This is the free version of the aid route

Undertow

.  There are only a couple variations, one at the beginning, which avoids most (if not all) of

Cannonball Corner

by cutting right and mantelling up large ledges to a short handcrack.  The other variation is called the Undertoad Variation, which avoids the A4 roof by following an undercling/handcrack to the right out of the roof (instead of going left for the A4), pulling the lip, then making an unlikely traverse back left under another larger roof.

The following is from my post for

Undertow

after sending the route:

After two seasons of cleaning, replacing bolts, and fighting wetness in the later part of the alpine season, I was finally able to free this gorgeous line with Brad Wilson last Saturday (6/23/12), with both leader and follower freeing every pitch. The whole route is probably no harder than 5.11+, but as it is very sustained and at high elevation, it sometimes feels harder.

The majority of the route follows the aid line, except for half a pitch that completely avoids the A4- roof traverse. The rock has cleaned up well with maybe only a few suspect rocks that may come off with a crowbar. The climbing is tenuous, sustained, fairly sharp, and gear is sometimes tricky to place (a green/yellow Alien offset cam is really nice at the top of pitch 1!). However, the entire route takes great gear with clean falls, has no runouts, and sinker finger locks are to be had throughout. As Ken points out, even though the upper pitch is often wet, the rest of the route stays dry.

The pitches break down like this:

Pitch 1: 5.11- (130 feet). Start the route as Ken says on a ledge below the large dihedral of

Cannonball Corner

. Climb up easy ledges up and right to a small hand crack that leads you to the start of the main

Undertow

dihedral system. Clip a good piton and climb the sustained dihedral through some cool flakes (a green/yellow offset Alien is very helpful here) and up to a stance on a small ledge. The anchor takes finger-sized gear.

Pitch 2: 5.11+ (40 feet). This pitch could be combined with pitch 3. Continue up the dihedral (crux), pull around a small bulge to a ledge with a bolt. A finger-sized piece or two can back up the bolt.

Pitch 3: 5.11- (50 feet). Continue up the dihedral, past a thin flake that I couldn't pull off despite several attempts, and up into the 35 foot roof traverse (pumpy!). Belay at the lip on a small ledge. The anchor takes hand-size and small cams.

Pitch 4: 5.9 (110 feet). Climb straight up the fun hands and fingers corner to a good ledge. The anchor takes finger-sized cams.

Pitch 5: 5.11 (50 feet). The Undertoad Variation. Continue up the corner to the roof. This is where the original A4- traverses left under the roof. Instead, stay in the crack, which cuts through the right-side of the 10 foot roof. The lip of the roof is very sharp, so the trick is to back-clean as much as possible before the roof, and from a good stance under the roof, place one or two medium-sized cams in the middle of the roof on VERY long slings (we used 3 shoulder-length slings clipped together, which worked great). Undercling the roof to the right (avoiding the A4-), pull the lip, clip a fixed yellow Alien (the wires broke, so I couldn't get it out, but it's a good piece), and finally face climb a couple moves to the left under a massive shelf to an amazingly exposed, hanging, bolted belay on the arête.

Originally, I set a natural belay at the fixed yellow Alien, although this required the next pitch to traverse around the very sharp arête. Not only was this very dangerous, but it didn't allow the pitch to reach the summit. The face moves getting to the arête and keeping the rope off the sharp lip of the roof is the reason it's key to have the long slings under the roof. It was considered to place one or two bolts on the face to keep the rope off the sharp lip instead of the long slings under the roof; however, using the long slings was completely safe as you can get good gear in at the lip.

Pitch 6: 5.10 (70 feet). This is sometimes wet. Traverse left from the arête under the shelf for a few moves and join back with the original aid line. When the shelf becomes a manageable bulge, clip a high bolt and face climb up to the aid line belay ledge. Continue up past two more bolts to a big ledge, which is where the collected water drips from when it is wet. Climb up and right past a piton and finish in the chimney or on the arête to the left. Traverse left on big ledges to gain the summit and belay bolts.

A big thanks to Will Butler for conceiving of freeing this route and his hard work the last two seasons trying to make it safe and climbable.

Undertow (free)

Mer Dascht (We Thirst)

Espresso

Old Rappel Route

Seven Sins (Sinners on Sunday to High Variance)

Coffee Achievers

Cannonball Corner

Escape Route

Harry Cary

Unnamed Bolted Face

Good Evans

The Rusty Dagger

Undertow

Rainbow Highway

Cary Granite

The Ant Farm

Roofer Madness

Parallel Universe

Sinners On Sunday

The Emerald Highway

High Variance

Road Warrior

Phil-a-Guster

Start up

Cannonball Corner

and diverge as the topo shows.  Easy aid to the end of pitch two. There were some loose things that we may have skipped cleaning on the pitch two traverse because we were gunning for the top in one day.  This would all go free and be really nice, maybe 5.11, maybe harder with pump factored in to the rating.  It might be very tough to retreat from the end of pitch two.

The third pitch is outstanding.  Hands and fingers up to a great ledge. Might be just 5.9.  Like the good stuff on

Cannonball

, only thinner and thus "better".  I wrote "dry bivvy" on the topo, even though we got up in one day.  The important thing is that from the end of pitch one to the end of the crux aid the route stayed dry during a huge rainstorm.

Pitch four is an upside down rurp traverse.  Bad swing into the dihedral wall if it all rips, thus A4-. I don't think anything ripped for the second, so maybe not too bad.  A rope left hanging from the top would perhaps be lasso-reachable for an insanely exposed, upward, jumar escape.

Our last pitch is also the last pitch of

Cannonball

.  Easier, unless it is wet and dark.

This route has five pitches of excellent climbing in the .10+ to .11 range. Because if its position, it dries out very early in the spring (typically by the time the road opens). However, thunderstorm activity significantly impacts the route, and unless you are down for some wetness, I would avoid it after the monsoon starts (typically early July through mid-August). It gets full sun in the mornings. Also, it is a much longer day than your typical Black Wall route - expect a full day of climbing.

