punk_rocker333

Thanks for the compliments. Wish I could make it up there again before the summer is out. September is the best time to be up there.

Trip: Chimney Rock - Several Date: 7/17/2010 Trip Report: I am usually too impatient to write trip reports but due to a recovering broken leg and continuous nostalgia from a great weekend I've decided to write a TR for mine and John's trip to Chimney Rock. I drove in on Friday night from the Priest Lake side with plans to meet John and Amanda at their camp on the west side of Chimney on Saturday morning (they came in a day earlier). The road seemed rougher than normal up high and I parked at the final switch back and slept. Next morning, I hiked over the Roothaan Saddle and down snow and rock to John and Amanda's camp in a wet little meadow just below the scree on Chimney's west side. I set up camp as a small rainstorm moved through and got us wet for about ten minutes, a sign of the weather to come later that day. We made our way to the sunny east face and started on Canary Legs, a high quality layback and jam crack that is a great warm-up for the rest of the routes on the east face. John led and Amanda and I top roped. Climbing on the east face was difficult due to the heat, so we made our way to the west face to get in some shorter pitches in the shade. We scrambled up the rappel chimney and climbed Twin Cracks, located on the wall left of West Side Girls. John and Amanda gave me the lead on this one. John and I went to check out the routes on Prow Ledge and were amazed by the amazingly clean lines Lord Greystroke, Magnum Force, and White Lightning. While on the ledge we noted the strong winds and looked to the west. We bailed to camp and waited out a three hour rain storm with the four of us (John and Amanda's dog Cooper was there too) crammed in their tent. The storm ceased at about 7, just in time to cook dinner, and we were greeted with a beautiful sunset and a clear night. Amanda and Cooper had to leave early Sunday morning to head back to work in Sandpoint so the next two days John and I climbed. At least 3 parties were already on the face climbing the standard and rappel chimney routes, who we chatted with as we racked up. We began the day on the west face with Scuffin' Up, a physical and rarely climbed route that John did in one long pitch. The crux involves "scuffin up" an insecure slot with a ledge right below you to keep in mind. John made quick work of the climb and set me up to climb Fun Roof, an awesome crack with a slightly loose start and an extremely exposed position. I highly recommend this pitch but make sure you put in lots of pro for the second and make sure they know how to ascend in the event of a fall. We rappelled the South nose exit down to the chain anchor on the final pitch of Cooper Hiser. Here we made one long rappel down to Prow Ledge. We both wanted to climb Magnum Force but neither of us had the cajones’ to lead so we top roped the route. It starts at 4 inches and only gets wider. The layback at the bottom is wide with glass smooth feet. A crack switch brings you to a squeeze chimney finish that is protected by one (new) bolt. The route is physical, very high quality and would be a bold lead without large pro. We pulled the rope and walked to the left side of the ledge to Lord Greystroke. I racked up for the 40 foot pitch and was instantly greeted with flaring ring locks, strenuous laybacking and difficult feet. Although I ended up failing greatly on the onsight, the crack is easily aided and John and I had a great time top roping the route. Hopefully next time I’ll climb clean. After a lunch break we made our way to the east face to climb East Face Direct, a great two pitch route that parallels Cooper-Hiser and ends on a bolted ledge. John led the first pitch, a combination of crack and face climbing with great protection, very unique for Chimney Rock. I got the second pitch which starts as overhanging thin hands, leads to an awesome crack switch to an arching 4 inch layback. A jug greeted me as my forearms tired, and a final layback led to Cooper Hiser, which required some spooky down climbing to reach the anchors. This was my favorite pitch of the weekend, highly recommended. We rapped and made our way back to camp, spent from several pitches of jamming and laybacking. Our last route of the weekend (Monday actually) was Free Friends, the highly acclaimed three pitch line on the east face. I led the first pitch, a strenuous layback that led to moderate face climbing and a large ledge. Jon led the second, most definitely the money pitch of the route which involved even more sustained laybacking in an awesome 140 feet. I got the last short pitch to the summit where we signed the register and patted each other on the back before rapping the west face just as the cold and rain moved in. A short and slightly wet hike out led us to the car and a couple of tall Miller High Lifes a piece. It seems that everyone who goes to Chimney Rock climbs either the standard route or the rappel chimney, with the occasional climb of Cooper Hiser on the east face. If you make your way up there give some of the other routes a try. They are undoubtedly among the highest quality rock climbs in the Northwest and crowds are never a problem. Gear Notes: Set of nuts, double set of cams with two 4-inch pieces being useful for Free Friends and a bunch of double length draws. Bivi gear for the camping on the west side, bug spray. Approach Notes: Priest Lake is shorter but a rougher drive. Pack River road is a longer hike but much more accessible for Sandpoint folks. Check out the North Idaho guidebook by Thad Laird for info.

