sure. Larry and I did originally set out to bolt Sisyphus as a long moderate route that the guides and others could use when weather at WA pass didn't allow climbing up there. It turned out to be a bit harder than planned but we have climbed it with stronger clients and all have enjoyed it. The "guide route" (Sponenaity Arete) you refer to is on le Petit Cheval just W of Blackhorse Point at the mouth of Willow Ck (ref. Burdo). Park at mp165 on hwy 20 to find the trail. The topo is available on the www.ncmountainguides.com web site. I also posted it as a TR earlier this summer. It is a worthy moderate route and avoids the jam ups on the popular routes at the pass. We have guided it but it is by no means private property. rbw1966; Yes we spoke in BB on Labor Day w.e. Hope you found some dryness later and that the beta helped. Nice to meet you. Ever notice how you meet the nicest folks in the mountains? Scott

I am sure you have given a lot of thought to your comment and that every single time you go climbing it is an adventure. Believe it or not: Not everyone is looking for an adventure when they climb or hire a guide to climb with. Perhaps they are looking to improve their skills. Perhaps they are looking to climb a route that they other wise would not be comfortable leading for the pure joy of the experience. Perhaps they are in need of a competant partner and don't have time to play the dating game. There are many reasons why people climb and many reasons why they hire a guide. Scott Johnston

Mike; I like your idea and wil be happy to support it with any beta I can provide from the Maz or WA Pa areas. Did you see my revised topo for Gato Negro after I re-routed the second pitch earlier this summer? It now is a nice .10ish face rather than the 5.8 thrash from before. Good luck, Scott

I think that this is a useful discussion for this board. We climb in an area that saw early development before the current wilderness and anti bolting ethic was so pervasive. Back in the day what usually limited bolting was the shear effort of placing one. Hence we have a bunch of old 1/4 inchers out there. Many of these were placed by true pioneers and some we may want to preserve as a testament to the pioneering spirit that opened many of the alpine routes we enjoy so much today. Most were placed for aid or emergerncy rap stations when no other option presented itself with no thought to future climbers who now 40-50 years later recoil in horror at these rusted puny relics. Here are a few examples that I am very familiar with and how I have chosen to view them. 1) SW rib on SEW spire. I guide this route often and love it. On about the 7th pitch (depending on how you do the route) there is a 1/4 incher with an aluminum hanger next to a bottoming rounded crack on a 5.5 area (see Red Fred for topo). I used to contemplate replacing it with a new 3/8" but on further consideration have opted to leave it. It was probably placed by the FA party and enabled them to create what, I at least, consder to be one of the best routes at WA pass for its grade. Their protection options in 1964 would have been limited to pitons which would have made a very shakey piece of pro in this rounded, wide, bottoming crack. Today a 2" inch cam offfers a solid piece for the leader . The bolt gives a little historical perspective to the climb and I would encourage everyone who passes it to respect what went before rather than think they are "cleaning up the mountains" by removing it. 2)Likewise for the summit of Chanti Spire (and other spires in the WA pass area). There is dicey, unprotected 5.7 boulder problem to stand on the actual summit. It is likely that Joe Hieb and Art Maki placed the one 1/4" bolt and home made hanger there in 1952 after making the first ascent of what was then a minor peak in a very remote area just so that they could "safetly" rap off the top rather than do the exposed down climb (maybe ever wearing Tricouni nailed boots). How many of us would have to gumption to hike from the head of the Twisp river road over two passes, pioneer a new route with primative gear in bold style and then rap off a single 1/4" bolt? Those guys deserve our respect and this bolt should be left as a memorial to them. Today anyone who has climbed Chianti wearing modern sticky rubber can certainly down climb the summit block in resonable safety. It is all too easy to develop a myopic view when viewing historical events because we can only compare them to our own experiences which in this case include power drills, fat bolts, and mostly the huge influence of sport climbing. 3)Direct E Butt of SEW spire; The old aid ladders that were laboriously bolted were made up of hastily (as hastily as can be done) placed 1/4" bolts. Again, this effort allowed the first ascensionists (Beckey and Leen) to create what has become one of the classic high quality free climbing test pieces of the area. Someone replaced a strategic number of these aid bolts with a few 3/8" modern bolts. Now these pitches are regularly done free making this route what it has become: A classic and a true memorial to the FA party rather than some obscure or forgotten A0 line. In my world this was a good and judicious use of retro bolting. 4)Tooth and Claw on Lexington tower was a bold ground up climb by gifted climbers. The bolts on it were placed on lead and hence in convenient spots not really needed spots. The bolts on the first pitch are of dubious quality making the leader contemplate very insecure and sustained 5.11 friction 30-40' out from very questionable pro with the pitch ending at ledge with a shakey bush for an anchor. Sounds inviting doesn't it? This really is a fine route but I would bet we could count the number of ascents it has had in the intervening 15 years and have a few toes left over. But just maybe it should be left as a testament to the boldness of the FA party. Sadly half of that party is now dead and can't be consulted. I bring up these few examples mainly to get people to think creatively and critically about this issue. Many of you know of other climbs and bolts or lack of bolts, some subtle and some blatant. It ain't as black and white as I have heard bantered around on this board. Each climb deserves careful attention with regard to the history, safety and future use. I for one encourage discussion of this topic. Resectfully, Scott Johnston

