Juno Tower - Clean Break

[Colin]

Any of you guys done this route? Is there any useful beta I should know other than what the Beckey guide tells?

[dberdinka]

Just to add my $0.02. All the 5.10 pitches are very nice, unfortunately the quality of the rest of the route leaves something to be desired. The final pitch "wild crack" is all of 20' long.

 

It's a great climb but definitely not the ***** classic is been made out to be. In the same area Rebel Yell is more exciting/quality route, though obviously not as long.

[forrest_m]

I posted a trip report on this very website, way back in the very first days:

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000007

 

Fun route, but as has been mentioned, nowhere near being a grade V.

[Dru]

here is a trip report (not mine though)

 

[ 06-04-2002, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: Dru ]

[Matt_Anderson]

I got on it a couple of years back - There's also a description in Burdo's North Cascade's book - I think its more complete that Beckey's.

 

We got cought in a blizzard and hustled to the top, so we bypassed the reputedly sweet last pitch. No problem getting there, but be careful on the way back:

 

We never did find a convenient way off, wound up traversing and rappelling over to the col to return to our packs. There's no mention of such tomfoolery in the descriptions, so I assume we missed the good way. I'd put some effort into finding beta on the descent (I guess if you keep your packs with you, you can just descend down to the switch back . . .)

 

Also wound up traversing to much scree on the lower part of the trail, thinking we were to low, when we were actually to high.

 

We did it in a looong day (like 24 hours) but it could be far more reasonable sans snow and sans descent routefinding issues.

 

Very nice route, didn't see another person all day (hmmm. . . maybe because we were climbing in a blizzard).

 

Routefinding on the rock itself was fine. The first pitch is painfully obvious. From memory, there's some pitch (mabe the fourth) where you neeed to traverse over to some LOOOOONNNG double cracks. My partner and I disagreed vehemently: I wanted to go to the left (the traverse) , he wanted to go straight up. I won the argument because he was unwilling to give me a strong tug and pull me off the lead , which I told him was the only way I was going his direction. Turns out the traverse was the right thing to do.

 

As with all NC's routes, the routefinding at the top is a whole lot of doesn't matter where you go, just head up and you'll find a crack or ledge.

 

Have fun - post a report!

 

matt

[scott]

colin

random memories of clean break.

clean break is long, but maybe not grade v. more like grade iv. the rock gets kind of bad at the end. the first four pitches are great. there is some routefinding problems-- you move right around pitch four when you come to a top of a block and are face with a left leaning seam that looks like it could be a decent crack. it isn't-- move right. all of the harder pitches have good rock. you can use a0 and do it at 10-. i seem to recall needing a number three cam for a 10- fist crack.

we were never "on-route" at the top- we moved too far left or something-- the rock was getting bad and we just took the path of least resistance.

you could do it in a day, but it is more fun to hike in one evening and bivy then leave the next evening-- we did it that way and made it back just before dark.

on the second pitch- don't go into that corner on the left with the offwidth at the top (no matter how attractive it seems at the time...not) instead climb the face to the right and go over the little roof. the first pitch does not stay hard all the way although it looks like it does. sorry to ruin your onsight. it was a good route.

 

[Juan]

Colin:

 

Check out the description in Alan Kearney's new book. Marmot carries it.

 

Have fun, and I trust you'll not be soloing this one!

 

Juan