Is the Sherpa Couloir descent doable right now?

Did you descend the Sherpa Coulair on Stuart? How are the snow conditions in it?

Thanks for the beta and pictures. The big question is whether this thing will have too much snow in the second week of June to be rock climbed. Anybody have any ideas on Conditions in the Enchantments? I want to do Prussik as well as Dragontail peak.

I am not sure yet if any of my local climbing partners are going to be able to come to the Enchantments this June with me so I figured I would ask here and see if anyone is interested. I would like to do the following routes: Outer Space/Orbit on Snow Creek Wall (both routes in a day) South Face of Prusik Peak Backbone Ridge on Dragontail I am planning on spending a week in the area so I am open to other climbs as well. Possibly Midnight Rock if the bird closure isn't in effect. I would like to go in the first or second week of June so I don't have to bother with the permit system if I wanted to stay the night in the back country. I am solid on most any style of climbing up to hard 5.10 and like to climb fast on terrain below 5.8 (simul or solo). I would like to climb with someone of similar abilities with experience on alpine rock. PM me if you are interested in climbing. thanks, Earl

Wow, so much beta. I guess I should go back to GM and do the last pitch. I ended up doing the last pitch of Heart of the Country instead, it looked too good. Will probably end up bringing the old 5 camalot and leaving the others depending on my partner. I feel pretty confident on wide 5.9 so we'll see how much the rack gets stripped down the night before after a few beers. Thanks for the info.

I am planning on climbing this route this summer and was wondering what size of gear I should bring for the offwidth. Can I get by with a 4 C4 and a 5 friend or should I bring up the old #5 Camalot too?

I found a pair of Gore Tex gloves at the Feathers camping area at Frenchman Coulee. Message me to identify.

I've been wanting to check this spot out. Think there will be any ice left by this weekend? It's getting warm.

Good info. A boot guide would be nice.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have only been ice climbing once so I am very new to it all. Have always used BD strapons for the snow climbs I've done in the mountains. I am looking to own just one pair of boots for ice and mountain so I am leaning more towards the Nepals. I found a pretty good deal on a pair for $200. Will compare these to the Lowas and keep whichever fits best.

What is your street shoe size vs Nepal boot size Dane?

I have an A-width heel and B-width forefoot (size 10) and am having problems finding mountain/ice boots that fit my feet well. I purchased a pair of Lowa Cristallo X-Pro's from sierra trading post: boots These seem to fit my feet very well compared to the Mad Rock Alpinists I bought originally, but I still get a small amount of heel lift when I stand on my toes (super feet help with this slightly). This worries me for front pointing. I was only able to find one review for the boot in regards to how they climb ice (not just general mountaineering use) here: review I have two questions. Does anyone have any experience with these boots for technical ice and mixed routes? Do you have any recomendations for other boots I could look at that fit narrow feet? I was looking at the La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTX. Any experience with these?

What does everyone think of the place? Is it pretty similar to the climbs at Frenchman's Coulee? I was thinking of heading there for a change of scenery and cracks sometime.