first ascent [TR] Sawtooths: Baron Spire - FA: tallboys and breakfast burritos III 5.10c 8/29/2007

[powderhound]

Trip: Sawtooths: Baron Spire - FA: tallboys and breakfast burritos III 5.10c

 

Date: 8/29/2007

 

Trip Report:

After completing a route on Ne'er-do-well, we took a rest/scope day. We spent a couple hours checking out all of our options and weighing them with our goals and desired style. The south east face of baron spire caught our eye due to its proxiemty to camp and a prearranged descent. Plus we were stoked to get to use the 1940's beckey bolt ladder up the summit block. Unlike "a bum's rush" we were both feeling a bit apprehinsive about some of the areas on the intended line.

 

the south and east face of baron spire and baron spire lake

 

 

Tallboys and Breakfast Burritos III 5.10c 5 pitchs 800 or so feet follows chimney and splitter crack right of center highlighted w/ the black line

 

 

Pitchs two and three worried us in particular because we only had one three and it looked like a good bit of wide hands and then the porblem of having the gear to build a solid anchor was even more in our minds. However it all worked out and went flawlessly.

 

 

Here you can see the overhanging flared chimney to the splitter hand and the Y in the crack where split off right. The large patch of shrubs were impassable.

 

pitch one: 5.8

start in the white dihedral below the chimney with a butterknife flake 2/3rds up the pitch. Use face holds and scrap out grass and plug in gear until you reach the flake take the right side and follow sweet hand crack up to base of chimney.

 

pitch two: 5.10c

fight your way up the flared chimney with the varied crack in the back up and into the splitter wide hand crack. belay just below Y junction

here Trevor Bowman begins what he calls one of the most unique and best single pitchs he has done in the alpine. i carried that statement with some weight considering he didn't work all summer and just climbed in the alpine. He likened it to a 5 star pitch in Yosemite.

 

pitch three: 5.10a

begin by using both cracks and then transfer to the right crack and pull the technical overhang, continue up the slot throguh some vege and out right around the corner to the chimney system. Belay on the ledge.

 

pitch four: 5.8

take the right side following the inside left facing dihedral. Take to the summit ledge.

 

 

pitch five: A1or2

1949 beckey bolt ladder, here is what summit post says about it:

 

The peak sees a few climbers each year and some of those never see the true summit- they free climb the rock routes but just under the true summit, they are often spooked by the overhanging bolt ladder. The ladder was put in by climbing legend Fred Beckey in 1949, hence the name the Beckey Bolt Ladder. He, Pete Schoening and Jack Schwabland spent three days engineering the 22 bolt ladder on the corner of the summit block. Their climb nearly ended in disaster as a severe storm hit the area. They made an epic descent to avoid a very uncomfortable bivy. It was reported by Schwabland that the rock was running with water and all the holds were packed with hail. Lightning struck within two hundred feet several times. They somehow made it down and back to camp.

 

The condition of these bolts varies, as some of the originals are still there. Aid climbing doesn't look hard to the casual observer, but it's tough to learn on an overhang near the top of a summit like this. The Beckey Ladder is said to go between A1-A2. All routes converge on the west side of the summit block and must ascend the Beckey Ladder to truly make the summit.

 

Sorry no summit photos, battery ran out before the ladder which was in my buddy' words "biblical"

 

Don't think anyone else had been up there for a little while. We replaced all the webbing on the rap down the east face. we ended the day by coming down, packing up camp, and hiking the seven miles out to the boat dock. We did this so we could grab the first boat out and get a good ole tall boy at the marina and then head in the stanley bakery and order a huge burrito filled with heaven.

 

 

Gear Notes:

same rack as for a bums rush with same recomendation

 

Approach Notes:

I would stay at the baron spire lake and hike west up the hill side to the base of the south east face. The chimney is obvious

Edited October 6, 2007 by powderhound

[billcoe]

Bryon, that sounds like a name you'd dream up, so this an FA you guys just did? Nice line too.

 

Nice pictures btw, and sorry you ran out of juice, I'd like to see some old bolt pics! Looks like an awesome route.

[John Frieh]

2 summers: 3 FAs... nice work dude! Hopefully I can connect with you out there next summer

[powderhound]

2 summers: 3 FAs... nice work dude! Hopefully I can connect with you out there next summer

 

one more in the tetons

[skyclimb]

Nice! Looks like a fun day in da hillz