Wallowas: Rock Quality

[rocky_joe]

Thinking of spending some time out there this spring/summer. Wondering if there are any moderate multipitch rock lines worth seeking out? Any potential, or is the granite there like the basalt/andecite in the cascade volcanoes?

[rbw1966]

Lots of good climbing in the Wallowas. Stop in at the Terminal Gravity brewpub in Enterprise and ask for Steve. He'll hook you up.

[powderhound]

http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/85519970

 

[kurthicks]

sure, the biggest face in Oregon! The rock is hit or miss there, some great stuff and some choss.

 

I spied the face below a couple years ago just above Ice Lake. There is some other stuff closer to La Grande too.

 

 

 

looked like 2-3 pitches of quality granite.

[ivan]

Lots of good climbing in the Wallowas. Stop in at the Terminal Gravity brewpub in Enterprise and ask for Steve. He'll hook you up.

what's become of steve (terminalgravity)? havent' seen nor heard of him in many a year...good guy fo'shizzle though.

[rocky_joe]

how about on the matterhorn, is the rock good?

[rbw1966]

There is rock of varying quality in the Wallowas. In my limited experience on Benthos it was pretty decent granite. Do a search on here--there has been previous discussions.

[Guest Anonymous]

Mostly choss with some good stuff, I have climbed at the Wallowa Lake Green Stone/Dihedrals (good 1 to 3 pitch routes) and some stuff up Hurricane Creek (choss). How many of you have actually climbed in the Wallowas, just curious. What areas?.

 

Shapp

[MtnHigh]

 

Mostly climbed stuff like this in the Wallows

 

Steve took me cragging once. We did a two pitch gear climb not far from Wallow lake. Good rock, some moss, chains on top. I do not remember the name of it. Steve established it a few years back.

[shapp]

Is that the "farmed" ice up Lostine?

 

There are some couple pitch routes up the creek from Wallowa Lake along the main trail, then after the first switch back, go off the main trail a 1/4 mile or so to the Wallowa Lake Greenstone/Dihedrals area. Was the rock you are talking about on a crag that had like 3 main big dihedral systems, also with some face bolts?

Shapp

[rbw1966]

I didnt see any bolts on Benthos

[shapp]

Benthos is not up the creek from Wallowa Lake, I don't know of any bolts for sure at Benthos, although I have heard tell of some recent development up there where bolts may have been used (in the last 2 years or so). The bolts on The Green Stone were installed, or maybe upgraded, in the early 1990s I think

[billcoe]

Link to Mountain Project Matterhorn route

 

John Scurlock photo below:

 

His other photos can be found here: http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/85530167

[billcoe]

how about on the matterhorn, is the rock good?

 

 

In this photo of the fearsome West Face of the Matterhorn, photographer Dave Jensen has kindly marked his routes. Think mid-70's, pitons and chocks. I'd have a bolt kit tucked away for an emergency. Trying it in a day would be a worthy project.

[ivan]

wow - looks damned himalayan in the pic - who wants to go do it w/ me this summer?

[billcoe]

I'd think that a July trip would be the best time. Days are longer and given the snow (lack of) this year, should be plenty clear. You might be lucky and get it in a 3 day trip. Day 1 to the Lake and scope route. Day 2 up (and down to the lake for a quiet evenings sleep), or up and an evening out on a ledge, then back to camp and hike out the next day.

 

Proud stuff for sure. Those guys were tough.

[Guest Anonymous]

I have climbed some similar crapy limestone around twin sister up Hurricane creek for 3 pitches and it is way nasty. If Mark Hauter backed off after 300 feet, that is a big red flag. I have climbed on some other crags that he put up routes on that he thought were o.k. but we thought were fairly scary/loose, so take warning.

Shapp

 

 

[rocky_joe]

Wow, that might be a ways over my head, A3? F--k that. Maybe I'll think about it after a few more years.

[slogon]

Wow, that might be a ways over my head, A3? F--k that. Maybe I'll think about it after a few more years.

 

Then try this one on for size - the "cheater enchainment" - Take tram up to Mt. Howard. Walk ridge to East Pk, continue walking ridge to Hidden Pk, continue walking ridge to Aeroid Mtn, head over to Pete's Point, then down and out E. Fork Wallowa River trail. No aid necessary.

 

Seriously, you might look into the Elkhorns nearby if you haven't already, supposed to be some good granite there.

[billcoe]

I didnt see any bolts on Benthos

 

Rod, maybe you can flesh that out a bit for RJ? Meantime, here's a pic from Dave Jensen. Text and line drawings are Dave's as well.

