Prussik South Face: How many "new routes"?

[jordop]

http://www28.brinkster.com/mspagnut/prussik_arete.asp

 

I've heard of a lot of "new" routes on this aspect. Is this one really distinct from all the other ones? Anyobdy care to comment? (Yeah and, uh, Grade IV for 7 pitches )

[jordop]

Lokks like I killed the link somehow Here's the deal:

 

S. Face Prussik 5.10+ (IV)

 

M.Spagnut, K.Lang,

Sept 2003 Summary:

 

A probable new route was completed on Prussik Peak in the Enchantment Lakes area. Most select guidebooks refer to the 1962 Beckey route or the 1969 Stanley-Burgner route as highly rated climbs. In all likelihood, the new route could be a modern classic given its continuous 5.10 difficulty and exposure. Our party followed crack systems near the obvious arete on the left side of Prussik's South face.

 

Description:

 

(5.10+) Start in a large corner to the right of the obvious arete. Climb steep parallel cracks on the corner's right wall. Thin hand jams and lieback moves lead to overhanging section. Move right around corner edge to avoid difficulty. Easier right facing corner above leads to comfortable belay.

(5.9) Scamble 4th class past two pine trees to a chimney. Move right into a right-facing corner. Exit left onto belay ledge at the top of the chimney.

(5.10) Climb thin right-facing corner. Occasional chickenheads provide convenient stances. Cruxy lieback moves make things interesting. 25m

(5.10) Climb overhanging hand cracks on the right wall of a large corner system. Move past flakes to a small stance. 25m

(5.10) Ascend a steep left-facing corner. Cruxy near near the belay ledge as angle steepens considerably.

(5.10) Lieback a shallow left facing corner 10m. Difficult mantle onto a blank slab followed by an awkward stance. Traverse right around arete to a sloping ledge. Short overhanging corner on large face holds gives way to hand cracks and flakes. Belay on the leftside of a large ledge.

(5.10) Re-set belay beneath huge left-facing corner. Climb steep corner to overhanging finish. Offwidth section can be readily liebacked.

 

 

 

[erik]

already been done

 

 

[Alex]

jordop said:

I've heard of a lot of "new" routes on this aspect. Is this one really distinct from all the other ones? Anyobdy care to comment? (Yeah and, uh, Grade IV for 7 pitches )

 

I think there is alot of room for new routes on this face, and yes they can be very distinct from each other. I also don't think Grade IV is unreasonable for a 7 pitch route if every pitch is pretty hard. Colchuck Balanced Rock and Hyperspace come to mind. Spagnut seems to have done his fair share of hard routes, why doubt it?

 

As to whether this is a new route, no idea, maybe erik has more info. The second pitch is surely the same as whats described as p3 on Stanley Burgner, and is classically rated 5.8. It sounds like the last pitch is also the same as the last pitch on Stanley Burgner, in which case it would be a solid 10b or so.

 

Alex

 

Here is a pic, you can look for yourself

 

[matt_warfield]

Well, the Burgner-Stanley route also climbs very close to the left arete and the topo in places doesn't indicate

much separation of the new route from that route. In particular, the large left facing dihedral of the last pitch also

contains the last pitch of B-S.

 

The front cover of (I think) the Metolius catalog also shows climbers on Prusik, somewhere left around the corner from the S. Face arete

on a "new" route. Anybody know anything about that?

[erik]

the west face of prussik has two or three routes that i know of.

 

the lady godiva route..which is kearny's route that wanders all over the face....and eventually tops out on the west ridge

 

the joust splits the roofs that the canyucks spray about. tho it tackles the kitty litter overhanging face from a bottomed out crack into an o/w. the o/w is still awaiting a free ascent.

 

you will need some lumber or a couple of #5...we are thinking of putting micro up there and slingning him as an intermediate belay.

 

spunknut and homies are about 4 years too late to snag their line!

