[TR] Static Point- Lost Charms 10/21/2006

[MCash]

Climb: Static Point-Lost Charms

 

Date of Climb: 10/21/2006

 

Trip Report:

My friend Bruce and I were were anxious to get in 1 last alpine outing this year before the weather turns to crap. The forecast looked great for Saturday so we decided on some climbing at either Darrington or Static Point. We had both been to Darrington many times so Static Point it was. Bruce had done Online before, so we checked out the other lines there. Fuddhat/Kill The Rabbit and Lost Charms both looked fun, but we decided on Lost Charms, mostly because it is a gear route.

 

The approach took us a little under an hour at a nice relaxed pace. The cutoff for the climbers path going up the hill is marked with a cairn by the third culvert. We arrived at the base on Online and started our traverse over.

 

 

It looked exposed in a couple spots so we roped up and scrambled accross to the base of the second major tree. I lead up the first pitch which consisted of traversing flake systems on a slab with a few cracks here and there for pro. We couldn't find the fixed pin in the topo. This pitch was a fairly dirty in spots.

 

 

Bruce lead the second pitch which climbed a series of right facing flake systems up to the base of The Pillar, an obvious large detached section of granite. I lead up the next pitch jambing and liebacking up the right side of the pillar. I came to where I needed to traverse over to get on top of the bridge flake, but I couldn't figure out the way accross. The only thing I found was hard featureless slab and no protection. I traversed over and liebacked the thin crack on the left side of The Pillar to its top. Bruce following...

 

 

We rapped off the bolt down to the top of the bridge flake and discovered our mistake. You are actually supposed to travers over to the bottom of the bridge flake then climb some face holds to get to the top. Woops.

 

I lead up our 4th pitch traversing the top of the bridge flake then up the 5.6 tips crack, which was more like a seam, only allowing me a #1 and #2 ballnut placement in it. The pitch finishes up with a fun flake system. Maybe I did it wrong but this pitch felt more like 5.8 than 5.6. Bruce following it...

 

 

Here is a photo I took of a climber leading the 2nd pitch of Shock Treatment.

 

 

Bruce got the 5th pitch which was the 2nd 5.9 pitch. It starts with some fun left angling flake systems which you can finger traverse then reaches the route's only bolt. The bolt protects a few 5.9 slab moves then you undercling this fun offwidth lieback flake to the top. Bruce leading it...

 

 

The last pitch traverses to the left then up a long thin flake then tops out at the top of the buttress at a bolted anchor. The flake portion of this pitch was pretty fun but the top is kinda grungy. Bruce following it...

 

 

Overall, this climb is pretty good. The slab lines here look nice too. On the way down we TRed the 10b pitch of Online which was a lot of fun.

 

Gear Notes:

Set of cams to a #3 camalot

#1 and #2 ballnuts are nice

1/2 set of nuts

2 60 meter ropes

 

Approach Notes:

Easy trail

[NYC007]

Looks like fun guys

[still_climbin]

Nice climb guys! But I'm not sure what you mean when you say a route needs "cleaning." If you want "clean" go to exit 38 or Vantage, but leave the mountains alone. Al Natural is just fine... part of the game.

[MCash]

Yeah, good point. I fixed that part.

[Flu]

That sure looks like " Nodder " written on the back of that guy's shirt!?!!??

 

 

 

[Already_on_Top]

OMG he's right

Sure is... the Nodder shirt

[AquamanJr]

Sure is

[chucK]

Looks like you guys didn't exactly do Lost Charms. Your first pitch looks too far right, then your third (?) pitch up the left side of the Pillar is actually McCarthy-Carlstad p3, then by the looks of the pro placements in your pic, you missed the finger crack. It's not the small LFC, but it is actually a straight-in finger crack, just right of the LFC. The finger crack is the grassy streak in your photo. It takes regular size nuts and small TCU's.

 

But whatever, looks fun to me. Wish I was out there climbing this last weekend. Thanks for the report (though it's making me unhappy in a covetous way).

 

[fgw]

Nice! fun looking stuff!!