 

Here's some more moderate and reasonable stuff to look at Rocky Joe. I'd highly recommend that before heading into the Wallowas that one totally have their shit together (I'm not saying you don't). It's not at all like around here. Over there, self-sufficiency and skill will rule and win the day. There's been lots of kick-assed climbers come from that part of the world besides Steve House. As a minimum, heading over in a larger, skilled self-contained group so that you can effect a self rescue/carry out might be a good idea. It seems to me that around the Mt Hood area, people often commonly expect that someone else will take care of them if they trip over their own dick, so they don't do shit to prepare for the inevitable. It isn't the case over in Eastern Oregon or parts deeper west like Idaho and Montana. It's a radical mind-set change, whereby you know that you have the skill to take care of yourself and your buddy, and that your buddy can do likewise should the SHTF.It seems to often breed a hardier, stronger person. They just rarely crow about their achievements. Look at the late (great) Dwight Bishop for a real classic example of that. If you look up "Mensch" in the dictionary, his picture is usually used for the example.

[ScaredSilly]

Hey Bill, how did you manage to drag those photo's out of Dave? We talked about a year or so ago and I tried to get him to add to what I started to over on on mtn proj. I have wanted to get up to Wallowas to play and visit Dave but have not had the chance.

 

As mentioned there is some good stuff up in the Elkhorns. Head up to Anthony Lakes

 

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/oregon/north_eastern_oregon/anthony_lakes/106030207

 

BTW the Falcon guide has some of these routes listed as well as others but is rather inaccurate.

[billcoe]

Can't say. He's always been quiet I think. I went to Eastern 1976-1977 and climbed every weekend. Every weekend. I climbed a lot of different routes: many that I later learned Dave had already done, although there often was no evidence (and we left none as well), and Dave was very modest then about his substantial accomplishments.

 

Thanks for the Elkhorns tip, I've done some routes up there. (most of which Dave already had done by then! Like the ramp route for instance.) We'd just head up there and climb. Never recorded it outside of talking it over with friends. I suspect Dave did the same, which is too bad, although I will say that it was a gift we got from Dave to believe we were on virgin territory, a wonderful thing I would say: and it was a gift we left for others as well. Glad we have this though. It's a nice legacy which Dave left for us all (not that he's left yet, I'm just saying!).

 

Take care

 

[shapp]

I have talked to Dave a bit, Mark H. some too, and I think Dave's memory could be somewhat off, I think the other routes and Mark's free ascent was done in the 1980s (the ascent info was reported in an issue in Climbing, don't have the time too look it up right now). I actually wrote, but have not sent to the publisher yet, a whole correction of the "new" falcon suck my as guide book, primarily focused on all the f-up up mess they put together on the Elk Horns where I have climbed quite a bit. Scared Silly bare scatches the surface. I like climbing in the EH much better than Wallowas. I might also mention that Steve House was in on some of the Benthos Buttress routes along with some others I believe. It will never be a destination area, just a curiosity in the middle of a great part of Oregon, seldom visited by most, but talked about by many. Might as well keep driving to the Sawtooths if you want more climbing, you'll spend a lot more time exploring for routes than climbing in the Wallowas/Elkhorns although there are some jems. See if you can't find Dunns Bluff on a 7.5 minute topo for a little cragging, then maybe wander around a specific Flat named on the topo map to the East of Angel Basin (I promised I wouldn't reveal the name), Check out the Elgin Wall, try to find your way up Dave's lines to the left of Lee's Peak ramp/slab on the buttress, then go over to Spring Mt. and wonder WTF happened there, then try as you might to get directions from Mark to some limestone up eagle Creek and another crag up Rock Creek. There is some stuff out there, go explore and find out for yourself like climbers used to do in earlier times before crapy dime a dozen guide books

Shapp

Edited February 14, 2009 by shapp

[rbw1966]

bill--my memory is admittedly poor but I dont recall seeing any bolts on benthos. I'm not really sure what you are asking (and my name is Rob not Rod).

 

lots of climbing in hells canyon too but not as adventurous as the wallowas in my admittedly limited experience.

[billcoe]

I'm not really sure what you are asking (and my name is Rob not Rod). lots of climbing in hells canyon too but not as adventurous as the wallowas in my admittedly limited experience.

 

Dohhh!, I had a memory of calling you Rob last time and being corrected "its Rod". Now I'm totally screwed up. Sorry!

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB4S7fhrdbA

 

I was only suggesting-saying up there that you should link your TR, or describe your trip up Benthos for Rocky.

 

BTW, Rocky, I think if you go over in early spring, snow dependent, and ski into any of the basins up there that show tight contours on a topo map, bring a handful of pins and an ice tool or 2, supplemented with a handful or 2 handfuls of nuts, and you'll find some pretty acceptable mixed stuff to climb.