Pitch 1(.9). If climbing from the ground (not recommended), then climb forgettable terrain up to the notch. Then climb the slightly vegetated crack splitting the face into and up a grassy corner. Move right into another crack up to the belay you just rappelled from. This pitch is a bit grassy but ok if you want a warm-up before the harder climbing. Many parties will be happier starting the route from the start of pitch 2.

Pitch 2 (11-). Climb the fantastic finger crack until it ends. Climb 15 feet of grassy corner, and move out onto the face via an obvious traverse. That is the only time you should be in the grassy corner on this pitch. Climb up and right 20 feet on cracks and step right to a good stance with a first bolt. Climb the twin seams, and place gear when you can in the right one, and then clip a second bolt. At the third bolt step right into tufa features. At the fourth (fifth?) bolt, climb the left arête near the bolt, and then generally go straight up and right on the path of least resistance ultimately going about 10 feet right just before you reach the belay. Arrive at the belay with the two widely spaced bolts. Build an anchor with small gear in a crack in the wall, and back it up with the top bolt to one of your ropes.

Pitch 3 (10+). Traverse straight right off the belay 10 feet to a corner. Move up 20 feet, and take a nice dihedral with a handcrack at the back for another 15-20 feet. Climb a detached, but apparently stable, flake that is about 8 inches wide, and move all the way right into the corner. Climb that corner for 15-20 feet. If you are comfortable, do NOT place gear in the corner, it will create bad rope drag. There is a bolt about 15 feet above the 8 inch flake on the face that will drastically reduce rope drag (use a double length runner). With the bolt just below your feet, traverse straight LEFT around the arête. Look up and slightly left, and identify a bolt line (3 total bolts) in a white, right-facing dihedral. Move left and up through less-than-perfect rock. Find a bolt on the right side under the hanging roof and clip. Pull up into the dihedral, place gear, clip a first bolt, clip a second bolt, traverse straight left along easy terrain for 10 feet, and set a belay at the base of the White Corner.

Pitch 4, The White Corner (.11), possibly the crux pitch. It is short but full value the whole way. Climb the corner until it ends, maybe 60 feet. Traverse straight right on a big ledge, past the rappel anchors, step up under a hanging flake, and traverse as far right as possible. Build a belay in the obvious crack.

Pitch 5 (.11), the other possible crux pitch. This is sometimes a little damp for a few feet at the start, but it is definitely still climbable. Climb the finger/hand crack straight up, solve a V1 boulder problem, and clip a bolt. Move straight left 15 feet on a ledge to gain a new crack, move up 20 feet to a horizontal crack, and traverse back right all the way to the arête on decent hands and dwindling feet. It has an exciting finish gaining the arête. There is one bolt with a small piece nearby at a stance on the arête to build an anchor. Place gear for your second in the crack four feet to the left of the anchor, and back up your anchor there, too.

Pitch 6 (.10+). Climb the crack on the left side of the arête past a bolt. Climb up some blocky terrain, and clip a second bolt. Work right out to the arête, clip a third bolt- step out over the void, and climb up to a broken/rotten band and ledge. Climb slightly right of the arête (3-5 feet) up a weakness for 15 feet or so, and then move back left to a bolt. Climb a sick flake up to a bolted belay on a huge ledge.

Pitch 7 (.8). Climb up and slightly right of the arête (within about 2-10 feet at almost all times). When that path ends, move right on a big ledge to a wideish but easy corner, and climb straight up to top out.

iThis is the obvious crack system just left of

Coffee Achievers

(which, by the way, is a great route that rarely gets done). Espresso merges with

Coffee Achievers

at the top of the 4th pitch.

Rappel down the Black Wall via the standard rappel route, and scramble north (right) along the base of the wall, past the

Rusty Dagger

and

Parallel Universe

aid routes. The route begins on a large ledge about 50 feet above the base of the wall, which is just north and a bit down (via a 4th class chimney) from the larger, grassy ledge from which

Parallel Universe

is accessed. Note that, although this climb is adjacent to

Coffee Achievers

, you access

Coffee Achievers

from the valley floor rather than by traversing the base of the Black Wall.

P1). Climb up the finger and hand crack on the far, right side of the ledge (5.10) to a stance.

P2). Continue up the crack using stem, layback, and crack techniques (5.11a) to easier climbing, and then continue up the crack to the same ledge system that forms the 3rd belay of

Coffee Achievers

. Note that the Espresso belay is well left of the

Coffee Achievers

belay on this ledge system.

P3). Traverse left about 40 feet to an obvious boulder, then climb a shallow, left-facing dihedral with a bush or two (5.10) to a stance on top of a pillar-like feature.

P4). Continue up and right about 60 feet to the base of the chimney slot which is also the belay for

Coffee Achievers

.

P5). Climb through the often wet chimney, through an overhanging (but easy) hand crack. Above this, stem up a pegmatitic section until you can gain access to the left wall, and two, horizontal cracks. A tough move, 5.10, to actually gain the wall gets you to the cracks. Follow the cracks out straight left (5.9) until you get to easier ground. Another 40 feet of easy climbing puts you on top.

This route was climbed as part of a near miss on

Cary Granite

.  Maurice's high point the lip of the roof and reached the sharp-edged, diagonal crack. But we did discover that doing the route labled 'A' on the topo was really nice.

Do the first pitch of

Good Evans

, 5.10+ route crux.  Steel nuts protect thin moves using black xenoliths and the seam.  This has excellent rock quality. Maybe it is only 5.8, A0 if you aid the short crux.

Do the second pitch of

Cary Granite

; 5.10 fingers-liebacking on beautiful, polished rock. Pass the point where

Cary Granite

takes a right.  End at the single-bolt & double pin rap anchor. Shown as red dots on the topo-image.