[MCash]

then by the looks of the pro placements in your pic, you missed the finger crack. It's not the small LFC, but it is actually a straight-in finger crack, just right of the LFC. The finger crack is the grassy streak in your photo. It takes regular size nuts and small TCU's.

 

Interesting. I climbed the seam below the grassy crack then traversed to the left to the flake when I saw the grass (though it was offroute). The flake was clean with good pro. My guess is people go that way now.

 

Pretty sure we were on route on the first pitch as I belayed at the anchor in the exact spot as was on the topo.

[David Yount]

 

 

I've looked for the Fixed Pin on pitch 1 of Lost Charms. I've looked for it three times. Still haven't found it.

 

When you go up the right side of the detached pillar, the traverse you considered goes at 5.10a. You get a nice #2 camalot for pro slightly above you in the right facing corner of the pillar and then you breathe softly as you pad across to the top of the Bridge Flake. If you fall then you're looking at well over a 20-foot slider! To keep the traverse to 5.8 you walk right on a thin foot ledge, much lower. I think this foot ledge begins right about where the right side of the pillar juts out right. Moving right on the very small foot ledge, as the ledge turns upward and you climb some relatively easy slab, unprotected, up to the Bridge Flake.

 

 

 

In general climbing is good from March to early November, but never on sunny summer days at Static Point.

 

 

September, 2012

Before you drive out to climb at Static Point it's easily worthwhile to place a phone call to ask if the South Shore Gate is open at Spada Resevoir. The gate is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from May 1 to October 31, except for 1) roadwork, or 2) dangerous conditions. And in my experience it's not rare for them to decide there exist dangerous conditions, and they have roadwork to perform every year during Spring to Fall.

 

The Snohomish PUD contols the gate and their website will give the gate's status. But the actual page with the gate's status is buried in several layers of choices and the navigation is not intuitive nor descriptive. But here's the URL as of September 2012:

http://www.snopud.com/PowerSupply/hydro/jhp/jhprecreation/jhpsultan.ashx?p=1500

 

425.783.1774 Karen Bedrossian (or her subsequent replacement)

425.783.8804 Barry Chrisman

 

If you don't reach either of them you can call the main number and seek other suggestions from the operator

425.783.1744, or 877.783.1000

 

option 0 to speak to an operator at Snohomish PUD and ask them about the current status of the South Shore Gate at Spada Resevoir. Ask the operator for the direct phone number and the full name of the person they will connect you with, for your records.

 

If the gate is closed, you can still climb at Static Point, just add 3 miles of casual downhill mtn biking or hiking.

 

Sometimes you must park at the registration station at Olney Pass if the right gate, South Shore Road, is closed. The right gate is the South Shore Road, take this. The three miles (on road Nf-6129 around the reservoir / lake) to the decommissioned spur road is gently and consistently downhill (fast and easy on a mtn bike). When you arrive at a large bridge (crossing the inlet to Spada Resevoir), the spur road is just past on the right and is blocked by several boulders and a large snag placed crosswise. Park here. You used to be able to drive part of this spur road, but now you park in a pullout on the South Shore Road.

 

You can climb all year long at Static Point. Several routes were first climbed in January. The granite slab faces south and dries relatively quickly. In the winter when it's a sunny day the climbing can be at it's best, as the friction of climbing shoe rubber reaches it's maximum at 49F, I've read. If the South Shore Gate is not opened and if there isn't snow at the 2000-foot Olney Pass, then a casual 3 mile downhill mtn bike ride accesses the old spur road (this spur road can be biked for a few minutes but quickly turns into hiking only because of dozens of deep gorges cut into the road).

 

 

--

 

Sky Valley Rock, 2000 by Darryl Cramer is the only full coverage of Static Point of 20 routes (there are several new quality routes since 2000).

Weekend Rock, 2005 by David Whitelaw has 8 routes with very good beta.

Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Volume 2, 2000 by Jim Nelson has 3 routes with very good beta.

Rock Climbing Washington, 1999 by Jeff Smoot has 10 routes but it also has several errors.