Burgundy Spire, Action Potential (III+ 5.10c)

 The East face of Burgundy Spire, pretty sweet looking, Man I was just here a couple days ago.

I climbed Ultra Mega OK (III+ 5.11a) just a few days prior not even realizing that Action Potential started about 10 feet to the Left. The cracks on the right are the start of Ultra Mega and the arching flake crack is the start of Action Potential. Man does that granite look good.

Me on the crux of the first pitch pulling over these crazy looking roofs, they look like they are going to be really hard but end up only being 5.9. That is sort of the story with the whole route, pitches look like they are going to be run out and hard but cracks and holds appear right were you need them most

No pitch was more like that than the third pitch, you almost can't even see any cracks and it looks like a blank slab with a slightly overhanging blank face above. Little did Jason Broman know that the slab had a 5.7 finger crack in it and the slab had two cracks and only a one move wonder 5.9. I wish we had some photos of the crux but alas. It is quite fun and it looks like it was even scrubbed a little. From the top of the 2nd pitch it traverses slightly left and pulls a blocky roof and gains a sweet and sustained 5.10c finger crack.  after climbing the finger crack for around 80ft it then breaks out and climbs a bunch of steep, juggy and slightly spooky flakes to a belay.

After the spooky flakes pitch Jason traversed around the corner for a fun pitch of 4th class to the base of a huge chimney.

Here I am climbing up the chimney. I don't think I stopped to short and climbed a full 200ft pitch to a ledge, of fun but sometimes loose chimney climbing. After the chimney was really the only downer of the entire climb, a 150ft kitty litter OW, the rock wasn't bad fort the whole pitch but when it was bad, it was way bad. I broke a hug foot hold and almost took a 50 footer. This lead to the Shoulder of Burgundy Spire. There was a group of three guys climbing up the regular North face route who where confused where we came from. We finished on the Original Becky finish, something I had never done before, it climbs right up the left hand arete past a small 5.8 roof with an old 1/4 bolt.  then follows just below the skyline on the north side until the final summit OW. We rapped down and packed up our bags, giving up on hopes to climb Varden Creek Spire the next day because of an impending storm.

Burgundy Spire, Ultra Mega OK (III+ 5.11a)

After a casual 7am wake up at our camp at Burgundy Col, we descending thto the edge of the Silver Star Glacier,  putting crampons on our approach shoes and daggering rocks in the semi-steep snow, making our way over to the East face of Burgundy

 The start of the first pitch, Super clean Splitter granite, too bad the whole route isn't this clean, the rock is as a whole pretty good

 Looking down at Andy Dahlen while climbing up the first pitch

 Andy Following the first fantastic pitch, Turns out Action Potential starts like 10ft to the left.

 Andy climbing a short and awkward chimney to a .75-2" splitter crack, it wasn't even that dirty this route is going to be awesome

 Andy and I trying to figure out where the third pitch goes?

 Looking down the 3ed pitch, this pitch did have some loose blocks and flakes and was quite dirty

 Andy Climbing up to the Crux, changing corner overhanging roofs pitch, turns out we should have climbed this section slightly to our right in a thinner seam

  Where do we go part 2, the topo said a crack, we climbed a face to a corner below the ridge crest, is this the way? Turns out the route did go through the roofs right above us. After the first 4 pitches the topo, was harder to follow or are 5 big days where catching up to us.

 Andy hitting the Ridge, where did we go, where did the route go? At last I would climb Action Potential a few days later and rap in and top rope the proper way. Guess I should talk to Mark Allen.

 On the big ledge that separates Piasano pinnacle from Burgundy, having fun, but a little frustrated at the route finding, lichen covered faces and dirty filled cracks. Did you climb the route or where we lost

Ah the last 250ft vertical hike back up to the Car, always a pain

Rampage (III 5.10d) on Piasano Pinnacle

  On Sept 19th 2011 Andy Dahlen and I hiked up to Burgundy Col, set up camp and climbed Rampage (III 5.10d) on our first day. We hiked up to the Col in 2 hrs and 30 minutes, pretty good time considering our heavy packs.  This was the first time I ever camped at Burgundy Col.  Every time I have every been there it has been super windy so we brought a fair bit of warm cloths and a burly tent.  Turns out it was super nice, relatively warm and not a breath of wind.

 Hanging out at the Col waiting for the face to go into the sun, rocking out to my Iphone. What can I say Every day I'm Hustling

 After soloing up the first bit of 4th class here I am tackling the first of many stellar pitches

 Andy on the super sweet sustain 5.10c second pitch, the pitch is mostly sustained 5.10b fingers but pulling the rood is a little harder (5.10c?) and Andy took a decent sized fall.

 Looking up the same amazing second pitch right before Andy's wipe

 Andy following the 5.10d crux third pitch, this pitch was just off balance, a slightly leaning some times flaring finger to hands crack, but wicked fun never the less.

 Andy climbing up and leading the final pitch. Ahhh, where to go where to go, there where three options and after a lot of looking around we did really go through the overhanging OW, they looked super hard from below, but once actually climbing them, they really weren't that bad (5.9+) and had pro in the back, something you couldn't tell from below.

 Looking up the final OW pitch

 Looking down the final OW pitch with the sun starting to set, luckily we were only rapping right back down to our tent at Burgundy Col, this is the life!!!!