Maurice and I added in an extra pitch, and some 5.11-, by deviating onto

Cary Granite

.

The final pitch, 5.4, starts wide, even takes smaller gear, and is 5.8 only when wet.  Pass the two bolt rap station, ignore the tempting ledges, and stretch it to the top, 45 meters. The last move is also noted as 5.8 on the old topo, that's when wet. Nice 5.3 finish to the chains. A large stoppper and small sling thread help back up a more comfortable sitting belay, instead of hanging off the chains.

This is a very natural linkup of the harder climbing on

Sinners on Sunday

and

High Variance

. P3 is likely the hardest lead, but P5 is more powerful.

It's a surprisingly warm section of the wall. The upper pitches go into the shade around 1:30 in August.

We climbed this link-up on 8/19/15 after sampling portions of both routes on 8/14/15.

Approach by rappelling down

SOS

/

Rainbow Highway

. To find these raps, scramble down to the top of the buttress at the far end of the Black Wall. A two bolt anchor with silver chains on a roomy, grassy ledge marks the top. Four straightforward, half rope raps with a 70 meter rope on two bolt anchors leads to the base of P3. From there, another half rope rap gets you to a comfortable gear belay on a grassy ledge at the base of P2.

More details can be found under

SOS

and

HV

, but here's what we found/thought:

P1. Climb grassy 5.8 to a gear belay below the big, left-facing corner.

P2. Climb enjoyable 5.10- up the corner which leads to a three bolt traverse to the left. Climb over and clip the second bolt. Then traverse back right a foot or two and make a few difficult downclimbing moves that revolve around a positive left hand crimp. Stay low and traverse easily over to a two bolt anchor. Reach back and clip the third bolt for the second (the second needs to unclip the 2nd bolt before committing to the downclimb, but both leader and second are essentially on toprope for crux), 30 meters, 5.12/V5-ish.

P3. This is the best pitch on the route. It has 30 meters of good climbing with a definite crux past the bolt low on the pitch, 12c-ish.

Walk and scramble 20 meters left around the corner on a big, grassy ledge to a comfortable gear belay on its far left side.

P4. Head left into the big corner to join

High Variance

. Bob and weave awkwardly up the corner, past some wet bits, before hand traversing right to a small ledge at the base of a hanging corner, 25 meters, 5.10+ish. Make a gear belay.

P5. Awkward scabby 5.11- up the corner above, with a few more wet bits, leads to a ledge traverse to right. Place two critical small cams, and then do a V2/3-ish boulder problem up to a bolt. Then do a hard V5-ish boulder, to gain easier runout climbing to a comfortable ledge and two bolt anchor, 25 meters, 12c-ish PG-13.

The crux is spicy with the ledge so close to tricky, powerful climbing, and the belayer out of view. It is possible to continue up a wet 5.10 hand crack to the left and traverse easily over to the two bolt anchor if the 5.12 bit proves problematic. As mentioned in the High Variance comments, this pitch would be better if the bolt positions were changed.

P6. Scabby, endurance funk up some flared cracks past a bolt leads to jugs at a horizontal break. Traverse left a few feet, and make an awkward move up into a wide crack and a near no-hands rest. Continue up the steep corner above, before a final little crux that moves right to a gear belay at a horizontal crack, and small stance, 25 meters, 512b-ish.

(I believe we belayed a bit higher than Wilder, which accounts for the easier final pitch.)

P7. Clip a bolt just up and right from the anchor, and do some fun climbing up the arete past a mix of bolts and gear. Skip the two bolt anchor just below the rim, regain the first rap station, 30 meters, 5.11b-ish.

Big thanks to Matt, Dan, Scott, Greg, and Jackie for establishing these routes. They're good fun, and you can't beat the Black Wall's approach. However, I think the rock is generally too scabby for this linkup to be considered a classic. Perhaps with a lot more traffic things will clean up significantly.

This is the crack system just right of

Espresso

on the far right hand side of the Black Wall. Coffee Achievers merges with Espresso somewhere near the second to last pitch.

This route rarely gets climbed and can prove to be quite a challenge if you haven't been doing squats on a regular basis.

Rappel down the Black Wall via the standard rappel route which will bring you near the base of

Good Evans

.  From here, you will still need to get to the valley floor, which is another 200-300 feet down.  We downclimbed for a bit, then used a blue sling rap station to get to the bottom (200 foot rappel).  From here, scramble north (right) among the huge boulders, past

The Rusty Dagger

,

Parallel Universe

, and

Espresso

coming to the far right side near a broken up and grassy ledge/chimney section.  You will be able to see a pillar with white slings at the top.  This is the first pitch (at least, it's the one we did.  There are several other sets of slings further to the right--maybe variations or other climbs???)

Pitch 1 - Climb to the top of a pillar using a thin crack and face holds-belay out right.  5.9ish, 180-190 feet.

Per

Greg Cameron

: start on a highly-vegetated section of easy climbing. The original route went to the very top of this easy section to gain access to a left-slanting crack which is up and right of the first left-slanting crack system that you encounter. A rib of rock separates the two. If you do the crack on the left side of the rib (as a continuation of pitch 1), you will end up at the base of the overhanging 5.10+ fist crack described in the route description. Just past the overhang you merge with the actual route. If you do the crack on the right side of the rib, the description that I posted above (and Ken's original description) is relevant. The original route is much cleaner and a little easier.

Pitch 2 - Climb the overhanging fist crack out right--felt pretty hard 10+?--We belayed after the overhang.

Pitch 3 - Go up a left-angling crack system with many liebacks, 5.10.

Pitch 4 - Do more liebacking up the same crack system eventually working out right onto a small ledge,  5.10.

