Better beta for Springbok Arete (Les Cornes)

[chris_stolz]

I did this one with Merran Fahlman yesterday. Awesome but McLane's guide can be updated, so here's the scoop.

 

APPROACH ETC

 

-- there is a gate now at 6 km as well as at the logging camp. If you are planning on riding your mtnbike in there, budget more food and two extra hours. or call Cattermole and get the key. ALso if you mtnbike make sure you got good brakes.

 

-- you can't drive along the 610 branch, as it will trash your vehicle. park just off mainline

 

-- do NOT follow the righthand option to approach les cornes off the 610. Much better: walk straight in on main road until you are at a point directly opposite to the old growth which extends down from below Les Cornes. Thrash dwon through the replanted clearcut and cross the creek for 15 min., then up through the old growth (easy). The righthand option works, but it's heavy alders and is much longer

 

-- there is no water on the route or on approach above the creek.

 

 

THE CLIMB

 

-- is 11 pitches, not 18, if you have 60 m ropes.

-- is 5.11a on crux not 10c, but easily aided (crux is something like Kangaroo Corner in Smoke Bluffs)

-- needs set of nuts, 2x camalots from .5-#2, 1x #3 & #4, #5 if you are a chicken, also long slings, 2 60m ropes

 

-- P1-5 follow the ramp system, and when in doubt stay generally to climber's left. End of P5 cross to right of ramp (easy slab; no pro) belay at base of nice straight-in grey 5.9 corner (all 5.7-5.8; terrible rock on first 3 pitches; run each pitch to full 60m; lots of spots to belay)

-- P6 climb corner, head left along off-width with the odd grunty move, belay at base of orange wall (or 10m below at blocks in exposed cool position).

-- P7 climb amazing overhanging blocks, a short nasty off-width (look around...) and hand/fistcrack; belay on nice ledge (short pitch) 5.10c? an amazing pitch

-- P8 head up finger crack or right up flake then back left, traverse across left to 2 tree ledge.

-- P9 the crux-- 15m of VERY sustained 11a technical stemmingup and right of two tree ledge. lots of small nuts. easily aided. continue above in obvious 10a cracks until a bolted belay is reached rightwards in a fine position

--P10 up and generally right past a short lieback to a belay above a chimney

-P11 bouldery fingerlock start then shoot straight up to top of arete (a rope stretcher)

 

 

DESCENT

 

-- au cheval is fine but scary

-- don't do final tower; head down to climber's left at first notch

-- 2 60m raps into gully

-- descend ~100m, take descender's left option at two gullies, some 4th class downclimbing to slings

-- 60 m rap off end of rope

-- ~40 m rap

-- downclimb ~50m

-- 10m rap

-- this has REALLY SCARY loose rock. if you are climbing with or you meet another party, do the descent as one party, as you can easily kill people with accidental rockfall (I nearly did); alternatively wait till others are WAY out of the way before descending).

[layton]

great climb.

i posted a very detailed TR with similiar beta.

I disagree about the 11a rating, it was 10+

nice jorb

[jordop]

There is now a direct start that bypasses the groatmeal ramp. Can't remember exact details (MEC new route book), but recall it being hard cracks

[chris_stolz]

Yeah, we met Kai Hirvonen and CAtherine Fraser who were doing that. They said it included two low-angle death pitches (ie climbing on granola) and then one of the finest alpien pitches ever, a left-facing version of the Split Pillar.

[Sol]

chris, can ya give me a bit more beta on the driving approach. i was up there earlier this year with my bro. we had a key, we unlocked the first gate, but after that, every road we took ended up being blocked by logging operations. maybe we were just unlucky, or maybe we missed something. anymore detailed beta appreciated, feel free to just hold my hand from the highway, thanks alot and nice send.

, sol

[chris_stolz]

OK. well you want to drive in there later in day (ie around 4) cos i think they stop logging at 3:30 or so. or do it ona weekend. get the key. drive up the main road, through active cable site and old camp, and keep going. cross bridge, turn left, and you end up at the end of the valley where you can see Les Cornes, Stenbok etc.

 

park at an obvious pullout of right. follow the alder-full road along the valley floor. you could take the right-hand option (you see this in the mclane guide as a massive switchback below les cornes), or just go striaght, and when you are across the valley below les cornes, drop down across the creek (thrash) and approach up along first old growth and then talus.

 

once you get there, it is fairly easy to follow: the valley is open and you can see where you are going.