[TR] Lexington Tower- East Face Route~pitch link beta yo 7/14/2004

[MarkAllen]

Climb: Lexington Tower-East Face Route~pitch link beta yo

 

Date of Climb: 7/14/2004

 

Trip Report:

Lexington East Face Route III 5.9

Ok folks here is some beta from Tom Smiths and mine last climb on Lexington that will speed up your climb and enhance the quality of your experience. Here is some lagistical beta on gear and linking pitches. " You sending the wolf?"

 

TOPOS

The two topos Tom and I used were from the Becky and Nelsons Selected. The Becky topo is more useful for describing the nature of the up coming cracks (corners, off widths, ect) but the Nelson topo is much kinder for on route route finding. Use both.

 

ICE AXES, PACKS, OR NEITHER

Tom and I had a nice crock of noon start. We began the route at the toe of the buttress instead of going up the snow gully. The combination of a late and direct start allowed us not to bring an axe. Bringing an axe would force you to rap the route unless going over, carrying the axe through the chimney is possible but highly laborious. Moral, go light, no axe. Only one complication comes when bringing a small pack. The chimney on pitch 6 is a royal ass pain with a pack. Going light and caring water and shoes on harness not bringing a pack can resolve this. Yet a small pack can be hauled by the lead belay through the chimney. The belayer at the top of pitch 6 with a 60m can lower just enough rope to the chimney to acquire the pack from the second after the second has climbed past the bolted off width section off the 5th belay.

 

8 PITCHES or 5 LINK (60m)

*Nelsons PITCH 1-2

We began the route at the toe on top of a small pedestal (the Right dashed line on the Nelson topo). We stretched the rope out 60m and began to simul and finished the simul a nice small ledge with a tree after 250ft. The Spiciest climbing is right of the deck for the first 20ft (2 star spicy) This puts you at the top of the second pitch on the Nelson topo. This is recommended. This adds a good pitch of juggy face climbing to your route.

*Nelsons PITCH 3

I hope you got this pitch because this 180ft corner system can be linked easily with minimal rope drag on the stellar hand crack freeway. The key is running out the treed ledged past slings to the 5.8 crack system (at the top of Nelsons pitch 2) and using long slings on your first several pieces in the 5.8 corner on pitch 4.Take it up to the slings at the horn belay.

*Nelsons PITCH 4-5

These are described as the crux pitches. More appropriate the most interesting and not the hardest. These can be linked in an 180ft pitch. The key to this pitch is location of gear and long slings. Place no gear near or in the corner of first roof above the 5.8 corner. Hesitate gear near the lip of the corner. Now use our longest slings on the pieces after the lip and under the main roof. Here you will recognize the classic image of the East Face Chimney. This is where the guidebook photos are deceptive. You don’t or rather can’t go through the chimney. Rather you take the most bitchen 15ft hand traverse over the Abyss on good gear (with long slings). Climb to the corner and up the recessed lie back corner/flake up to the sling belay below off width. (3 star spicy)

*Nelsons PITCH 6

Off width and chimney to off width. It seams that the gearless chimney is easiest with your back to the North.

*Nelson Pitch 7-8

60m rope just gets you exactly to the top of the pitch 8.

 

From here you can simul climb the spine of the remaining ridge on the right around the tower and then left to the “Island Panicle and make a short 50ft rap to the gully shared by North Early.

 

A recommendation for a link up following this climb would be anything on the West side of t he South or North Spires.

~NW corner

~West Face

~SW buttress of S. (Which has a new direct 10b (Goldie/Butler 04’) crack start which links with the pitch two 5.8 wide crack.

 

Happy hunting and good luck. Send.

 

~MA

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

standard rack to 4" doubles in hands and fingers, small cams are good

long slings

[Szyjakowski]

call me beyotch~

[MCash]

Very interesting, thanks. I'm thinking of heading up this route soon. To top out on Lexington you have to rap to the south gulley then climb back up via the south face route right? Is there no direct way to topout?

[Uncle_Tricky]

The hand traverse option below the first big roof sounds like fun. I did the foot traverse there, tho it make placing a an ankle height piece to keep me out of the corner an awkward and balancy exercise in creative yogic contortions. Thanks for the link up beta.