Pitch 5 - Climb another left-angling crack system with many liebacks (hard pitch 10+). Eventually pulling onto a large ledge with an 3 piton belay--pretty long pitch, 170-180 feet.

Pitch 6 - Climb through the soaking wet, heavily vegetated chimney, eventually stepping out left with some thin face climbing--set hanging belay.  The crux pitch?? Nothing felt harder than 5.9/10-, but it is very slick and loose, 130-150 feet.

Pitch 7 - Climb the left-angling crack for 15 feet (5.8) then do a foot traverse with disappearing hands for 15-20 more feet to a wet and vegetated crack that will lead you to the top with some scrambling, 60 feet total??

The old topo we had called this a 5 pitch route. It took us 7 pitches which all were long and strenuous.

Overall, it was a fun, adventurous day, but we felt it was much harder and more committing than Good Evans.  There is quite a bit of loose rock and vegetation on this route so wear your helmet and bring some gardening equipment if desired!

Cannonball Corner climbs the main, right-facing dihedral system that forms the right edge of Road Warrior Buttress. The route starts off in the second-to-left most dihedral in the system. The route will eventually merge with the leftmost dihedral at the end of the 3rd pitch. After having done it for the third time yesterday (8/4/2018), it’s particularly clear to me that this is almost certainly the loosest of the routes on the wall.  I love this kind of climbing, but it’s not for everybody. Parts of the first, third, and fifth pitches involve heads-up climbing with loose flakes ranging in size from dinner plates to maybe 10 times larger. The crux pitch, (4th) is the cleanest, for sure.

Because I did this (for the third time) just after a couple of reported other ascents, I think that I can say something about anticipation of wet conditions. The two parties that commented before me said they experienced dry conditions. Yesterday, we experienced wetness at the very start and also on the fifth pitch. It had rained in the mid-afternoon in Denver the day before. I remember thinking that maybe we should climb elsewhere, but we went for it, and I'm glad we did. The lesson, however, is that wetness on this climb is mainly due to seepage and can vary from day-to-day. The Black Wall has a broad flat top, perfect for retaining local, transient rainfall. Keep this in mind in your plans.

Pitch 1 (160 feet). The belay for the first pitch is not obvious. To get to it, don't stay too high. You need to descend a few discontinuous ledges from the start of Good Evans and Road Warrior before continuing north (climber's right). As you continue past

Road Warrior

, the huge dihedral system will come into view. I would think that a bolted anchor here would be a welcome addition. As it is, find anything you can in the scree beneath the start. The climb starts off in a short, right-facing, widish crack that leads up to a short, right-facing lieback to the base of a left leaning ramp. This is only a fifth of the way up the pitch, so watch for rope drag here. Climb the easy ramp, and near its top, do some face climbing to a short, right-facing dihedral, work up and bit right, past an old bolt, and then back left into the dihedral system again (5.9 heads-up). Continue up past an overhang (5.10a) to a nice ledge.

Pitch 2 (100 feet).  A perfect hand size crack goes up for 60 feet (5.9), leading to a lower-angle ramp trending left (with a bit of looseness at the transition). Belay near the top of the ramp and below a steep section of crack.

Pitch 3 (80 feet). Ascend the steep crack that widens to 4 inches and more to a 2-foot by 2-foor ledge that is of questionable stability underneath a huge roof (5.9, heads-up). There are some loose flakes in the crack that are difficult not to use (I jam them). A number 5 Camalot can be helpful on this pitch, although this is the first time that I used one here.

Pitch 4 (40 feet). To your right is a crack that turns a small roof and then continues through a bigger roof 35 feet out. The 5.10+ crux of the route is underclinging the bigger one. You actually have to climb down a bit to pull the undercling. You just have to suck it up and do it here. A number 5 can be used to help protect this, but I have always placed it after doing the actual crux. Smaller gear is to your left and above you.

Pitch 5 (90 feet). This pitch is often wet, but I’ve never experienced it as too wet to climb. Move a bit left and then up some loose flakes for maybe 30 feet (5.7 heads up), and then angle up and mostly right across a face to the obvious weakness in the overhangs  Place gear at the base of the overhangs above to protect this section. The last few feet are the crux (5.10b/c) as you ascend the short overhang. Belay at a spectacular stance (don't forget to look down here).

Pitch 6 (50 feet). Move a bit down and right for 15 feet and then up and left to the top (grassy).

This is way left of the rap.  Let's say you bail off

Road Warrior

.  Maybe you wonder whether that wall to the left had a way up and out while others are working it out on your primary objective?  Well, it goes without too much trouble, I survived it just fine, no harder than 5.9 on so-so rock.  It has 2 long pitches and a short one out and then up to your packs.

This is a tips to fingers variation into the roof pitch of

Cary Granite

.  Instead of traversing in from atop the 2nd pitch of

Cary Granite

, traverse in from the 2nd pitch of

Good Evans

.

P1: Climb the first pitch of

Good Evans

, but belay atop the flake.  The belay takes hand-sized pieces (5.10d).

P2: Climb the first 10-15 feet of the

Good Evans

crack until you can traverse left on a good rail.  Then climb the tips to fingers crack into the

Cary Granite

roof and beyond (5.11).

P3: Climb to the top (5.10).

Although you don't get to climb the great p2 corner of

Cary Granite

, you do get to climb a great finger crack!  The traverse into the crack is nowhere near as hard as the traverse in from the original route (probably 5.9).

This could be a direct start for

Espresso

.  A nice crack up to a line of bolts past some big xenoliths.  5.11+ is what we remember.  The first attempts were initiated by Kirk Miller and Rusty Kirkpatrick about 1989. Noel Childs and Gerry Rock must have been involved, too. Strappo Hughes was first to finish the pitch using double-boots in winter.

Mello approach:  Use the Summit Lake gullies both in and out. Axe can be nice of snowfield.

