[TR] Yak Peak, Coquihalla Pass, BC - Yak Crak 6/19/2007

[devinejohnny]

Trip: Yak Peak, Coquihalla Pass, BC - Yak Crak

 

Date: 6/19/2007

 

Trip Report:

Yak Crack, Yak Peak, Coquihalla Pass, British Columbia.

Climbed Yak Peak via Yak Crack (14 p. 5.8) on June 20th, 2007 with Jay H. Drove up from Hope to the pass on the 19th and camped on an unmarked service road. The first exit as you near the summit has an underpass for cars, restrooms, and a 24 hour snack bar (crazy!). This is where we parked our car the day we climbed, so it would be safer.

 

The snack bar.

 

Looking down at the snack bar from the summit. Left is north, right is south. The faint road above the highway is where we camped.

 

You can get to the bivouac spot from this exit it if, on the northbound side of the exit you head toward the sand shed, then take the first left on a gravel road. You can also get to it by driving closer to the pass, then taking the next exit. This exit has no services and only a pedestrian underpass. From this exit take a right as you are coming down the exit ramp. This road and the one mentioned at the other exit meet up. We were able to find water, but I think it was mostly from snow melt and it may be harder in the late summer (but you can always get some $$$ fluids from the snack bar). The highway is a toll road and the station is just over the pass, towards Kamloops. There is one more exit after the one I just mentioned where you can turn around before having to pay the toll. This exit can also take you to the step back side (an unclimbed?) of Yak Peak. From where we camped the route is clearly visible, but it is deceptive to look at it straight on, given its slabby nature.

 

This is the view from the snack bar.

 

Due to melting snow and recent rain, we choose to do Yak Crack versus the more recommended Reality Check, or the bastardization, Yak Check. It was a beautiful, cool, cloudless day, but we were the only climbers that we saw in the area for two days. We got a leisurely start, maybe leaving the car at 7:30 or 8. From the snack bar we hiked north along the oncoming highway traffic for about 10 minutes, until just after the concrete barrier ends and a large cairn makes the start of the climber trail.

 

There was a small swamp, which was quickly crossed on logs and rocks. The trail then climbs steeply up to the base of the climb, marked with flagging tape. A few hundred meters before the base of the route the trail ends in a talus field. The large dihedral of the first three pitches is what you want to head for, but don’t make the mistake that I did and try to climb directly to it. You want to stay right about 100 feet and climb straight up until level with the dihedral’s base, then traverse straight left. This is the “scramble” in the Central BC Rock guide’s description. I knew I had made a mistake when I found myself pawing up barley protectable wet slab, ending up above the first set of belay bolts. I put in a few pieces and lowered back down to this start, then brought up my partner.

 

This is just before the "scramble" I should have gone straight up the left facing corner, or further out right, but I went left into nothingness.

 

The recommended route from here is to turn the corner to the left and into a face crack, though the original route follows the more difficult dihedral. I choose the former and my partner and I simulclimbed the next three pitches of 5.6 to “lunch ledge.” The next two pitches were also enjoyable leads (one bolt on the 5.8 protects the crux, go left not right), each ending with a set of belay bolts (all stations bolted to this point).

 

Jay coming up to Lunch Ledge (top of p. three)

 

Typical belay, at the top of pitch 4.

 

The next pitch, 6, is noted for it’s tricky route finding. You move right into the obvious arching dihedral. The moves are great as you follow it until it is almost a roof, then pull over into another crack system. This is followed left to a bush where you belay (short pitch).

 

This is the corner on pitch 6, just before you step over into another crack, then move right.

 

Pitch 7 moves blindly up and over into a run out groove (5.8). From the end of this pitch you can continue right, or branch off left to Yak Check. We continued right for a fun pitch with chimney stemming and a belay with no bolts, but a slung boulder. The next pitch (9) will want to lure you out left onto a large ledge, but you must follow the fainter line up right and around the corner. Judging by the amount of junk I saw fluttering in the wind out left, this is a common problem. This pitch ends in a scary alcove with two old button head bolts. The last moves and protection up to these bolts are sketchy; don’t take the big whip around the corner! I backed up the belay bolts with a 3.5 camelot, and it looked like a 2 would have fit lower down as well.

