N Pickets/Crooked Thumb?

[fleblebleb]

If you've climbed Crooked Thumb I'd like to hear from you...

[Juan]

Any responses yet? Alex sent me a report that suggested the rock was scary bad. Nelson didn't have an answer for me on this one. Who has climbed the damn thing? It seems like the obvious second route to add after Challenger.

 

Let me know what you learn, and I'll do the same. I'm going up there late next week. Didn't meet you last night, but will next Pub Club.

 

John

[Alex]

As John mentioned, I climbed on/near it in 1999 and could probably offer you some general info at least

[Lowell_Skoog]

I climbed Crooked Thumb on July 21, 1980 after climbing Challenger in the morning. Here's what my journal says:

 

"Descended (plunge step) down couloir immediately below summit [of Challenger] where we found water. Made high traverse to stepkicking up the couloir on Crooked Thumb. Very glad the gully was snow filled; would be awful in late season. One pitch onto crest and along past small pinnacle. Then running scramble to below final tower. Gordy's rope got cut by rock on 1st pitch. Face climb chimney-ramp (on left) to crest then climb along to the thumb. 4th pitch enjoyable up crack system on left to the summit. (Grade I-II, F4-5, about 5 hours from summit of Challenger)"

[fleblebleb]

Thanks Alex and Lowell. We screwed up the Challenger approach when we went there a week ago and wound up not having the extra time for climbing Crooked Thumb like we had planned. Pretty annoying because we'd carried extra gear in there that was completely unnecessary for Challenger

 

John, too bad we didn't chat last night since we were both there... I might not make it next week if it's in Tacoma.

[Alex]

bummer, thats a long way in there. But that tends to happen to people alot: bring in lots of stuff, end up not using half of it because of navigation/weather/etc . FWIW, I didnt think Crooked Thumb was that inspiring...I didnt summit, but I got close enough to be happy to turn around. Much more interesting were the massive untouched walls on either side of the West-Middle Challenger Col.

[fatboy]

Climbed a route on the East Face of Crooked Thumb in 94. We started at about the lowest rock on the face in the obvious chimney. Near the top of the chimney was the 5.10 crux. Generally going straight up and keeping left (South) of the overhangs, our route finished just below the summit with a short northerly traverse to the upper north ridge.

 

The rock was generally solid with the usual (for the Pickets) slabbiness. There was loose rock, but nothing out of the ordinary for the area. Helmets recommended. Took us all day to summit (22 pitches) and we bivied just below the top. Rapping the east face took all the next day.

 

In 10 days we climbed Whatcom, Challenger and Crooked Thumb but fell short of our goal to also climb Phantom.