Best descent is to clean the anchor and climb up the ledge toward

Rusty Dagger

.  Classic walk off on ledge (third class) followed by hiking the gully back up to Summit Lake.  See Map @

mountainproject.com/images/…

Leave the parking lot and hike over to Spalding (adjacent peak). I believe the hike was around 40 minutes and the trail is faint. After passing some steep chimneys/gullies, start looking for a 2 bolt rap anchor (with chains) at the edge of the wall (Black Wall).  Use two 60m ropes to rappel twice, or one 70m to rappel four times, trending right.  If rappelling with one 70m, the last station is the top of p1.

To start the route, locate a flake system that leads to a thin crack/seam. Also, from the top of this flake system, the beautiful looking 4" crack

Road Warrior

appears to the right.

P1 (crux)- start up the flakey features, moving upward and slightly right, passing a fixed pin and leading into a crack. This crack narrows into a seam. I promise that somewhere before the crux, a bomber #2 Rock can be placed. Continue to a small ledge system which jogs up and to the left towards some fixed anchors. This pitch is given 11a, but may be a hair easier.

P2 (9) - step a to the right from the belay and work yourself onto what can best be described as a really large flake (crux of P2). At the top of this flake, move a few feet right to access a killer splitter system (8). Most of this is around the 3.5 Friend size. This pitch finishes in sort of a sheltered pod/alcove just above some blocky stuff and puts you at the base of a wide dihedral. Anchor gear isn't obvious; use a #4 Camalot and big stopper for a bomber belay.

P3 (8) - continue up the wide dihedral and move right at its roof. Move up and around right and into another good crack system (probably 3 - 3.5 Friends). This ends at a small ledge and roughly a steep right-facing dihedral with a roof not too far above. Carefully set an anchor as some of the rock is hollow sounding.

P4 (10/10+) - move upward to the roof in this steep section. The climbing is very unique on this pitch. It was a mixture of crack and face holds. Pass a fixed pin before the roof. At the roof, move left and around a corner to gain a small belay ledge with three modern bolts

P5 (5.easy) - there are probably a few ways to gain the top (only about 30 or 40 vertical feet) from the end of P4. I moved left and did a bit of traversing. Move upward where it looks easy. This seemed to be the path of least resistance during a good rain. This put me near a large flat boulder about 25 ft. behind the top of the cliff where I set my belay.

Additional Comments: As we began the 2nd pitch, it started to rain and continued for the rest of the route. With the exception of the last pitch the route remained dry (or dry enough) to climb. It is steep and protected by the roof near the top. Be careful on the last pitch if it is wet - lots of traversing and not much gear. This route was awesome and no one was on it but our 2 groups of 2. At the top we saw a herd of mountain goats as a bonus.

Hang your packs over the edge from one of the anchor stations or the marmots will eat them.

See the topos.  To really do the Black Wall directly, one climbs either

Parallel Universe

or Rusty Dagger.  Wetness and blankness make

Parallel

hard to free.  Plenty of nice, dry, rain-sheltered, crack on the Dagger.  The line cuts through the center of the rotten, ach-forming, sector that undercuts the wall.

Some serious cleaning might create the most epic, smoker approachable, alpine trad-wall, in America. Until then read about "red crud" and other details in Andy Donson's report; American Alpine Journal, 1999, pages 240-1.

It is doubtful that anyone else will want to claim a better free ascent.  Andy writes that he was past the crux, told Cameron "it's in the bag", then pulled off a block on less critical terrain, which caused him to have to aid back up to his highpoint, because he was injured from the fall.

Here's the description, I'll give my personal comments and more beta in a comment below:

Start on

The Emerald Highway

.

Pitch 1: start up a shallow, left-facing corner. After about 40 feet, it ends at a ledge. Above the ledge is an arch. Follow the arch to its apex, and face climb up to a small, bushy ledge above below another arch, 80 feet, 5.10+.

Pitch 2: climb straight up off the belay aiming for a bolt, just above a bulge created by the arch. After clipping the bolt, do a couple of moves up and then traverse left to another bolt. Gain a left-facing corner and continue up this to a 2 bolt anchor on a very nice ledge to the left. Pay close attention to gear through this section, it's there and it's good, 90 feet, 5.10-.

Pitch 3: climb up and right through a lower angle and vegetated section. You are aiming for the obvious, huge corner system above. Splitter cracks will appear on the left side. Climb the crack system to a 2 bolt belay at a stance on the right, 140 feet, 5.10.

Pitch 4: continue climbing up the huge dihedral above. This is a stellar pitch, combining various jamming techniques with liebacking, stemming, and face holds. Climb out the left side of a roof and continue up to a bolt on the left. Traverse left past the bolt and gain a nice ledge system and a 2 bolt belay, 120 feet, 5.10+.

Pitch 5: traverse left on the ledge system to a hand crack around the corner. Climb the crack (if you place gear here use a double runner)and follow the weakness back right into a left facing flake/crack. Continue up this feature to its top. Use awesome chickenheads (one is a 3 foot long tufa!) to ascend the blank face above. The face is protected by 2 bolts. Traverse back left on horizontals to a clean jam crack, which is ascended to yet another awesome belay stance with 2 bolts, 100 feet, 5.10-.

Pitch 6: climb the face above the belay on more cool chickenheads. Clip 2 bolts that lead you rightward to a series of angling seams. Follow these seams back up left to a small roof with an obvious break. Surmount the roof and clip a bolt. Traverse left on really cool features to gain a thin crack. Continue up the crack to a grassy ledge. Climb left of the crack up a large flake/block. At the left side of this (it's turned into a small ledge), climb up the short arete and gain another nice ledge and 2 bolt belay, 120 feet, 5.10+ (5.11-??).

