Identifying a sport route in alpental

[kevino]

So this past weekend my buddy and I were screwing around in Alpental Valley. We stumbled across this rock face, which to our suprise was bolted and had quickdraws ready to go! We ran into a lady that said it was pictured in Climbing magazine recently. Any help? Sorry the pictures aren't better:

Pictures of the face from far:

Part one:

Part two, which includes a sweet ceiling and top out:

 

Thanks!

[Alex]

Thats Bryant Buttress. The bolted route is a mixed route that Roger Strong et al are working on.

 

If you hike further uphill climbers left of the wall, you get to the Rap Wall in another 10 minutes.

 

Incidentally, another poster posted a pic earlier this year that they said was "Bryant Buttress". I forget what thread it was, it was the same one with a post of Source Lake Line. That pic was not actually Bryant Buttress, it was actually a picture of Flow Reversal in "fat and buried" conditions.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Alex,

 

Is bryant buttress right the same as flight to mars on the cover of the book?

 

Does hotline form on this same cliff?

 

So, is flow reversal one of the longish flows 200+ yards to the right of bryant buttress up the avalanche gully?

[Alex]

yes, yes, and yes...though 200+ yards seems short?...Flow Reversal is kind of like halfway between bryant buttress and source lake line, up and to the left of the obvious approach gully to chair from source lake. Its really easy to see in the early season, but once snow arrives its a bit hard to pick out of the background noise and harder to approach in deep snow.

[Weekend_Climberz]

 

Here's the pic Alex is referring. You can see the half buried ice near the center of the face almost in the middle of the photo.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Thanks. Originally I wrote 500 yards, but that seemed too far. Those lines have looked pretty nice this year. Anybody get on them?

[TrogdortheBurninator]

The route with the fixed draws on bryant buttress is ghost dog isnt it? Something like M10-11 right alex?

[Weekend_Climberz]

Ghost Dog is on the Rap Wall and goes at M-12, he's working on something new now :tup:

[Alex]

I think Roger told me M11, but TBH I'd have to go back and rifle through my emails. It hardly matters, my redpoint will have to wait until I loose like 80 pounds, or grow balls, or something..

[kevino]

So I went and found climbing magazine...according to that its called Guru and is ranked M9.

Edited January 30, 2007 by kevino

[Alex]

Guru is up on the left side of the Rap Wall, and yes, is M9. The line you are looking at is Ghost Dog, and is M11 I believe.

[kevino]

Interesting. How does mixed rating compare with sport ratings? M11=5.11 or what? Thanks.

[counterfeitfake]

So... who can climb this stuff? The easiest thing up there is M7+ (whatever that means), right?

 

I remember seeing this wall on the way up to the Tooth, and then reading about it later. It feels weird, kind of like I'd feel if I were hiking on Tiger Mountain and ran across, say, To Bolt Or Not To Be.

[G-spotter]

Interesting. How does mixed rating compare with sport ratings? M11=5.11 or what? Thanks.

 

M11 is like 5.8+. You should jump on and give it an onsight try.

[counterfeitfake]

merely looking at m11 will break your ankles

[Alex]

Interesting. How does mixed rating compare with sport ratings? M11=5.11 or what? Thanks.

 

The numerical systems certainly are not synchronized. The M-system is a stand-alone rating system, just like the V-system for bouldering. (V11 is not 5.11 climbing either.) To give you some perspective, M3 is around 5.7 or 5.8-ish climbing, M5 gets into solid 5.10 climbing, and M11 is around 5.13 climbing. The hardest mixed routes in the world currently are around M12 or (claimed) M13.

 

The easiest thing up there is M7+ (whatever that means), right?

 

Like most things ice climbing, it actually depends on how much ice in on those particular routes. At the Rap Wall, a little bit of ice on the rock makes the routes significantly easier than if they are pure dry-tooling. The easiest line up there is around M6+ to M7-... which is to say easy enough for a solid 5.10/5.11 or WI5 climber to muscle up without too much difficulty.

 

M11 is like 5.8+. You should jump on and give it an onsight try.

Actually, even though he's poking fun at you, I agree with him. Don't let numbers rule you or scare you. You should get on these things and try them if they interest you, don't worry about the numbers too much. Bring a bail biner and leave the leashes on the ground.

Edited January 30, 2007 by Alex

[John Frieh]

Ghost dog is M11 though it took Will Gadd longer to redpoint it then it took him to redpoint Musashi which checks in at M12.

 

Grades:

 

Mixed climbing is a rather new grading system used to define the difficulty of climbing rock, and possibly some ice, using ice tools and crampons. Though not yet set in stone, M grades ("M" given to define a mixed route) are often compared or defined by the difficulty of a similar rock route using the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS).

 

M ratings were created to correspond with the Yosemite Decimal System. But remember that an M5 grading, for instance, is NOT a 5.9 rock climb but FEELS as difficult as a 5.9 rock climb regarding necessary strength, ability and experience. Climbing in winter is more difficult due to the required clothing, tools and all the extra weight of winter gear, and these issues are part of the equation

 

Typical comparison of M grades vs. YDS...

 

M1 - Feels like 5.5 climbing OR an occasional drytool move

M2 - Feels like 5.6 climbing OR a couple drytool moves

M3 - Feels like 5.7 climbing OR several body lengths of easy drytooling

M4 - Feels like 5.8 climbing OR some technical drytooling

M5 - Feels like 5.9 climbing OR drytool moves that require effort

M6 - Feels like 5.10 climbing OR 8 to 10 meters of technical drytooling that requires effort

M7 - Feels like 5.11 climbing OR 10 to 15 meters of technical drytooling

M8 - Feels like 5.12 climbing OR 8 to 10 meters of slightly overhanging and technical drytooling

M9 - Feels like 5.12+ climbing OR 10 to 15 meters of slightly overhanging and technical drytooling

M10 - Feels like 5.13 climbing OR overhanging, technical, and strenuous drytooling

M11 - Feels like 5.13+ climbing OR overhanging, technical, and powerful drytooling

M12 - Feels like 5.14 climbing OR continuous overhang and powerful drytooling

M13 - Feels like 5.14 climbing OR continuous overhang with technical and powerful drytooling

M14 - not yet defined

 

Source: http://www.alaskaiceclimbing.com/ratings.htm

 

[kevino]

Thanks for everyone's help. Looking forward to giving it a try regardless of its rating.