Michael; Sorry that Paul and I (and 3 clients) totally monopolized Sisyphus yesterday. The guiding life can be strange sometimes. Thanks for your understanding anyway and I'm sorry you couldn't find Restless Native. It is a very worthwhile climb. You were SO warm you were almost hot. And our directions may have done more harm than good. Anyway here is another atttempt minus the decibels. First locate the Goats Beard (ice climb) water streaks. They eminate from the group of largest trees on the main upper ledge. This is a pretty obvious and helpfull landmark. Follow those streaks down to the base of the wall. Notice that there is a bunch of greenery in the scree here due to the regular water course. In fact the poison ivy that guards the base of the route must be negotiated carefully to avoid conatamination of your person or the rope when you flake it out. At the apex of this greenery is a short vertical step (actually has a bit of a bulgy start) of rock leading to a 70 degree slab. The first couple of bolts can be seen on this short (15' step) It is not obvious because it looks slimy and down sloping. Most of the time the water is running well left (20') of the first pitch but in spring the lower parts will be wet. You disappeared from view as you got near the top of the screen/greenery but you must have been really close. The upper pitches looked a bit wet yestery day but the lower 5 pitches are great and you can still back off with one rope. Hope this is helpful. Scott PS; If we can get that lazy SOB Burdo to get his ass back over here we can get the rap route done so that you only need one rope for the full climb. Bryan: If you read this, stop messing around on those silly west side projects. We have work to do. HOpe

Fred; I have climbed the SW face of Kanga Temple a few times. It would be a good idea to revise the topo and description in the next edition of your guide book. Here is what I have seen. Pitch 1: I have only done the direct start variation as it seems logical if scary. First this prich is 230' which necesitates some simulclimbing. Not a huge deal since by then the leader has been able to get to a crack that takes some gear and the first 50' of the slab is easy going for the second. But....the middle of the slab climbing is way run out. Ala Toulomne meadows circa 1976! There is NO pro till one gets to a big eyebrow overlap 100' up on 5.7-5.8. Then thanks to Paul Butler there is a nice 3/8" bolt to help protect the crux but you are still maybe 15'-30' out on real friction till you get to anything you can call a hold. I'd call these moves 5.9 in the real world. Then it runs out again 60'-80' at 5.6-5.7 to a sorta crumbly crack that leads to the sandy ledge shown on your topo pg 308. No decent possibilities for achors till the ledge. This is old school climbing! This pitch give you a taste of what is to come as pro is not plentiful on this route. Pitch 2: Should show a 5.8 OW as it is not a hand crack. It is 4+". Well protected where you need it. Pitch 3: You can not reach the tree shown on topo as the belay for 3. With a 60m rope you have to set up a belay in the chimney. Not the most comfy but it is solid and safe. Pitch 4; The chimney is not 4th class. Not hard so call it 5.6 but definitely not 4th class. There is a two bolt anchor at the semi hanging belay at the end of 4. Thanks Paul! Pitch 5: This part of the topo is OK but call the squeeze 5.8. The topo is mis labled here. According to the description you come into a cave for the belay which is correct but this is not the Gallery; it is higher. So remove Gallery from the topo on P5. The 5.8 cracks and loosness is for real here with that crumbly orange rock on the crux, poorly protected lie back. Not easy to get pro on this pitch. Pitch 6: Traverse around corner to bolt or pin with tatty slings. Not sure why the FA needed to rap here as this is some of the best rock and easiest climbing on the route. The chimney above is easy (5.5 not 5.7) but unprotected as I recall. This ledge has the Gallery as it has a hole that passes through to the other side. You belay right in the mouth of the Gallery not below it as the topo shows. The tree is the best anchor as there is a lot of loose rock around. From there on the topo is fine. Overall this is somewhat contrived and unaesthetic route. It also is a handfull for a grade III 5.8 climb compared to say the SW rib on SEW. Good luck on your revision work. Thanks for doing this. I haven't see you since we climbed the Early Morning Couloir on N Sister in OR 15 years ago. Scott Johnston