Pitch 7: face climb straight up off the belay on smaller chickenheads and horizontals. Place gear in the horizontals! Gain a stance with a small roof above it. Climb right off the stance, up a short crack and break in the roof. Gain another stance/small ledge and traverse back left. Find gear in a crack, then reach up and yard on the obvious chickenhead jugs to gain the next ledge. Traverse right to a bolt, after climbing above this bolt head back left to another bolt and a bit of cool slabby climbing below a roof. Enter a very short chimney/cave and climb out its right side. A funky move onto a ledge followed by 1 more funky move onto the summit ledges. The anchor is 2 bolts and is back quite a ways from the edge, placed high on the next(short) section off cliff. Runner your gear well! 130 feet, 5.10-.

This is the obvious crack system just left of

Good Evans

. We did this in 1990, wrote it up in the old, loose-leaf guidebook at the Bucksnort, but the guidebook was since stolen.

P1. Climb the first pitch of

Good Evans

(5.10d).

P2. From the belay stance, continue straight up the Rappel Route about 80 feet past two sections of 5.10/5.10+ lieback followed by a 5.11- undercling. Belay just left of the obvious splitter crack that begins here and extends all the way to the top of the wall.

P3. Move right on 5.11b/c face moves to the incipient crack and then move up (5.11b) past a couple of small roofs. The crack widens from fingers to hands and then to hands and fists. Belay at the stance in the crack.

P4. Continue up the crack (5.9 - 5.10) past the large roof on your right to a stance in the crack. Nearly every placement on this pitch is a number 3 to 4 Camalot size.

P5. Follow the crack for a short easy pitch to the top.

The climbing on this route is really quite nice. If it were longer, it would be a really good route.

1) Climb the dihedral listed below, climb through the roof and belay on a nice ledge on the left after 130 feet. 10+.

2) Step right from the ledge climb up a thin flake placing some small gear and traverse right into features leading up into a left-leaning crack. Follow that up to a more broken area and take the first crack system on the right. Run the rope out an belay. 5.10R.

3) Climb up the most fun looking ground above the belay (there are some pleasant bits), ending on a grassy ledge system. 5.8.

To exit, scramble up and right to the top of the Black Wall.

Hey so after attempting to do Roofer Madness from the third class ledges start on September 14, 2021, I believe that a significant part of the crumbly traverse must have fallen off since our ascent 29 years ago. It used to be around 5.8, and you could get your hands in a horizontal crack directly beneath the white roof. It would appear that what formed the bottom part of the crack has fallen away. This was always the rottenest part of the route, but it's particularly rotten now - and much harder - rotten and harder such that I didn't even really make much of an attempt. I feel it is my duty now to warn people to stay away from this route. I may still try to rappel in from the top and see if I can figure out an alternative, but I'm not sure that there will be one.

Roofer Madness is the biggest route in the Black Wall cirque, as it starts a little lower and tops out a little higher than every other route. It ascends the beautiful, north-facing buttress and arete that can be seen from the top of the main (east-facing) Black Wall when looking southeast. It starts on the climber's left side of the arete and traverses to the right side around mid-climb. The route is a little dirty in places and will take a few ascents to clean up. Give yourself a full day for this endeavor.

The route was partly cleaned on rappel in 1990 (only the first two pitches) and both the 1st and most of the 2nd halves of the route were climbed by Greg Cameron and Clare Dunning prior to the first bottom to top ascent by Cameron and Lowe in 1991 or 1992.

The upper half of the climb, beginning with the crux pitch, can be accessed by descending down 3rd and 4th class grassy ledges from the southeast and then traversing right (5th class) immediately beneath the lower of the two huge roofs. This path intersects Mer Dascht near the top of the third pitch, below the three bolts. This is a good strategy on a day in which rain is expected early. This part of the climb faces west (unlike Mer Dascht, which faces northeast, and the lower part of Roofer Madness, which faces north.).

The recommended access is via rappel down the Black Wall and then scrambling on scree to the prominent north-facing apron that forms the beginning of the buttress. This allows you to see the route before climbing it. An alternate access (now) is to do the Mer Dascht rappels. Roofer Madness starts a little right of the first pitch of this climb. Mer Dascht always stays well left of the actual arete that is the Roofer Madness arete. Roofer Madness starts close to the left of the arete for the first half and then crosses over to the right side of the arete around mid-climb. I mean, you are getting the full arete experience.

The route starts in a hand and fist crack situated in the middle of the apron that forms the (left-side) bottom of the Roofer Madness buttress. You are in the right place if you see two huge roofs looming a few hundred feet above you, one directly on the prow, and a higher one just on the right side of the prow. I use the word prow as synonymous with arete, and there really is an amazing arete which goes from bottom to top between the buttress-defining dihedrals of the Roofer Madness buttress. You will have to kick steps in some snow to get to the base of the route.

I modified this description on September 16, 2019 after rappelling and then climbing (on toprope) the upper pitches with my friend, Laurent. We stopped at the top of the 5.11a roof pitch. My original description was based on a 15-year-old memory (I'm sure I would have still screwed it up at 6 months). In this description, I have eliminated one pitch above the crux, since Laurent and I toproped it this way.

P1. Apron crack (5.10); 170 feet. Follow the hand and fist crack up and left past a grassy depression. The crack thins to fingers and, after another 30 feet or so, a branch of the crack goes straight up for another 80 feet to a small ledge. This crack involved a fair amount of cleaning prior to and during the first ascent. Fun pitch!

P2. Black slot (5.9); 80 feet. Follow the finger crack up and a bit left to a blackish-colored slot, which is the continuation of a prominent right-facing dihedral that begins at the base of the buttress. Ascend the slot (5.9 - 5.10), and find a belay stance.

P3. Wander on the left side of prow; 130 feet. Work up easier ground, staying on the left side of the prow, to a belay on the left side of a large roof.

