Marsupials

[skyclimb]

Has anyone done the west face or the cave route on Brogan Spire? How is the rock quality, route finding, grade accuracy, and descent? Thanks

[fern]

poor easy soft rappel

[skyclimb]

which route?

[corvallisclimb]

went over there to get on the cave route, there was a really slow party on so we backed off. the rock quality on the first pitch seemed okay. and the whole route i guess is bolted now, one of the guys i was going to do it with had done it before. it recives a 4 star rating in the book before it was bolted so it should be pretty good

[iain]

The cave route is a fun diversion. There are maybe one or two moves on the first pitch then it is a staircase. The rappel down is a little awkward. Not sure if you are supposed to rap the route, but that's what we did. There is an offshot to the cave route that heads right after the first "pitch". It is about as easy, and there are a ton of bolts. This goes up to the Tail or the Opossum. It's a fun romp. There are also some juggy routes to the left of the Cave start. There's a 5.11, and two 5.10s if I remember right. All well-bolted.

[Ireneo_Funes]

Brogan's Spire is easy, but fun. A good place to take new climbers who want to do a multi-pitch.

 

If there's a crowd on the Cave Route, I recommend taking the variation that Iain mentioned (the bolt line that goes to the right after the first pitch). 2 pitches will get you to the top of the Opossum. Rap down and scramble up the Tail, then rap down to the bench below Brogan Spire. Climb Brogan Spire. The descent is straightforward: rap down from the top of Brogan to the bench, then down the gully to the cave, walk down to the top of the first pitch, rap to the ground. You'll need a 60m to get down the gully. You might need to do a double rope rap to get down from the Tail to the bench (this is what we did but a single 60 might have reached). You won't need much gear besides QDs, but a couple cams might be nice for the last pitch up the spire (and a couple small stoppers for the 2nd pitch if you do the regular Cave Route).

 

Have a good time.

[skyclimb]

Right On! Thanks

[iain]

I don't remember needing any gear on that climb. On the contrary, I felt it was getting tedious clipping all the bolts and started skipping them to avoid insufferable rope drag. Maybe I'm not thinking of the same thing.

[texplorer]

You can also do the "best 5.4 in the park." The hardest moves are off the ground and then solo up to a spot (stretch the 60m rope) where you can hip belay. From there head over to the cave and climb up the bolts.

[skyclimb]

I was wondering about that south buttress, great advise. Basically I am trying to put together a nice solo course for Sundays, when I can only climb for 4-5 hours. Looking at doing Round River, West Buttress on Brogan, South Buttress on Brogan, Cave Route, and finally the right hand Tail line. Seems like a good course, but I gotta get some other feautres in there. I believe there are some good climbs just south of brogan that have cruiser lines, any beta on solid climbs 5.5 or lower?

[Ireneo_Funes]

I don't remember needing any gear on that climb. On the contrary, I felt it was getting tedious clipping all the bolts and started skipping them to avoid insufferable rope drag. Maybe I'm not thinking of the same thing.

 

I think there's 2 ways to do the 2nd pitch. The way I've done it is to go up the gully from the cave to the bench. I think there's a couple bolts in the gully, but I put in one or 2 stoppers too. I think there's also a bolt line that goes up left from the cave to the base of the spire -- maybe that's the way you did Pitch 2, Iain?

[iain]

Sure sounds like it.

[Dru]

hey skyclimb run out to squaw rock and do the spiral route! good fun, watch out for cougars and the Nagual.

[foraker]

I guess it's not a thread about wallabies....

[skyclimb]

Good call Dru, Gotta get the Motavation to get all the way up there, but when I do, GAME ON. Spiral looks sweet

[Dru]

When I did it I had a copy of "Journey to Ixtlan" with me. Good for sitting out a rainstorm in the cave at the base with.

[texplorer]

I didn't know "Journey to Ixtlan" had any translations into Canadian. Maybe Dru is a good translator.

[fgw]

Cave rt. has about 30 feet of 5.6 face right off deck and rest is mostly a 4th-5.0 scramble.

West f. of brogan has a low 5th class move out of the Mini Half Dome - Brogan notch and then quickly becomes 4th class. Rock is good on both routes.

 

Do the Marsupial Traverse (Lawson's booklet) but if you're gonna solo, do an alternative start to top out on Mudpile like Carla The Stripper (rated 5.8 but realistically .7 face, solid rock). Rest of traverse is easy (couple mandatory rap's unless you downclimb .8 though) except for a section of bad rock on Tail or Oppossum (get those confused - one right after Brogan).

 

Other areas:

Backside of Monument or Little 3FJ I think has a "good" 5.2 solo route acc. to Watts but have not done it.

 

Hike up w. side of smith group and can do low 5th scrambles up Platform and Arrowpoint (one of these has really sh..ty rock, I would not want to downclimb that one; bring short rope for rap off; other one has mandatory downclimb).

 

Easy lines in Staender's ridge tend to be loose IMO.

[skyclimb]

Thanks for all your posts. Some promising stuff out there.....

[jlag]

Hey Nick, call me on these "Sunday solo's". I've been all over out in the 'Supes and would love to go play around. Delerium Tremens is the best route out there.