Beta for Exfoliation Dome routes

[jawon]

Anyone got any beta or opinions to share other than what's already on the web? Particularly on the blueberry hill side of exfoliation dome. And to be even more specific, the "dark rhythm" route.

 

Been on green giant and 3 o'clock several times, but haven't ventured anywhere else in darrington. So how do the approaches, climbs, and descents compare?

[Alpinfox]

 

David Whitelaw and Dave Burdick published a nice guidebook (on CD) called "Rattle and Slime".

 

Matt Perkins has a good website.

[dbb]

Link to the guide's web page page.

 

You can order it from the above webpage or find the it at Feathered Friends, Pro Mountain Sports, or Marmot.

 

There's a sample of a locator image on that page that also details Dark Rhythm, The West Buttress, and Westward Ho! (left to right).

 

Most routes are good ones equipped with chain belays (though no chains on W. Butt) so head up and explore. If you don't go to the summit on any of the routes you can rap down and do another like Westward Ho! or the W. Butt.

 

Exfo Dome

[mattp]

The approach to Blueberry Hill is more straight forward than going to Green Giant -- you'll walk a couple hundred yards up a stoney wash and then scramble a thousand feet up slabs with a couple of short diversions into the bushes on the left. It'll take about an hour.

 

Dark Rhythm, too, is more "straight forward" than Dreamer. Once you find the start, it is not hard to follow the route and there is good pro or a bolt near any hard moves. It is not an easy rappel route, though, because there are several very diagonal pitches and some rope snagging issues.

 

The pitches above the blueberry terrace, to the summit of the Dome, are well worth it in my opinion. From the top, the best descent is to rap the West Slabs to Westward Ho, and the rope snagging on the first three or four raps can be minimized by doing single rope rappels (there is one that does not have an ancor within the 30 meters of a half-rope but you can easily walk down to the next rap point).

 

Dark Rhythm is an excellent climb. For more variety of climbing styles and terrain, check out Rainman and Jacob's Ladder. For more trad, and moderate, try the West Buttress.

 

TOPO

[chucK]

Dark Rhythym is a "pretty good" route in terms of climbing. Basically 8 pitches, 1 of which is extremely good, 4 are are pretty good, and 3 get you where you're going. You can skip the last two ho-hum one's and rap if you don't particularly care about getting to the summit of Exfoliation Dome.

 

The approach is a bit more work than 3 O'Clock Rock, but it's also pretty fun. Padding up a big long slab. At the end of the day, in the sun, though it can be quite tedious.

 

Rain Man is a more interesting than Dark Rhythym, and a bit more difficult. I think DR has a more difficult crux, but Rain Man has more sustained difficulties. It's got cracks, roofs, corners and of course, slabs. RM has 3 "very good" pitches sandwhiched by two ho-hums. Rain Man is good to do second route of the day (i.e. after you are well warmed up) as it has a totally bogus tendon-trasher move right off the ground, on a pitch that has no other difficulties (or avoid that pitch with the 5.5 alt, which I've never tried).

 

If you've been to the summit already rap from the junction of DR and RM.

 

Jacob's Ladder is good too, but more difficult to find. Check it out. One good way to get to Jacob's Ladder is to climb one of the above routes to Blueberry Terrace, then find the rap stations for JL and rap on in. Stations are at the far N end of the terrace. Make sure you really know what you're doing with this approach though. Sounds like a good way to epic/get killed for someone without a good amount of experience.

Edited August 5, 2004 by chucK

[dberdinka]

The approach is sweet, almost all on slab! Shouldn't take much longer than the hike to 3 o'clock rock. Bring some beers to stash in the pools part way up.

 

IMHO

 

Dark Rythmn is a good but not great route as it lacks variety, just lots of slab padding.

 

Rain Man is excellent with jamming, laybacking, roofs and slab.

 

Jacobs Ladder is even better. Longer with all the above and some genuine face climbing. The 11c pitch is easily french-freed making the route 10b C0

 

Westerward Ho is an abomination.

 

Descent is involved the first time you do it.

 

Have fun.