Rat; The fixed ropes are on the approach. They aleviate the need to rope up for short sections. They also speed up the descent through the scruffy and loose cliff bands. Most climbers won't need them but some will be glad they are there especially if you are come down during a hail and rain storm. Scott

Climb: Pica Peak near Wa Pass-ENE ridge aka Blue Buttress Date of Climb: 7/20/2003 Trip Report: In keeping with my motivation to steer folks onto some other high quality routes in the WApa area here is some more route beta for a fun moderate climb. Poster Peak is the local name for a small but distinct rock peak (7565ft) located 1.5km ESE of Blue peak. Beckey calls this Pica so for clarity I will too. When viewed from the hairpin turn on Hwy 20 below the EW spires this peak shows as an attractive symetric peak at the far south end of the flatish ridge extending toward Kangaroo Pass from Blue peak. Beckey makes a somewhat obscure reference to what seems to be this peak in the red book on page 313 hidden in a description of Copper peak. He lists two routes; the NE and SE ridges. In fact the SE ridge is actually facing ENE. The NE ridge is a decent climb but somewhat mixed rock quality and variable in its difficulty. I recommend the ENE ridge which is the one described here. When viewed from the hairpin turn it shows as the obvious left hand skyline. Climb the ridge staying on the crest as much as possible. instead of tackling the toe of theb butt head on which yields some poor rock; walk left around the toe untill it is possible to traverse back right on easy ledges to the ridge crest. From there you will find about 8-10 pitches of 4th to mid 5th class climbing on generally good rock. The butt steepens near the top and gives better climbing for the last couple of pitches at around 5.5-5.6 but the whole thing is a fun romp on a pretty mountain. Just look for the cleanest line and go! Descent is a walk off to the S to the notch and down the easy east side gully and bowl back to the base of the route. Couldn't be more user friendly. Again, I hate to disappoint all of you who aspire to climb the S arete on SEW spire but this is a way better route (being cleaner and more sustained) and you won't be standing in line or having other parties trundling on to you. So if the Blue Lake parking lot is full and you can be sure that the S arete and the Beckey route on Lib Bell will be crowded you might as well try something different. It has easy route finding, good pro when you need it, convenient belay spots. All in all a great beginer alpine route. Beckey's obscure reference claims a 1973 ascent of the SE ridge which must be this route. The climb is locally known as Blue Buttress and for clarity I have kept that name since Beckey shows no name and mislabeled the direction. Gear Notes: Standard rack to 3". 45-60m rope will work fine. Approach Notes: Park at the hairpin pull out below SEW spire. Find trail to Kangaroo Pass that generally follows the right (W) side of the valley. By keeping Pica Peak in view you can see the approach to the ENE ridge untill just below it as steeper ground may obscure the view. Leave the trail and scramble up and S till directly under the toe of the Butt. Beware that the first ridge toe you come to will be the NE ridge and it is a bit lower and N of the objective ridge. Keep going till the ENE ridge comes into view. Should take 45min -1 hour from hairpin. NOTE: The NE ridge is steep at the bottom and has some scary loose down sloppy 5.8 climbing protected only by a few fixed pins. After that pitch it is very easy for a long way with 2-3 fun pitches at the top. Over all Blue Buttress is a much more aesthetic climb. So start exploring some of the other fun possibilities out there. Scott Johnston North Cascades Mountain Guides