Rampage is the big obvious corner just to the right of the summit, its a stellar 5 star climb on excellent rock with great protection

The First Amendment (IV 5.11a) on the Le Petit Chaval

The First Amendment on the Le Petit Chaval just east of Washington pass (Red #2 on first photo) is a route I put up with Chris McNamara in 2009. Because we didn't know if it would go or not I didn't bother to draw a topo of the route along the way.  So on Sept 17 2011 I went back with my friend Andy Dahlen and to add a few bolts (4 to Belays and 1 lead bolt) and draw a topo.
 The second photo is of Andy starting the 3ed pitch of the route, one of the dirtiest for sure. While the route has some dirt filled cracks, it doesn't have much lichen and has very high quality rock.

  Andy Dahlen after putting in the two bolt anchor at the top of pitch three, these where his 5 and 6th bolts he has ever placed, alllll little Andy is growing up.

 Andy Dahlen climbing pitch 5 with a sweet view of the Liberty Bell group, we nearly bailed here as it started snowing, but after debating for a few minutes I grabbed the rack and kept going,  it did kept snowing, but never very hard.

 Andy Following the 5.10d 6th pitch, this pitch was the scariest in the snow because it is very delicate and traverses many steep sections and pulls two roofs protected by little gear and some small run out.

  Andy places the one lead bolt on pitch 7. The 5.11a crux is right of the belay and I broke a small foot hold while climbing it and landed on Chris McNamara's head.  The crux isn't that long, around 15 feet or so but it doesn't take the best pro so I decided to put on lead bolt in.

Andy and I at the top of pitch 9 where the First Amendment joins the Spontaneity Arete, from here its 2 more pitches to the top. Below are two pages that are the topo for the First Amendment (IV 5.11a)

North Early Winter Spire, Labor Pains (III 5.11a), Over Exposure and the Patriot cracks

 Andy Dahlen Following spiltters at the end of the first pitch of Labor Pains (III 5.11a)

  Andy Leading the corner at the start of pitch 2

 Andy just pulled the 5.11a roof and is now climbing spicy 5.10+ climbing above old pins and micro nuts

 Farther along the same pitch

 Andy starting the 4th and crux pitch. While the 4th pitch isn't sustained, it for sure has the hardest move, a burly 5.11 mantle above marginal gear and a slopping ledge

 On the Summit!!!!!!

 Climbing the sweet second pitch of Over Exposure (II 5.8) on Liberty Bell

 Replacing the south side anchors on Concord Tower

Andy Dahlein and I climbed Labor Pains (III 5.11a) on the West face of NEWS (North Early Winter Spire). It is an obscure and not commonly done route but we thought it was excellent, but a little burly. The route ascends from the start of the chock stone gully about 60ft before breaking left toward the base of some splitter hand cracks and an obvious corner system that start the second pitch. The first pitch many might choose to climb unropped and is 5.0. The second pitch climbs the corner (5.11a mostly very small but a #4 is nice) then traverses left on 5.9 face to a ledge. The third pitch climbs through some trees up a west faceesque splitter and pulls a roof on the left side with a bolt (5.11a). The climbing continues on steep face with small nuts, cams and fixed pins (5.10d) to a two bolt anchor.  The route's 4th pitch ascends up and right over a bulge (5.11a crux mantle) then up easier terrain under the huge obvious roof near the top and joins the west face.

 

After Labor Pains, Andy and I walked over and climbed the Over Exposure route (II 5.8) on Liberty Bell, then climbed the Patriot cracks (II 5.8) on Concord Tower and replaced the bolts on the summit when rapping the south face. I put the bolts on both sides in with Jason Broman the previous year and apparently the North side bolts where great but the south face bolts pulled terribly so we moved them to help the rope pull better. Patriot cracks starts on the same pitch as the normal North face and is 60ft of 5.6 to a ledge. The second Pitch starts nearly all the way to the far East end of the ledge climbed tricky, slightly awkward very featured cracks (5.8) in corners to a small ledge. Pitch 3 traverses left around a corner and ascends broken terrain (5.4) until it rejoins the normal North Face route for the final 15 feet.

Mojo Rising (III 5.11b C1+) & the Chockstone route

  Me climbing the first 5.11b bolted pitch on Mojo Rising (III 5.11b C1+) on South Early Winter Spire

 After Short fixing here I am starting up pitch two's C1+ aid section on Mojo Rising

 Ryan O'Connell at the Belay at the top of the first pitch, our first time climbing together of the year

 Ryan O'Connell Jugging the first pitch

 Eating Ryan's famous Burritos on the Summit of South Early Winter Spire

 On Sept 4th Ryan O'Connell and I went to Climb Mojo Rising (III 5.11b C1+) on South Early Winter Spire

   We started on Mojo Rising instead of the the Choke stone route because it was a cold day and would go into the sun before the Choke stone (II 5.7) route. The first pitch of Mojo Rising is a 5.11b pummy and physical 25m bolted pitch. There are no bolts for the first 25 ft of 5.7 but  once the difficulty begins it rarely lets up and most places where you need a bolt, they appear. 

 This was Ryan and my first time climbing together of the year, he had just been so busy with work we hadn’t been able to get out climbing together the whole year.  We decided to short fix the start of the route because it was after all a “mini-bigwall”.  After the first 5.11b pitch I fixed the rope and began self-belaying, ah what fun it is to move in the mountains so efficiently.  After a few fixed pitons and bolts the second pitch was very thin, tricky C1+ but never difficult. The third pitch started with some free climbing then there was some more C1 and then a fun 5.10a splitter crack.

 I briefly got us off route because I didn’t traverse left around the corner but this was quickly resolved. The 5^th pitch was one of the best, a sustain 5.9 in a large corner. After one more easier pitch we joined the Southwest Rib of South Early Winter Spire at the top of its pitch 6 and simul-climbed to the top.

 After weaving through 8-10 other parties on the South Arete we down climbed back to the bottom.