 

 

[erik]

and personlly i would consider prussik a crag once you are in there.

 

but i think all climbs are crag routes....

 

i am jaded!

 

[j_b]

jordop said:

http://www28.brinkster.com/mspagnut/prussik_arete.asp

 

I've heard of a lot of "new" routes on this aspect. Is this one really distinct from all the other ones? Anyobdy care to comment? (Yeah and, uh, Grade IV for 7 pitches )

 

i believe (if reading the description right) i have done the first and last pitch of this. although we did go through the overhanging section on the first pitch. i have posted details of the remaining pitches in a previous thread.

 

anyhow, it sounds like a great climb

[Cpt.Caveman]

I know of at least 5 routes on the face there.

 

Eric has named a few. But not all I think.

 

I certainly think there is room for more independent lines. I am not certain where this route supposedly goes but I understand that Mr Spagnut has done some mountain climbing a little.

 

However to claim a new route on the face depicted in this vicinity might require a little more research before it might be accepted as fact considering the number of people that scale this rock face each year and many that don't report them all the time.

[mattp]

Indeed, Cavey: its a popular place. I believe Dave Morales, for one, has done at least one unreported line that very closely follows if not duplicates that reported by Spagnut. I also think Alan Karney may have done a climb there as well. Perhaps it is exactly this kind of confusion that is leading Lowell Skoog to propose a Cascade climbing journal.

[Cairns]

Bryan Burdo did a 2 pitch variation on the South Face which he called Prussik Pussyfoot. From a big ledge midway, up a face and traverse right to a corner, up the corner to join the usual last pitch.

 

That was about '84.

 

Someone also drew this line (attachment) incomplete at the time but looked good on paper.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Cairns said:

Bryan Burdo did a 2 pitch variation on the South Face which he called Prussik Pussyfoot. From a big ledge midway, up a face and traverse right to a corner, up the corner to join the usual last pitch.

 

That was about '84.

 

Someone also drew this line (attachment) incomplete at the time but looked good on paper.

 

Cairns part of that line and maybe all of it are what Erik refers to as the Joust.

 

I know some people on this site Szjykowski and cappellini have been on it numerous times. I dont recall if cappellini finished it but I was up there one time on the mtn with cappellini not on this route and there was some looking going on about the last 200 feet.

 

It was discovered to be a large shallow offwidth that may go at a high standard of free climbing. It was mentioned that pitons in small cracks could have been the best pro.

 

I have not talked to him about it since then but he may have sent it or let one his partners finish it up.

Edited October 10, 2003 by Cpt.Caveman

[jordop]

Cairns said:

Bryan Burdo did a 2 pitch variation on the South Face which he called Prussik Pussyfoot. From a big ledge midway, up a face and traverse right to a corner, up the corner to join the usual last pitch.

 

That was about '84.

 

Someone also drew this line (attachment) incomplete at the time but looked good on paper.

 

This is almost the exact same line as the topo Spagnut has on his site. See the topo link on the link I posted. So there are what now, THREE "routes" on this arete? [tried posting an image of Spagnut's photo, but it won't link]

Edited October 10, 2003 by jordop

[Cpt.Caveman]

jordop said:

Cairns said:

Bryan Burdo did a 2 pitch variation on the South Face which he called Prussik Pussyfoot. From a big ledge midway, up a face and traverse right to a corner, up the corner to join the usual last pitch.

 

That was about '84.

 

Someone also drew this line (attachment) incomplete at the time but looked good on paper.

 

This is almost the exact same line as the topo Spagnut has on his site. See the topo link on the link I posted. So there are what now, THREE "routes" on this arete? [tried posting an image of Spagnut's photo, but it won't link]

 

That line avoids the upper section that I mentioned having the shallow offwidth and stuff (including where the face steepens and climbing is more direct and difficult).

 

Some of the lower to mid sections have certainly been done in past and some bolts pitons etc are in place to my knowledge the lower sections left (steeper rock).