 

I was not excited about the tenth pitch. From the ground it looked like it was a steep corner, but I wrote it off the weird angle from which I viewed the route. Standing below this corner nine pitches up in the howling wind, I could see that it was not only overhung, but it was also very wet/slimy and made of rock that closer resembled Styrofoam. I packed the final wet crack full of gear before heading into the unprotectable kitty litter. I was happy to find a small cam placement half way up the pitch, though it was behind a hollow flack. This short pitch ends below a “cave” with a gear belay (#2-3.5 camelots). I felt that the next two pitches were by far the crux, many times harder than the previous 5.8 pitches.

 

From the cave you must climb down to the only visible foot hold on the right arête, then step around to find your self with very few holds, lots of exposure, and a pendulum fall. Luckily there is a bolt right here. I sport climb hard 5.12 and have on-sighted a number of 12a’s; I could not pull the next few moves free. I ended up stepping my left foot into my runner, crossing my right foot through to the only good hold, then sketching up the slopping arête. Not my best form. I belayed at the base of the final dihedral, though I probably should have gone 20 feet higher to a pedistal on the right (as shown in the guide book). Belaying from where I did, I was just shy of being able to lead the whole dihedral with a 60 meter. This pitch (12) was great, though gravity and the frustration of the last pitch were starting to catch up with me. I was also thrown off by the bail gear I kept seeing: rusty nuts with hardware store screw links swayed in the most improbable looking sections of the crack. The protection on this pitch: okay. The rock: better then most of the route. I lost my cool at one point and pulled on a piece of fixed gear, but over all this was one of the better pitches on the route; well worth the climb. The last 2-3 pitches were up easy slab to the summit. The summit is reached by walking around it on the north side via cool ledges.

 

I stopped taking pictures for the last part of the climb, but took a bunch at the summit. Here's the walk around the summit block.

 

And a closer look at the snowy descent

 

The descent was interesting this early in the summer. I’ve heard that the initial col between Yak Peak and its neighbor can be icy, but our first challenge wasn’t ice, but a 10 foot high cornice. After crossing this, it was steep snow, trees, wet slab, and thick brush back to the original approach trail. My approach shoes had enough of an edge to kick steps well, but Jay’s rounded five-tennies were determined to kill him. In place of ice axes (which would have been useful, but a pain to carry up the route) we grasped sharp stones in both hands. Later in the season I hear there is a better trail; we saw a few bits of flagging tape, but it took us too close to the wet slab for comfort.

Over all, a great route. It was a bit more then we originally sized it up to be. It took us just under 11 hours to go car to car. Coffee and “Chicken in a Bun” from the snack bar were a nice reward. Make sure you are comfortable with run out 5.8 on poor rock before jumping on this route.

 

Gear Notes: The 3.5 camelot came in handy. We climbed with one 60m, but you would need at least two 50’s to make a retreat possible. If I was to do it again, I might bring 9mm twin lines. Bring some extra webbing and rings if you plan to rap down Reality Check; the stations we passed had bolts, but no chains.

Edited June 28, 2007 by devinejohnny

[cheamclimber]

I scrambled to the base of the climb to day but never saw a bolted station. Where is the first bolted belay?

[bstach]

 

I would suggest roping up where this picture is taken. Then climb up the corner on the right (5.6-ish, very foreshortened in this pic), then take a hard left across the slab to gain the base of the dihedral higher up on the left. That is where the first bolted station is. Note, some guide books refer to this pitch as a scramble.

[G-spotter]

The scramble is actually further right than is shown in your pic. The reason you thought it was 5.6 is cause you were off route.

[Bigtree]

Nice TR Devine. Thanks for posting.

[cheamclimber]

Ok, me and my Dad were in runners and just looking around. We went just left of the dihedral and went to a big rock horn but still didnt see anything. The rock horn is just out of the pic to the left of the centre.

[G-spotter]

That's way too far left.

[bstach]

The scramble is actually further right than is shown in your pic. The reason you thought it was 5.6 is cause you were off route.

 

Good to know...sounds like this is a common mistake.

[G-spotter]

Ya but so is people trying to directly climb up to the dihedral and taking huge whippers then backing off.

[G-spotter]

This shows the line of Yak Check rather than Yak Crack but the start is the same.

[cheamclimber]

thanks for the pic, we were way off at the very bottom of the dihedral and out to the left.

[AlpineK]

I went up to do Yak Crack a few years back. We were on route, but we got up to pitch 8 or whatever and both I and my partner backed off the crux as we found it. It was a overhanging munge chimney with no pro. A while later we went back and did Yak Check and it was fantastic.