P4. A crumbly traverse (5.8?); 50 feet. When nearly even with the roof, traverse straight right along a prominent but crumbly, horizontal fracture system underneath a short overhang to a ledge. At this point, you are on the right side of the prow and about 70 feet beneath a huge roof with a crack leading to it that branches into two after about 15 feet. This pitch is a great example of something that is common in the Black Wall cirque --. Roofs become ledges along horizontal fractures (and vice versa).

P5. The crux hand and fingers (5.11); 70 feet. Ascend the right-hand  crack to a hanging belay immediately beneath the roof. If feeling particularly strong, this pitch and the next can be done as one (hey, it's only 120 feet of climbing).

P6. Angling roof (5.11-); 50 feet. This is the defining pitch of the climb because this is the biggest roof, and the only one that you can't climb around.. Follow the crack up and right through the 45-degree-angling roof (5.11a with a little wide climbing) to a very exposed belay on the right side of the prow. Your rope will hang nearly 40 feet from the wall and, if you have to bail, you will need to down-aid this roof (I've done this twice). This is a spectacular pitch. There is one fixed pin in the middle as well as a pin at the belay. Note that parts of this pitch can be wet at times (It wasn't at all wet 2 days ago).

P7. Discontinuous cracks (5.10); 170 feet. Work up and a bit left on tricky, somewhat hard-to-protect 5.10 climbing and then back right underneath a roof and then back left again. Continue left underneath the really big roof (the crack through this roof will likely go at 5.11+) to access the prow, where the route intersects

Mer Dascht

.On this pitch, you never actually turn a roof.  Instead, you navigate around them. A fixed pin exists a little over half way up the pitch. Depending on rope drag, you may want an intermediate belay here (we did on the FA). When cleaned up, this will be a stellar pitch.

P8. The finish; 130 feet. You can either continue up the left side of the prow on

Mer Dascht

(with bolts) or cross over to the right side where there is a rappel/belay station. The climbing above the rappel station is 5.7-5.8 crack climbing. The finish is at the first

Mer Dascht

rappel station.

Zoom in on the picture of my old 1989

Rock & Ice

topo.

This route takes a line between

Rainbow Highway

and

High Variance

. It is on excellent rock and generally protects quite well. It shares the 3rd pitch of

Rainbow Highway

and the last 15 meters of High Variance.

Pitch 1. (5.9 PG-13, 55m) You are aiming for a wide-looking crack to the right of the start of

Coffee Achievers

and

High Variance

. At nearly the lowest point of the Black Wall, find a cairn and climb easy but interesting slab past a small flake with pro on its right side, up to a small roof that takes pro. Continue straight up and then angle left on the path of least resistance to the base of a large flake. This is somewhat runout slab and should probably be avoided if wet. If wet, take the obvious 5.easy ramp/crack starting 20 meters left of the actual start up to the corner. Climb the flake up and right into an overhanging corner and pull through on a thin hand crack. Climb up and right to the anchors on pitch 2 of

Rainbow Highway

.

Pitch 2. (5.12 or 5.10 C0, 35m) Climb pitch 3 of

Rainbow Highway

as follows: from the belay head up and right on grassy/slabby terrain to the corner. You are aiming for a handcrack and left-facing dihedral. At the top of the dihedral, leave

Rainbow Highway

and traverse left on three bolts (crux) to a bolted anchor.  Most people appear to clip the first two bolts then downclimb and traverse a bit lower.  If you aid, then it is only about 15 feet on bolts.

Pitch 3. (5.12 or 5.11 C1, 35m) Climb the splitter finger crack for 35 meters. Dont take anything larger than a 0.75 on this pitch. The difficulties start directly off the belay, with some tricky 5.11 finger crack. After 5 meters, clip a bolt where the crack pinches to a seam and fire the crux (5.12). Alternatively, clip the bolt, place a piece or two, and aid the crux, which is relatively short (about 2-3 meters). Then hold on for 25 meters of fantastic 5.11 fingers. Belay at bolted anchors.

Pitch 4. (5.11+ or 5.10+, 35m) Look directly up from the anchors and identify the large, left-facing weakness that goes through a wide-hands roof 25 meters up and to the left. Climb off the belay up left on unprotected 5.8 slab to gain a grassy ledge, or go around the corner farther left and climb a crack that will accept gear. Placing gear in the corner will significantly increase drag. Traverse back right and test the first, left-trending flake you come to, and decide if you trust it for gear (note that the flake flexes but has not come off on multiple ascents - including some fairly intense prying to try and get it to come off). Good gear can be had after the first 2 meters with supplemental gear available earlier in the

Rainbow Highway

corner to the right. Continue climbing the corner up to the final, horizontal roof and make a choice. Heading up and left through the roof is burly and incredibly exposed 5.11+ climbing with good protection. The route originally went through the roof, but the hand-traverse right around to the face is also fantastic and goes at 5.10 (keeping the pitch at 5.10+). In either case, belay at bolted anchors on the left side of the arête (hidden if you take the 5.10 exit).

Pitch 5. (5.11-, 35m) Take the obvious bolt line up 7 meters of slab, place pro, and pull through the roof. After the roof, traverse left towards the arête and then continue up to a bolt. Clip the bolt and pull up to an undercling (crux?), clip a bolt and pull through the second roof. Rejoin the last 5 meters of

Rainbow Highway

and belay at that routes bolted anchors.

Pitch 6. (5.11-, 25m) From the

Rainbow Highway

anchors traverse 6-7 meters straight left on a grassy ledge. Climb 3 meters up the face to gain a smaller ledge and continue left to the arête. Climb the arête past a bolt, up to the roof, and bypass the roof on the left. Climb the right side of a flake, clip a bolt, and climb the arête to the anchors of High Variance. This pitch shares about 15 meters of the last pitch of High Variance. A special thanks to Matt Wilder for allowing us to add the upper bolt to his route.

