Best 5.9 to low 5.10 route on Chimney Rock

[shapp]

Going to be up there in latter summer for work trip, going to hit up Chimney Rock in the Selkirks. Any recommendation an a really fun route in the low 5.10 to 5.9 range or less, hand cracks would be nice!

[Hall]

East Side: Cooper-Hiser (.9). If you can muster it, climb the Canary Legs start (.10). The original first pitch isn't very good (near mandatory use of a rotten stump and a sandy, poorly protected gully). Likely the best route on Chimney.

 

West Side: It Ain't Hay (.9). If you can muster it, finish via Fun Roof (.10). The South Nose (standard) exit is cool, however.

The Rappel Chimney has numerous variations in the .6-.8 range, and fun cracks can be found throughout. Just make sure no one is rapping!

 

 

 

[Dane]

Good suggestions. But I'd like to offer a differing opinion. Although I can't think of a bad route there, having done all of the free routes several times over. Cooper/Hiser is a little loose and not getting any better over time. These are two of the best at the grades you are asking about I think.

 

The best route on Chimney...almost all hand crack and super sharp edged laybacks is Free Friends. East face and every bit is amazing crack climbing on perfect rock with plug in pro darn near any where. Only the roof (easy under cling actually) is a little harder and not much unless you try to lay back the entire thing out of the roof. If you can climb .10a hand cracks start on the first pitch and see how you fair. If that short pitch is too much, easy to get off from the upper ledge on that pitch. The adventure and climbing will be worth every second either way. It is one of the best crack climbs I have done anywhere..as in anywhere! It is also THE line on Chimney Rock among many.

 

 

The west face? West Face Direct. Pro could be better on the crux corner shown below. But it is only 5.8. You'll want to be solid on 5.8. I wasn't my first trip up the climb. But it was "easy" enough.

 

 

The 2nd ascent of Yahoody also on the east face...another spectacular line.

 

 

And the 1st ascent of Fun Roof on the west face

 

[Hall]

Dane's right (of course!) and his name is written all over the history of that place! Free Friends is an AWESOME route. It is more sustained .10 climbing than the ones I suggested. The ".10c" designation scared me off for alot of years. Go for it!

[Dane]

Here is a more recent piture and my old pair of Boreals looking down at Martin from the no hands rest mid way up the first pitch of FFs. You step into the right..hand crack.. from here and run it out to a good series of ledges higher up. The crack continues through the roof from there.

 

[shapp]

Damn, nice suggestions, I could defenitely pull of the harder route leads, but will probably have to actually do some upper body exercise to pull my lard ass up those. I can usually off the coach complete 5.9 to lower 5.10, but the harder 5.10 might require some pre-planned workouts to reduce the hangdog time!

[Off_White]

That west face direct pic is ver appealing. I've really got to make a first visit to Chimney one of these days, Idaho just keeps creeping higher in my regard.

[pu]

SAD NEWS!!!!!

 

Went to Chimney today. As we arrived at the base I noticed a ton, probably hundreds of tons, of rock on the snowfield that seemed out of place. Looking up at the East Face I was shocked.

 

The following routes no longer exist!! Except in Dane's slides.

 

Greystoke

Magnum Force

UNI

White Lightning

Kimmie

Yahoody

Pitch 2 of Cooper Hiser

 

The following routes still exist.

 

East Face Direct

Canary Legs

Cooper Hiser pitch 1

Free Friends

Tsunami

Illusion/Eye of the Tiger

Graymatter

NE Face

 

I'll get a pic up later.

[Dane]

Bummer? Sure, but no surprise really. New routes to do now!!! ...but likely you don't want to be there until things settle down some. ;-)

 

Zach Turner's photos:

 

 

 

[shapp]

Dam it Dam it, son of a bitch!