Nelly Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 Sunday we're heading up to try the "Flycatcher" route (east buttress)on NEWS. Anyone have any beta or words of advice to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredrogers Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Nelly: Sunday we're heading up to try the "Flycatcher" route (east buttress)on NEWS. Anyone have any beta or words of advice to offer. I don't, but if you can get your hands on a copy of Burdo's N. Cascades Rock, it has a *seemingly* really good topo and route description. I've had my eye on that route for awhile. Please post a TR when you get back. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyperu Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 i have not done the route, and after living in the area for several years, the line has obviously caught my attention. last year we were gonna check it out, and it turned out that my boss at the time, geoff childs, and another local guide had headed up for the same reasons of having done most of the other lines in the area and were looking for somethin new... the burdo book does make the climb sound cool, but before we left to do it i was strongly discouraged from doing it. these two guys have amassed alot of time in the area and climbed everything from stellar to total choss, and they referred to it as one of their least favorites," i wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy" was how one put it... and frankly if youre comin over for one climb, there are sooo many other choice lines to do. i won't try to dissuade you, as they did me, but just wanted to pass this info along from some sources that know the area. also i was just there yesturday and the bugs are full- on!!! so come prepared, and have fun and an adventure if you do that route,oh and have fun if you try and descend back to your car on the hair-pin side... body armor would be good. again not trying to psyche you out, just trying help out? bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 bp, i got da same response....something about the e side of news haviing some of the worst rock in the group!>!>??!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelly Posted July 26, 2002 Author Share Posted July 26, 2002 Interesting comments. Bryan Burdo says, "the rock is generally very good." I guess one has to interpret what he means by "generally" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyperu Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 erik, yeah well it seems strange, about that east side being shitty, but what abiut the south east side, when i was up in that couloir between the spires a few years back the rock along the right side looked pretty rad and kinda steep, when i was there i was climbing snow and shit, but many times of checkin this side out from the east butt on sews, if noticed what looks to be cool features up the south and south-east corner, hmmm... the gully is free of snow now and who knows maybe theres a line to be found on that side... i've heard of none, you? also i'm sure you've checked out that rad steep north face of sews while being on news, and while youre rapping off, that route that starts right below the overhanging chockstone looked cool, if we weren't headed to a show in seattle last nite it would've been fun to hop on, have you done it or anything on that side? no of any info? oh well i seem to not be able to get that place out my dome, naw mean? bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_m Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 bobby, i dunno, have you ever done the e. buttress of NEWS? pretty shitty. lots of flaky rock, butt-cheek type cracks and wa. pass crumblies. nothing at all like the dir. e. butt. of SEWS. so i could believe that the rock is bad on the flycatcher. then again, maybe it's all a scam to keep people off of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyperu Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 nelly, first off sorry to be dropping mad replys and shit i just have some thoughts on this area, the main reason i took these guys advice had alot to do with what burdo says in that book... lula and myself checked out his route "rampage" on paisano pinnacle a few years back, lured by the pics in the book and the route description, we were surprised with his descriptions, and found that he and we, have pretty different ideas of whats rad and whats not, i won't waste time and go into details but that climb had like one good pitch and the hard stuff was definatly hard and dirty, and not what was described in the book... in general on routes he's established in the mountains the only one i've found to be right on is the first few pitches of clean break on vasiliki ridge, but then again i haven't done the passanger yet and i hear its great!... bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 bp, i like the boothy placed all over the northwall of the sews.....make me wonder why and why??? cannot direct aid be used to link the tasties??? who knows...have yet to do all the others first, still attempting that mess this summer you know....this weekend, next weekend and the weekend after that....i know your addiciton.... erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyperu Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 forrest, again to everyone out there i have not done this route. i will not do this route. i have been told by folks that i respect to not do this route. but forrest may have a point, it very well may be the coolest thing up there, go find out ya'll, but remember keep those gems a secret! bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 bp, when you were on the flycathr route what gear did you bring? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEF Posted August 9, 2002 Share Posted August 9, 2002 I'm coming into this thread late, having not noticed it before. Did the route 2 summers ago, and don't feel it is as bad as some have mentioned. But I don't give it a stellar rating either. Far better are the NW Corner and W Face routes. Or any of a number of routes on other spires nearby. The route basically is a series of pitch long bulges interspersed with easy, often loose ledges and ramps. The "Flycatcher" pitch itself is a finger to hands crack in a corner left of the ridge that is nice except for a bit of sandiness on the rock surface. Perhaps 10a and maybe 30 feet long. The interesting climbing only comes in short bits. While some sections have poor rock, it is never as poor as the traverse pitch on Minuteman, for example, which I hear is getting a lot of traffic. Burdo's topo was OK, but I did not like the scramble down E from the ridge N of NEWS. Avoid that and go out the Blue Lake trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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