Tieton Questions

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Was thinking about heading over to tieton this weekend for the first time. From seattle, what is the best way to get there? Also, rumor has it that the grades are a little stiff there. What does this mean? (Stiff compared to vantage, index, leavenworth, etc). Any reccomended routes in the 5.10b or less sport range and 5.8-5.9 or less trad range? Also, where is the best camping in the area? Finally, is the weather well predicted by the Yakima forecast, or is there usually a better indicator. Is the weather better or worse than Vantage and/or Leavenworth in general. Thanks.

[catbirdseat]

The ratings are stiff compared to Vantage, but not compared to Index, or so they say. If you go to Royal Columns, be sure to get your Wildlife Access parking sticker.

 

The way I go is I-90, I-82 to Yakima and then take 410 to Naches then 12 to the Tieton.

 

Weather is usually better than Leavenworth but worse than Vantage, but not always.

 

Windy Corner Campground is a place to car camp, but there is a free place I can tell you about if you want.

Edited April 7, 2005 by catbirdseat

[chucK]

I've only been to "The Bend" area:

 

Ed's Jam (8), Salmon Song (10a), and Pure Joy (10c) are excellent (Pure Joy is easy to toprope).

 

Peace, Love and Rope (8) and Cruel Harvest (8) are also good.

 

Lot's of other good-looking stuff there (back then it was mostly crack climbs, maybe it's changed now).

[Peter_Puget]

Weather is usually better than Leavenworth but worse than Vantage, but not always.

On those very foggy Vantage days, the south facing slopes of the Tieton are often bathed in sunlight.

[MCash]

The Jam Exam and Inca Roads are both nice 5.9 cracks at the Royal Columns. They are similar in difficulty to the 10A cracks at Vantage, and the 5.9 cracks in 11worth I've done. Orange Sunshine is really nice. It is only 5.9, until the last 20 feet, which is 10B, but is easy to toprope if you don't want to lead it. There are lots of easier routes to warm up on like Mush Maker and X Factor.

[Kfoxpnw]

Don't bother, place sucks, Choss Piles glaore

[sobo]

CBS gave you the beta for driving. Others addressed the ratings.

 

All the campgrounds are still closed, but if you head up the White Pass highway a little ways past Moon Rocks, and cross the first (decked) bridge (brown one) over the river, take the next (dirt) road to the left (south). If you cross the second (truss) bridge (tan or green, I don't remember now), yuo've gone too far. Just drive that dirt road a ways and it will put you on the river shore across from the highway and there's a bazillion pull-out spots along the road with fire pits and stuff. Besides that area, anyplace off the main highway will have places to throw down tents, bags, etc. and start a fire. Larry the Tool won't bug you.

 

Weather in Yakima is a pretty good barometer, but in the spring there can be showers/T-storms that come down the canyon that Yakima will never see. The weather systems are much more similar once we're into summer and fall. All in all, wetter than Vantage, drier than Leavenworth.

 

The routes: OMFG, your questions have answers unbounded! There are so many different areas that cater to so many different types and grades of climbs, the list would almost never end. If you haven't already done so, get a hold of a copy of the new Y/F guide. They did a great job with that guide, and rated the quality of routes really well. Anything in there with 3 stars or more is a must-do.

 

Lastly, check out this recent thread.

[cman]

what sobo said, get the new guide book. i think there about 20 different areas in the tieton river valley, trad sport multi-pitch. i usually pick a place and climb there for the day. royal columns is the most popular. i have heard that lava point has the best sport climbing, but have yet to go.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

I grabbed the book last night. Looks like Royal Columns has a lot of fun easy-moderate cracks. We'll definitely spend one day there. Sometimes my fiance gets sick of crack climbing and is looking for some moderate face climbing (<5.9). It looks like RC and the Bends have mostly traditional routes at the lower grades. Any recommended places to make a day or half a day of easier face climbing, possibly still mixed in with some fun crack climbing.

[sobo]

...Any recommended places to make a day or half a day of easier face climbing, possibly still mixed in with some fun crack climbing.

 

I think your best bet for that kind of a day would be at Windy Point Columns, but know that the routes are really short, like 25-30 feet or so. Cracks between the columns, bolts on the faces of them. Just go walking around and climb what looks good to you and the missus.

[Jopa]

...Any recommended places to make a day or half a day of easier face climbing, possibly still mixed in with some fun crack climbing.

 

I think your best bet for that kind of a day would be at Windy Point Columns, but know that the routes are really short, like 25-30 feet or so. Cracks between the columns, bolts on the faces of them. Just go walking around and climb what looks good to you and the missus.

 

I would suggest the Cave. Short bolted routes with some cracks in between. Recreational Jugs (5.7) is a fun warm up.

[sobo]

...Any recommended places to make a day or half a day of easier face climbing, possibly still mixed in with some fun crack climbing.