 

I think that also Mr Kearny has been up in there poking around and has a route near or on some of this. I cant verify since I dont know him.

 

I have edited my remarks and included the link Jordon entered after taking a closer look at http://www28.brinkster.com/mspagnut/img/prussik_arete_topo.jpg

 

 

Edited October 10, 2003 by Cpt.Caveman

[Szyjakowski]

first of all not to be pickey but, Prusik is not in the North Cascades

 

the line that Spagnut and Lang climbed definitely shares the last pitch of B-S...some of their pitches look like nice freshies....the metolius catatlog pics features the Lady Godiva (kearny) cracks; from what i know of the location to the route based on an old R&I magazine......as for the Joust...it is the line to the west (left) of their crack system. "The offwidth awaits a free ascent"- NO been done on tr (cappellini)...but the face climbing (AID) to the OW is rotten kittylitter and the incipitent cracks don't like pitons...so there is about 40 ft or so yet to be done.....ALSO there are three bolts on the route...which Took multiple trips to get in... due to broken bits, bent bits, bent bolts and the fact that prusik is very very dense granodiorite and HATES bolts!

SFace of Prusik is definitely one of the nicer faces in the range....

[wayne]

Back in 88 I did a new route on the s face. I never write my news into Becky or aaj until now, < It goes through the roofs on the left:

 

Solid Gold IV-5.11b

Edited October 11, 2003 by wayne1112

[Cpt.Caveman]

wayne1112 said:

Back in 88 I did a new route on the s face. I never write my news into Becky or aaj until now, < It goes through the roofs on the left:

 

Solid Gold VI-5.11b

 

I am guessing? VI is a typo of IV.

 

This includes more information. It is not detailed at all but provides a base to investigate the :new routes" and where they go. My guess is that most are not independent of one another.

 

-RB

[wayne]

Thanks CVy. I shortend the climb to IV. This rt is pretty independant too.

[jordop]

Szyjakowski said:

first of all not to be pickey but, Prusik is not in the North Cascades

 

Yer right, my bad, didn't really look Moderator please move Not only that, but I spelled it wrong too We are talking about the same Prusik though right? The one in Wyoming

[layton]

I live in a giant bucket.

 

 

 

 

Gene Pires and I climbed a new route on Prussik too. Can't say exactly where it goes, but pretty much it follows the crappiest line up until it meets w/the burger/stanley after several dirt chimney pitches. "Crap Shitfuck dirtanus blowsnot" 5.dirt+

You can stop the presses.

 

Besides my classic line, someone should try and sort this out and make a topo cuz it sounds pretty messy as FA's go, but with some NICE sounding variations. Jordon, you've never been there but I'm sure you could do it with a map and some alchohol.

 

p.s. feel free to moderate and remove this post.

[Cpt.Caveman]

wayne1112 said:

Thanks CVy. I shortend the climb to IV. This rt is pretty independant too.

 

Cool.

 

Well some more research should be done to verify where all routes go.

 

My guess is that it will eventually be more online controversial than it will finalize in a book.

 

Wayne according to your rating I am sure I dont know of your route or where it goes.

 

If we had a damn nice shot overlying with proposed routes it could be easier to identify where people climb. Prusik is way more ready than Cathedral Peak in a totaly route overlay or topo in the Beckey Book. I am sure it sees more traffic as well.

 

 

In fact it is a sub alpine crag of beauty.

 

-RB

[forrest_m]

this is just the kind of thing that would be a perfect article in the Cascade Alpine Journal - someone could research all the history of routes and try to piece together a comprehensive topo of the s. face.

 

just a thought.

[jordop]

forrest_m said:

this is just the kind of thing that would be a perfect article in the Cascade Alpine Journal - someone could research all the history of routes and try to piece together a comprehensive topo of the s. face.

 

just a thought.

Sounds good. Get to it!