Leavenworth 5.10-ish recommendations?

[laurel]

I'm getting kind of not that excited about going to the same places like Pearly Gates, JY, Classic Crack. Does anyone have any favorite Leavenworth routes/crags they're willing to share? I am most interested in the 5.9+ to 5.11- range (yeah yeah, me and everybody else).

 

I was hoping this would be helpful, but once I eliminiate the boulders, alpine routes, bird closures and stuff I've done I think all that's left is Iconoclast and Hyperspace.

[Good2Go]

Careno Crag has a ton of great pitches, and you can mix and match the multi pitch routes and/or stay on ledge and do some great cragging up there. Favorites include the first pitch of Regular Route, second pitch Bale-Kramer, Corner Pockets and the bolted pitch to the right of it, Swinging Affair, etc. The Castle also has a ton of stuff that is often overlooked, e.g., Brass Balls and the Old Gray Mare/Crack of Doom linkup (belay at chains above Devils Fright), etc.

[montypiton]

Castle Rock: Mr. Clean, Mrs Clean, Clean Love, Brass Balls, Crack of Doom, Devil's Fright, Devil's Delight, MF Overhang, Vertebrae

 

Icicle Butt-rest: Forking Crack, Cocaine Crack

 

Givler's Dome: Bo Derek, Bondage

 

Alphabet Rock: Z-crack, Meat Grinder, Hindquarters, Alphabet Soup

 

Little Bridge Creek Rock: Arms Control

 

Deb's Crack

 

Condor Buttress: Condorphamine Addiction

 

These are all well established -- most have been considered "classic" at one time or another. They see far less traffic today than they saw in the 'eighties, because most are NOT bolted. Condorphamine Addiction is the glaring exception - a multi-pitch bolted sport-climb

 

drop to 5.9 and you get the Bone, Damnation, and Canary (5.8 in the guidebook, possibly a sandbag) at Castle, and Dogleg Crack at Alphabet Rock, plus Poison Ivy Crack and Ski-tracks Crack in the lower Icicle canyon by the cabins (Icicle Island.

 

All except Condor Buttress & Givler's Dome is roadside stuff, ten minute or less approach.

 

[Otto]

Don't overlook Duty Dome. It has a high concentration of good cracks and some slab routes in that range. Off Duty, 10k Motivational Tapes, and all those cracks to the left of Off Duty.

[Tony_Bentley]

Hi Laurel,

 

Here is a list of favorites 10 - .10c and they all come highly recommended as classic Leavenworth routes in no order

 

 

Curtains

Off Duty

Yard Art - rad crack and face climbing then climb Lawn Darts

Angel - classic

Easter Overhang will kick your ass

Javelin

Anorexic Edges - slab at it's finest

Bale/Kramar - classic!

Mr Tremendous (Contrived but fun)

Aquamarine

Veins of Glory

Pearly Gates

Iconoclast

Washboard

Swingin Affair for a great overhanging hand crack start

 

For 5.10+ Leap of Faith and Hyperspace are my favorites.

 

I'm happy to offer a tour of any of these in the near future if you're interested.

[telemarker]

Nice list Tony. Although, I'm confused by this:

 

Mr Tremendous (Contrived but fun)

 

I find the crux slab move on P2 over the bulge to be honest to goodness 5.10 and quite heady, as well as the terrain and moves getting to that crux move. The slab climbing after that bolt is top notch and also heads up.

 

P1 of Mr. Tremendous is fun climbing too, and the entire route is a great seguey to Hello Kitty and the quality climbing on upper 8 Mile Buttress and Smorgasbord Crag.

[Rafael_H]

The Warrior! It is superb, has a great trad feeling to it, varied climbing, top of the first pitch and on have great views and open, airy feeling. There are other lines on the crag to spend the rest of the day at. No crowds.

 

I was on Snow Creek Wall within a month and ticks are very busy, determined and business-like, doing their own ascents, and one even landed on me from above a couple of pitches up! Neither praying nor beaming up would help

[Tony_Bentley]

It's totally Leavenworthy but convoluted. I'm pretty sure that's a consensus among the locals too. It's on the top 5.10's list for sure though.

[Pete_H]

Don't forget Pumpline on Careno. You can TR it too if you don't want to lead it.

[laurel]

Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone! Looks like I have lots to do next time I'm in Leavenworth!

[lancegranite]

+1 for the Warrior Wall. Old school vibes and a proud hunk of stone. The old guy crew spent the better part of 2 years dusting those old routes off. Some parties have suggested one more bolt on the top of first pitch of the East Face.