 

I think your best bet for that kind of a day would be at Windy Point Columns, but know that the routes are really short, like 25-30 feet or so. Cracks between the columns, bolts on the faces of them. Just go walking around and climb what looks good to you and the missus.

 

I would suggest the Cave. Short bolted routes with some cracks in between. Recreational Jugs (5.7) is a fun warm up.

 

Not to quibble, but there must be almost 50 established routes for the three walls at The Cave. Subtracting the "projects" results in a total of probably 45 or so rated routes. Trogdor is looking for a place with face climbs rated at less than 5.9 (see his "<5.9" comment above) for his fiance'. There are only about five climbs rated at less than 5.9 in this area, and two of them are cracks, so this leaves only Children of a Lesser Chaos (8), Age of Consent (8), and Recreational Jugs (7) as viable face climbs for her.

 

Three short climbs is a pretty quick day, but maybe that's what Trogdor is looking for. I still think they might find a lot more to occupy them at WPC, as I said earlier. YMMV.

[catbirdseat]

I suggest the Oasis. It has a half a dozen or so easier sport climbs in the 5.7 to 5.9 range.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

After waking up saturday with the effects of a bad dinner friday, neither my fiance or me were feeling like climbing. We lounged around the house until about 2PM, then decided to drive over to Tieton and camp (PS avoid the temptation to drive over white pass as a late start "scenic drive"), then climb just one day. Ended up spending the whole day a Royal Columns. Met two of our good friends there, and saw two other parties up there all day (hard to beleive it is the most popular area there). Stuck to easy crack climbs all day, and found the climbing to be very enjoyable. I would highly recommend RC for anybody just learning to crack climb, or anybody looking to take some first time crack climbers, climbing. The grades did feel stout, but not unreasonable. In an older post, many people were praising the utility of Hexes as pro at RC. While my Hexes haven't made it on to my craggin rack for Leavenworth since I doubled up most of my cams, I was very happy to have them in Tieton. In many situations, Hexes were more bomber, and faster to place than cams. I felt that BD cams placed slightly easier than DMMs in the edgy cracks, but nothing compared to the hexes. I started the day leaving the Hexes on the ground, then slowly added 1 or 2 hand sized pieces, then ended the last few climbs toting my whole set. I will definitely have to try and get back out to Tieton again 1 or 2 more times this spring. Thanks for all the input from everyone, next time we will make sure to check out some more of the areas.

[gyselinck]

I have always gone to Tieton and just climbed random stuff. Never really new what the routes were or the rattings. I just bought the guide book and its sweet. Got it for 20 dollars at Jerrols Books in Ellensburg, rather then at REI where they sell it for 26 dollars.

[gyselinck]

My climbing partner is going to die next time I see him. He always claimed that he knew all these routes, so we would walk up to a crack and he would be like, "Craig, do this one, its only a 5.9." So I would struggle and wine my way to the top and think about the major stiff rattings this place has. Well, I am now looking through the guide and all these "5.9" climbs are rated 5.10c and such. Now I don't feel like such an idiot. Come to think of it, he does this stuff a lot. The other week in Vantage he told me to climb and easy 10a crack. After the fourth time of me falling on the crux, he laughs and tells me its an 11. Some good friends I got.

 

At first I wasent to sure of this Tieton place, but I am starting to like it the more I go there. I am going to start going there a lot I think. Cool place.

[tomtom]

I would highly recommend RC for anybody just learning to crack climb, or anybody looking to take some first time crack climbers, climbing. The grades did feel stout, but not unreasonable. In an older post, many people were praising the utility of Hexes as pro at RC. While my Hexes haven't made it on to my craggin rack for Leavenworth since I doubled up most of my cams, I was very happy to have them in Tieton. In many situations, Hexes were more bomber, and faster to place than cams. I felt that BD cams placed slightly easier than DMMs in the edgy cracks, but nothing compared to the hexes. I started the day leaving the Hexes on the ground, then slowly added 1 or 2 hand sized pieces, then ended the last few climbs toting my whole set.

Yup. Climb a route at Royal Columns yesterday wishing I had a *double* rack of hexes.

[sobo]

..."Craig, do this one, its only a 5.9." So I would struggle and wine my way to the top and think about the major stiff rattings this place has. Well, I am now looking through the guide and all these "5.9" climbs are rated 5.10c and such. ..

 

Ahhh, yes. The time-honored climbing tradition known as "sandbagging", traditionally reserved for n00b leaders or out-of-town guests. We've all done it, or at least had it done to us.

 

"I remember my first trad lead. It was at the New River Gorge..." (voice trails off and uncontrolled nervous ticking ensues)

[RuMR]

Fantasy???

[sobo]

Fantasy???

 

Seriously, Rudy, it was! It was either Zig or Zag at the Bridge Buttress (I don't remember which exactly; it was 20 years ago), a 5.9 single-pitch trad lead. My partner had convinced me that it was only 5.6. Yikes!