Climb: Le Petit Cheval near WA pass-Spontaneity Arete Date of Climb: 6/2004 Trip Report: With summer season in full swing at WApa the routes can get awfully crowded and in some cases downright dangerous. This can be especially true on the easy to moderate routes where folks looking to learn about mulitpitch rock climbes can create real jambs for both themselves and other parties. While I don't want to deter folks from choosing some of the fine classic lines among the spires I would like to suggest that there are a number of other great climbs in the area that can provide a fun climbing experience without the clusterf**k that we have all seen when too many folks try to climb one route. Here is some beta for a new route that has already seen about 10 ascents and has gotten good reviews. It has an easy approach: ~1 hour for a strong party, Simple and safe descent, goes to its own summit and offers great views of all the big peaks in the WApa area. A few weeks ago while Larry and I were headed up to climb the E Butt on SEW spire we commented on the nice looking line on one of the three prominent buttresses at the north end of Kangaroo ridge opposite Mile Post 165. Turns out we had both been scoping this thing for a couple of years, so totally SPONTANEOUSLY (get the connection) we changed plans and went exploring. What we ended up finding was a line that is; fun, moderate, safe, good to very good rock (for the N Cascades) and good views. The sense of commitment is limited since one can bail out to the descent gully in several places. The attached topo should give a pretty good sense of where to go but basically this is an arete climb and one should stick pretty much to the ridge except where you want to obviously follow better rock slightly right or left of the crest. This climb will give novice leaders a fun time out with great pro and solid rock. There are comfy belay ledges, conveniently spaced. The cruxy sections are never desperate and fairly short. Much more of a rock climb than the S Arete on SEW spire. So if you want to avoid the crowds check it out. The climb follows the WSW buttress of the Eastern most of the 3 prominent rock out croppings that grace the N end of northward extension of Kangaroo ridge. Do not confuse with what Bryan Burdo calls Black Horse which faces E, more into Willow creek, and contains two decidedly unworhty climbs. These rocks are around the end of the ridge to the W and face Hwy 20 head on. Beckey refers to Black Horse as White Horse on p292 of the Red Book. In keeping with the horsey theme but adding a bit of an international flavor we chose Petit Cheval for the name of the crag. We found no sign of previous ascent. Gear Notes: Standard rack to 3.5 inches. Single 60m rope Approach Notes: Park at MP 165 on Hwy 20 where there is a big pullout. Park at the W (uphill) end of this large pullout. Find the trail dropping steeply down the bank and into the highest stand of big timber. Follow the trail across EW creek at a log jamb and up to brushy cliffs below the crag. The trail is well defined. There are two sections of fixed rope to help for short tough spots. Descent can by either rappelling the route which is equipped with sling anchors or doing one 80' rap into the gully to the S and scrambling down this. Either way will you bring back to the base of the route. Untill early July the gully will have snow and may require an axe and/or boots.

MVS; Gad you liked Pisano. Locals have long thought that it was one of the hidden gems of the area. Your combining of it with the N face of Burgandy is to be highly recommended. That combo makes the tedious hike much more worthwhile and offers up a great alpine route at a moderate standard. Perhaps when the various esteemed guidebook authors are doing their various revisions this route will get the notoriety it deserves. Beckey's red book gives it only a casual mention that is not likely to inspire many folks. As your photos show; the rock quality is excellent and the position is superb. The trim job that was done on it and other routes in the WA pass area are courtesy of several locals who wish to remain anonomous. Stay tuned for some more WA pass moderate info. Scott

Back in the day I used to use exactly the stuff that Dru is recommending. I felt I was really on to some cutting edge fashion and function rather than army surplus wool. The stuff worked pretty well. My favs were made by Lifa of Norway for Cross Country Ski racing. In fact I made the 3rd ascent and first alpine style ascent of Ama Dablam wearing a one piece knicker ski suit. I'll see if I can dig up some photos. But....I have to tell you this new soft shell tech stuff by Schoeller, Patagonia and others is way better. But you look a lot more like Euro trash in th eold Addidas suit. Scott

I love Air Cinder Cones. I guide in them all the time and have worn through several pair. Two summers ago I walked into the Winds in mine and then discovered that I had forgotten my rock shoes!!! I spent a week climbing up to easy 5.10 in them and then walked back out. Best all around shoe I have ever had. Really beat the Sportiva Boulder hands down. Even better than my old Kronhoeffers from 1973. Sadly I think Nike may have discontinued them so snag a pair if you find them. Scott

