aid routes?

[matt w]

can anyone recommend some good aid routes in Oregon? im not looking for something realy hard, A3 or under.

thanks

[Kevin_Matlock]

Never been before, but I'm sure someone will tell you the pioneer route on monkey face (smith).

 

Pretty much all other crags are fair game provided that you are climbing clean. I've climbed clean aid on sport climbs on almost all the local portland crags; it's out there, just gotta go do it.

 

Where are you located? You had a certain part of OR in mind?

[matt w]

i've done the pioneer route twice now, looking for something a little harder and more of an adventure. i live in portland so anything with in about four hours.

[fheimerd]

beacon has tons of stuff when its open

 

what about out at broughtons. Short but I've seens some good seems out there.

 

Index is probably about 4 hours away

[billcoe]

AT Smith, I think all the long routes that summit Monkey Face are great. Maybe the best in the state that I've tried. Like Frank said, Beacon has some great lines too but you'd have to sit in the rain and stare at them for 3 months till it opens.

 

Doing the East Face of Monkey clean would be more likely to see a grounder happen than any of the other Monkey routes, but it is much more interesting as well.

 

If it's cold, the West Face is always good but your partner only gets a bolt ladder if you get P 1.

 

The N face and NW passage are great and might be warm enough is you wear a coat or it's a warmer day. My personal fav is the N face started from the east face ledge but I find that I get on the West Face about twice as often. This may only be due to laziness, too lazy to walk around the thing. Th N face has the bolts down low, can be broken into 2 pitches (the traditional, regular length rope way) and has the interesting nutting up high where its safe and not a chance of hitting the deck.

 

You can free the gym moves at 11B or aid bolts to the summit from the neck cave and there are 2 separete lines now for both, if you are freeing, clip the ones on the left.

 

I think on a good day you could do 3 of those lines on the same day and finish the day pretty beat too. Maybe not right yet cause daylight is at a premium still. I want to take a shot at that maybe this year to see how it would go. Maybe the East, North and West faces in a day would be good.

 

There are a couple of routes on Steins piller which can be safely aided you'd most like find interesting as well.

[billcoe]

Bring back some pics and a TR though for those of use who don't get out and just walked in the rain and/or did a ski run or 2 this weekend. Even if you just repeat the Pioneer route again.

 

OK?

 

Thanks...........enjoy- I suspect you'll like any Monkey route you jump on.

[MATT_B]

I had a blast on the first few piches of bubbas in bondage out at smith. The pich through the roofs is quite fun. I think you needed two 60m ropes to get down from the top of the roofs. Above that it looked ugly. I would love to hear what the upper pitches are really like. Index is a little more than 4 hours but worth it. Lots of routes out there.

[dan_forester]

I had a blast on the first few piches of bubbas in bondage out at smith. The pich through the roofs is quite fun. I think you needed two 60m ropes to get down from the top of the roofs. Above that it looked ugly. I would love to hear what the upper pitches are really like. Index is a little more than 4 hours but worth it. Lots of routes out there.

 

what wall's that on?

 

anyone done the great roof on brogan spire?

[billcoe]

Dan, I forgot all about the Great Roof on Brogan. We use to go do laps on it when it rained (this was all nuts-before cams)......all the friggan time. I forgot all about it. Probably been 20 years. It most likely has some big, shiney new bolts on it too as what's her name just freed it like a year ago or so.

 

Bubbas on Picnic lunch wall.

[retired]

At last a thread i can sink my teeth into. Bill's given you great advice,monkey is the best clean aid around note clean you shouldn't be driving any Iron on the Monkey. Doubling up routes is fun and if you add a third you've climbed washingtons collum.

Bubba's is my favorite route on Picnic I've topped out 5 times on it. The crux pitch is the third the way I break it up...first pitch above the big roof. I've led it clean now that's it's grown some fatties but I still use a sawed off 1" in a hole about half way up. the whole route has gone clean but I usualy nail a couple times,usually 3/4 angle somwerhe on the 4th pitch. The bolts on the travese off the end of pitch 5 are laughable...every type of crap hanger you could image all on shitty little shakey 1/4 inch studs. I don't care how much of this route get's rebolted but please leave thes historic relics and maybe just put one fattie in the middle. I was all for the rebolt of the west face but it would have been fun to leave about 2/3 of the old shit just for excitment. Have fun.

