first ascent [TR] Holliway Mountain - North Face Route (aka "Scary Bear Attacks") D 5.9+ new route 08/14/2022

[lunger]

Trip: Holliway Mountain - North Face Route (aka "Scary Bear Attacks") D 5.9+ new route

Trip Date: 08/14/2022

Trip Report:

Let's start with a John Scurlock photo of this (likely) previously unclimbed face; Holliway's north face is on the left, Golden Horn background right:

Here's a shot I took from the trail:

Rolf Larson and I bring you a cautionary tale about this attractive nuisance. Our main candidates for an ascent were the two longest ribs that lead up to the two high points you see above (the true summit is on the left, and appears lower). The one on the left had a series of towers that led to the brilliant white -- and largely blank -- spike that forms the summit, while the one on the right appeared more straightforward. We kicked steps up firm snow to the footing of our preferred rib on the right. After futzing around with a difficult moat pitch, and finding a barely passable anchor poised below what looked like a difficult and very spicy next pitch, Rolf wisely downclimbed back to the snow.

This cost us 3+ hours. We wandered left on the snow to "scout", and spotted some snow leading up to easy access to the rock, below the second-best left-hand rib and just right of a garbage-chute gully. Standing on the still-hard snow, contemplating the idea of beginning the route at 11:30am, one of us asked "You wouldn't let us do something stupid, would you?". This was a stupid question directed at the wrong person. So both stupidos headed upward to scout.

Looking up; we began climbing off on the left, below the high point of the snow, where it makes a prominent triangular nose pointing right. Our false start was the furthest right high snow point. Our top-out on the sub-summit is the high point to the right of the V-notch; the true summit is the white spike on the left.

I got the first pitch (5.9+) and it was fantastic, and would be popular if it were at a crag--fun climbing with a little bit of everything on solid rock. The uphill was all downhill from there.

Rolf's second pitch (5.8?) went up a chimney that had some fun moves, but also some loose killers that he danced around. Our next several pitches took a left-hand ramp above the gully splitting the two main ribs, a couple more in/across the gully to take ramps on its right, and then we found a way to leave the gully rightward to gain the originally desired right-hand rib to the sub-summit. After pitch 2, the climbing in general wasn't too steep, but there were occasionally difficult moves; and, it was often run out and loose, requiring careful rope management. A few pitches after gaining the right-hand rib, we stood on the 7,920' sub-summit and took in the sunset. We were 9 hours on the route.

We descended to the south, hemi-circumnavigated around the east side of the mountain (via headlamp and moonlight) to get back to our packs, then thrashed down to our pleasant camp at the river, arriving at around 2am. Not that anyone will bother, but FWIW, happy to provide details for the descent -- including a plausible more direct route with daylight -- upon request.

After the first pitch, due to the loose rock and scarce anchors, bailing would at minimum be risky and costly. Future parties might enjoy exploring the many features on this corrugated face, but should bring a bolt kit and a sense of humor.

The line required 10 pitches total. Approx route:

More pics here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zTcs4kQdwBFhEdKc7

Here's the namesake bear (there's a video series of same name too, and on the approach was bear scat and a bear hunter): 

Gear Notes:
We had doubles through 2 when including tri-cams, a single 3, and pins.  Rolf used one pin at a belay. A single 70m rope.

Approach Notes:
West Fork Methow River trail, then PCT (total approx 10 miles) to camp on Methow River; then up a couple thousand feet through brush and forest

Edited August 20, 2022 by lunger
Additional gear and approach notes

[olyclimber]

do you or Rolf have a favorite?

[olyclimber]

Since out of all people on here you pretty much only do FAs, I’m just added the “item prefix” using the “first ascent” tag to the TR to make us show up in the TR listing like that.  
 

you two are my heroes and role models, but I will never aspire to your level.. “The uphill was all downhill from there.”

[Trent]

Very understated! Thanks for posting; its always good to hear about your adventures!

[rat]

Normally I wouldn't shit on such a genteel parade but Eric's route photo needs a reality check.

Yellow dots show the initial foreshortened start. I slung a barely adequate horn & down climbed. My climbing ability & risk tolerance have declined so the corner above might go for someone else. This is a reasonably sheltered start for what could be an aesthetic line. I would still advise an emergency bolt kit for the rib above since there appear to be some large gaps between cracks/seams. 

Red dots show our approx. line. The definition of poor communication (unsure on who's part): a partner who takes silence as acquiescence.

Gullies to the right/left of where we started are "maga" gullies. In contrast to Lani & Sam's "mega" gully on Whatcom Pk., "maga" gullies spew shit & idiocy. The left one did so while Eric was climbing the first pitch. After P2, Eric fortuitously declined to continue up the left hand rib & took us toward the right hand defile. Hindsight showed the left hand rib probably would have led to rotten rock above the tower in front of the summit tower, itself a massive rock scar with perched blocks. We fortunately avoided clocking one another or the rope while hugging the sides of the right defile. We escaped up the right hand rib as soon as possible.

In short, our route was an unaesthetic line on pretty crappy rock. Hopefully this info will help a future party put up a better line on the right hand rib.

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by rat
can't spell

[JasonG]

@rat with the John McLaughlin finish to the TR!

[olyclimber]

 

[wayne]

Well done yet again with that adventure! 
I’m amazed you guys still have to drive for this sort of thing after all these years! I lost mine a long time ago. Good for you though!

[olyclimber]

25 minutes ago, wayne said:

Well done yet again with that adventure! 
I’m amazed you guys still have to drive for this sort of thing after all these years! I lost mine a long time ago. Good for you though!

I saw you were passing along a few things to the next gen.  Love it Wayne!

[tanstaafl]

As Michal Stipe has taught us, "Silence means security, silence means approval."  Nice job making it home you two.

[manninjo]

Right on, looks like a worthwhile objective! How was the cross-country travel from the Methow up to the base of the face? 

[lunger]

Oly, nice find on SBA--an attack would be bad enough, but to get shoved by a bear off a tall cliff is one sporty way to go. (That narrator's deadpan matter-of-fact delivery gets me every time.)

Hey Joe, yeah there could be something to uncover there on that wall with better selection and adequate patience. The ~1400 vf brush bash up from the Methow River wasn't too bad--use the sound of the creek off to the left as a guide rail, and aim for the tongue of talus (over the creek) shown in satellite images that toes down to ~5700'.  IIRC, there's a steeper section from 5400-5600' where we meandered a little further away from the creek (rightward uphill), but unsure if the detour was necessary.  The remaining ~1000' up to the rock is straightforward talus and moraine (and snow).

I agree with Rolf's sour assessment about the route, with the exception of the first pitch, which was double great.  His colored-dot route overlays comprise a nice summary of my now superfluous route description. (Well, I guess the description was superfluous from the start, except to serve as a cautionary tale.) Gaining the right-hand rib directly and continuing could be semi-classic. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by lunger

[mountainsloth]

Wow. You guys should get someone to front the bill on a coffee table book of your FAs. It would be an entertaining collection of adventures. I’m impressed with your ability to manage the choss. You seem to have the drive to do so even with the experience and wisdom countering such decisions. My hat off to you, gentlemen.