Guys; I am not sure I am helping but I have tried to attach another photo from the approach to the W face of SS. The black line indicates pretty closely the location of Gato Negro. If you look hard you can just make out that the Whine Spire is a seperate summit standing out from the main W face massif. The blue line on Uncle Tricky's photo actually shows the route going off of the Whine spire and crossing the descent gully and climbing more or less up the main W summit block (non of which it does). I think his error is just do to the merging of all the features in the photo and hence loosing track of where the route would have to go. I admit to sometimes having a hard time picking it out. The original photo I posted shows the Whine Spire outlined by the descent gully. That is why I used it, although it is certainly not the view you get while approaching. How do you guys get a photo included in the actual post? When I attach mine they come up as a link or some such and don't show with my text. Thanks, Scott

I am trying to attach a photo of the W face of SS here to make more clear where the route and Whine spire are hope it helps. Kevin; Thanks for the input I think you'll find the new P2-3 WORTHY of the rest of the route. Rat; Those must have been your tracks we saw in the snow at the base of the route. Sorry you didn't wait a few days to climb it in its new state. You make an interesting point when replying to Kevin's question about ratings especially P4. Larry and I will not be offended to hear people's opinion of the rating. It is not cast in stone. As you pointed out; onsight pionneering is very different than having fore knowledge of what lies ahead on a route: Can I down climb this if I can't do the moves? Do I have enough gear left? Is the a spot for a belay somewhere above? We didn't have a very big rack on that climb and P4 was full value climbing as Larry leap frogged gear up the wide cracks. One climbs with a good deal more circumspection when leading out into uncharted terrain. I think it best to let concensus dictate what the true rating is so subsequent climbers of the route can help with feedback in this area. We just wanted to present our initial rating impressions to give an overall feel for the topo and not sandbag anyone. If we were going to publisize the climb we wanted to do it in a realistic way. Hope you enjoyed the climb. Same goes for Sisyphus on Goat Wall A climb Larry and I put up a few years ago. In the last two years the crux pitch has become much cleaner and hence may be ready to be down graded. We'll wait for more input. That is a perfect use for a forum like this. Scott

There are not established belay/rap stations on several pitches so you would have to construct something and leave it if you chose to rap back down the route. I have not done the route in a couple of years but have climbed it a few times and as I recall only the first 5.11 pitch has an established anchor all the others you will have to build yourelf. You will be faster to go over the top and descend the S arete.

Climb: W Face of Silver Star-Gato Negro revisited and revised Date of Climb: 6/20/2004 Trip Report: After three years to the day I returned to Gato Negro on the W face of the W summit of Silver Star to do some route editing. Larry Goldie and I had originally put this route up in a long, adventurous day with no previous experience on this huge face. It was just the kind of climbing experience we both really value. We simply followed the most logical line of weakness to the top of the Whine Spire which is a seperate summit standing away from the broad W face of SS, located below and to the S of the Wine Spire group. The route had given us everything we had sought and in retrospect we felt it was one of the better long routes in the WA Pass area so we decided to publicize the route. Except that we were not happy about the 2nd and 3rd pitches. We had been forced to climb some typical WA PA crappy, loose corners that went at scary 5.8 (you know the stuff, think of the S face of Kangaroo Temple, a true WAPA classic) to get around a nice looking but unprotectable face. So yesterday I returned with Chris Clark (while Larry was pulling down at Skaha) and heavy packs to see if we could climb that clean face and create two pitches that were of the same quality and caliber as the rest of the route. The bad news is that it took all day in the hot sun and my hands are still sore from climbing and reclimbing and cleaning of the options so many times. The good news is that there are now 2 new pitches the make the original pitches 2 and 3 obsolete. The route has seen some traffic in the last couple of years. Thanks Kevin (aka Bobby Peru) and others for the positive feedback. I still feel it offers a rare experience around WA Pass area; a solid and sustained long free climb on generally very good rock with several fantastic pitches and, in its new revied edition, no crappy climbing. So if you have been waiting to get on Gato Negro, wait no more. Kevin, I recommend another climb of it now. I think you would love it. From the sandy bench at the top of the first pitch you'll find a line of bolts going up the large face above. The face looks unlikley from below but offers up some really fun climbing. It is well protected to avoid a ground fall but then the bolts become more sportily spaced on moderate (5.8) climbing. The crux of the P2 is now a 5.10 mantle onto a hollow flake then some thin moves to nice ledge with a 2 bolt anchor. P3 steps left 20' with 5.7 lieback moves to a fun 5.7 corner to aledge and th ebase of the crux pitch on the route. I have attached a revised topo and a photo of the whole W face of the SS massif. Go have an adventure. Scott