Pitch 7. (5.10, 10m) Climb straight up through the roof if dry or climb out right through the easier weakness to the final anchors on

Rainbow Highway

. This pitch is very short.

This route follows mostly continuous cracks for the length of the wall. With a few more ascents, it is a really nice continuous outing.

1) Start up a shallow, left-facing corner. After about 40 feet, it ends at a ledge. Above the ledge is an arch. Follow the arch to its apex, and face climb up to a small ledge above below another arch, 90 feet, 5.10+.

2) Climb over the arch, clip a bolt, and climb left past a second bolt to a shallow, left-facing corner. Follow this until you can step left on to a ledgy system and a two bolt belay, 5.10-, 90 feet.

3) Head towards the large, obvious corner. Climb up into the corner system using a nice hand crack on the left to avoid the blank section in the beginning. Belay at a two bolt belay on the right wall, 5.10, 140 feet.

4) Continue up the crack system passing a roof and belaying at the base of a chimney, 95 feet, 5.10+.

5) Follow the chimney to easier ground, and belay at a grassy ledge, 150 feet, 5.9.

6) Climb straight up over a couple of short walls and find yourself at the base of a chimney after about 80 feet. Follow this to its end, and make your way to the top of the wall, 5.7.

This route follows a bunch of cool features on the right side of the wall in an area that seems to be dry often. The style is varied though it requires a significant amount of crack climbing. As is standard on the Black Wall, the rock is fairly scaly in parts. Most of this comes off with traffic leaving behind perfect granite. The climbing is great, and as it sees more traffic, I think this route could become a classic. 3 bolts were added to protect the crux pitches in addition to 2 two-bolt belays (all 1/2 inch by 2 and 3/4 inch stainless steel bolts). 3x additional 3/8 bolts added to protect the crux and move belay stances - THESE BOLTS NEED TIGHTENING, PLEASE BRING A WRENCH. All pitch lengths below are rough estimates:

Pitch 1: follow the crack / corner up and right to lower angled terrain. Mostly just follow the path of least resistance. Belay on a ledge where the rock becomes more vertical and there are less grassy clumps. Gear belay (5.8, 100 feet).

Pitch 2: start up the corner, and then after about 20-30 feet of climbing, head left on flakes. Climb up a big undercling / left-facing flake left of the main crack to a small ledge that joins the main crack. Belay here or go up 10 more feet to another ledge. Gear belay (11a, 70 feet, can be linked with P1).

Pitch 3: follow the crack / corner up to the chimney feature and squeeze your way out the left side. Continue your way past bigger blocks that appear, and may be, somewhat loose. A couple more bouldery moves and you get to the big grassy ledge. Gear belay (10c, 160 feet).

Pitch 4: climb the left-most crack in the corner for about 30-40 feet. Eventually trend right on cracks that lead up to the roof and follow juggy holds up and right around the roof and onto a small stance. Follow the crack in the arching corner via some delicate smearing and laybacking. Continue up to a nice ledge with a bolted belay. (11a, 80 feet).

Pitch 5: at this point, the corner continues to the left and a cool seam splits the bulge above. Follow some face moves out right to get into the seam and clip a bolt. Pull crux sloper moves through a bulge that leads to easier climbing up to a ledge. Bolt belay (12b, 40 feet).

Pitch 6: move out right to enter a collection of flared cracks. Move past some decent gear and then up to a bolt. Continue up and slightly right to the big, horizontal ledge. Cut back left a bit through the roof to join the corner. Pull another smaller roof into the full corner and continue up the corner and around to the left to a bouldery crux that lead up to horizontals. Follow the horizontals right to the arete and belay at a single bolt, you can reach the first bolt of the next pitch to back it up. (12b, 80 feet).

Pitch 7: follow the arete via slappy moves. Continue up the arete switching sides a couple of times until reaching a ledge just below the top of the cliff. Bolt belay, or combine with P8 and continue to the summit (12a, 60 feet).

Pitch 8: climb straight up through the roof if dry (5.10b). Otherwise climb out right through the easier weakness to gain the summit. There is a bolt belay on the short wall up and right (this is the top of

Rainbow Highway

). Bolt belay (10b, 30 feet).

This is a long offwidth route that will leave you gasping for air  at 13,000+ feet of elevation.  Much of the crack system is completely featureless on the outside with laybacking the positive edges the only possible respite from direct offwidthing.  Road Warrior ascends the left side of the Black Wall and shares three pitches with

Good Evans

.  Rappel from the first set of bolt anchors you come across when you reach the Black Wall.  After the second double rope rappel (might need new webbing), scramble downhill until you are standing in front of the wide, splitter crack.

Pitch 1:  We climbed the left-facing flake and crack system to its top, 5.7 100'.

Pitch 2:  Step left to the crack using a narrow foot ledge.  Climb the wide crack for over 100' to a belay ledge with a good bolt, fixed nut, and ring piton you probably don't want to tie into.  It is not a bad idea to have a large piece left for this belay, 5.10 110'.

Pitch 3:  Do more offwidthing through steeper but more featured rock.  The wide stuff ends and some seams and ledges lead up to a nice stance, 5.10 140'.

Pitch 4:  This is the same as

Good Evans

.  Climb up into the right-facing corner below the large roof past a couple pins and traverse out the left side of the overhang to an old bolt on a ledge.  5.10 50'.

Pitch 5:  Continue on easy ground to the top.

So this is the direct finish to

Good Evans

.

From the bolted belay on top of the roof, look straight up at the 2 fixed pins in the seam in the headwall (crux). Work your way up a crack system straight up from the belay to an awkward stance below a roof. Clip the first pin start pulling the roof, clip your second pin, and pull a large move to a jug.  Belay on a cozy ledge 5 feet from the rim.

This makes a much more enjoyable finish to

Good Evans

adding some awesome, steep, face climbing to the day!

Pins were installed by Ken Trout late summer of '08.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Black Wall