[pink]

listen to bill

[fgw]

i've done the pioneer route twice now, looking for something a little harder and more of an adventure.

 

I'd second the West Face on Monkey. Did it yesterday and I think it would fit your bill. Supersafe & beautiful position. All new bolts - be ready for some loooong reach or two.

 

Edited March 26, 2007 by fgw

[alexbaker]

The west face is a bit reachy, but no worries. C1+ or something like that. Im five foot seven and none of the reaches were impossible. The hardest was the move off of the second pitch anchor.

 

Alex

[alexbaker]

PS the smith topo for Bubbas to PLW sucks.

[rbw1966]

another vote for west face of monkey face. Leaving the monkey's mouth on the third pitch will leave you feeling very airy.

[111]

East face of the monkey is a challenging line if you are up for some spicy nut placements here and there. Plus, you get to see how insane sonny trotter is for freeing that route!

[corvallisclimb]

heres a good one, pm me for more topos and or info

 

but if your just getting into aid, all routes on the monkey go clean & and town crier at index is a awsome route to get your aid down on.

 

the east face provides for some good sustained clean nutting, dont pop onto your belayer on the cruxy part of p2

 

 

 

[112]

I'd second the West Face on Monkey... All new bolts...

 

That is a shame, and IMO a disservice to the aid climbing comunity (if there is such a thing). That bolt ladder use to be spicey and you needed some skills to ascend it safely. Now I assume you could haul, belay, or lower from any bolt on pitch?

 

By the way, the anchors had been replaced a while ago, but the on pitch bolts were not. I wonder why?

[billcoe]

I'd second the West Face on Monkey... All new bolts...

 

That is a shame, and IMO a disservice to the aid climbing comunity (if there is such a thing). That bolt ladder use to be spicey and you needed some skills to ascend it safely. Now I assume you could haul, belay, or lower from any bolt on pitch?

 

By the way, the anchors had been replaced a while ago, but the on pitch bolts were not. I wonder why?

 

Laziness.

 

 

BTW to second what Jim A said about Bubbas anchors being left in situ and maybe drilling a huge single fatty to keep you alive.

 

I think that the same thing could have been done on the West Face. IE, leave the old 1/4 star Dryvins (I guess that the catalyst for the new bolts was that somebody fell and zippered 8 of them out) and put a 3/8" next to them.

 

Sooner or later any new 1/4 bolt would be ripped out. They look like the 1/4 holes were used for the 3/8" replacements, which, when you think about it, is a good thing.

[dan_forester]

(I guess that the catalyst for the new bolts was that somebody fell and zippered 8 of them out)

spicy!

[billcoe]

(I guess that the catalyst for the new bolts was that somebody fell and zippered 8 of them out)

spicy!

 

You have to almost close your eyes to imagine what a C3 bolt ladder is I guess.

 

The story I heard from a longtime dezien is that lots of climbers showed up and rotated hand drilling the star dryvins on the upper pitches. There was a keg of beer on the ground, and people were rotating up and down as they tired or got thirsty. Which may explain why the bolts up high were the first to pull. I guess Dean Caldwell is still around here, Joe ran touched base with him a bit ago: someone should ask him it thats a true story.

 

You could go up and pull some of them in and out with your fingers for years.

 

Course they all got yanked (or pulled out via fingers) and replaced with 3/8" now.

 

Sigh....end of an era, the C3 bolt ladder.

[corvallisclimb]

and replaced with 3/8" now.

 

1/2"

[billcoe]

1/2" really? Offf da.

[corvallisclimb]

Yeah all ASCA bolts for smith stuff are 1/2"

[Telemack]

Lots of one- to five pitch aid lines at Index Lower Town Wall (as well as superb free stuff). Narrow Arrow Direct, e.g.

No nailing any thing free, of course. On the Upper, Town Crier and Green Dragon are good fer sher. A3 is solid at Index.