Concerto in C for Drill and Hammer

This fine 15-pitch route goes from near a good bivy bench to the summit crest. A clean, white fan of easy cruiser slab leads to the Class 5 climbing near the end of Pitch 1. Sustained 5.8 friction slab is featured in pitches 2, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Crusty ridge running completes the climb to the summit with views overlooking Buckeye Basin to the town of Darrington below.

It must be said that the final five pitches along the ridge have been done before, as part of the route Primal Scream. We wanted a secure descent route, so we put in chain anchors along the ridge, but very few pro bolts in this section.

Pitch 1

An easy warmup pitch. Ramble up the slab past Africa Flake, a few meters to the right, until it steepens. Here there are gear opportunities and one bolt to the anchor, 5.5.

Pitch 2

Climb past four bolts on small knobs, 5.8. Continue up past a gear placement and one bolt to the anchor.

Pitch 3

Cruise along a left-facing edge for about 10m to a bolt protecting a diagonal dike crossing. On good knobs, go past four bolts to cross an interesting bridge around a hole in the slab. One more bolt and gear opportunities bring one to the anchor, 5.7.

Pitch 4

Move up easy ground with good knobs, with no need to touch the dirty feature on the right. Go past four bolts ending on the ledge atop the feature, 5.6.

Pitch 5

The first bolt protects fun moves crossing a sill, and four more take one through breadloaf knobs, 5.7. Head for a nice crack for pro and climb it to the anchor.

Pitch 6

A couple of bolts protect the moves getting into the fine crack, quite thin at the bottom. Climb up the gradually widening crack and place your favorite size for pro from 1/8" to 1/2". From the top of the crack, two bolts trend leftward, heading for a couple of nice overlaps. After pulling over the second overlap go straight up a path between the bushes to the anchor, 5.7.

Pitch 7

Move the belay by walking through the Bubba Compactor, a ledge behind a large detached flake, down a few steps and contour to the thin ledge where there is a belay bolt. There is a 2" crack there to add pro to the belay. Climb the slab above, catching one bolt before some obvious big flakes for pro. Two bolts atop the large flake protect the crux, stepping up a thin dike, 5.8. Cruise the slab above using four bolts to the anchor.

Pitch 8

Six bolts worth of thin friction slab bring one to a hole in the rock with pro possibilities from 1"-3", 5.8.

Pitch 9

Step right past a bush at the start to find the first bolt. Smear up to a bolt and cross a right-facing edge, and trend rightward for three bolts, 5.8. Thin climbing continues up past three more bolts. Then a 1" gear opportunity in an overlap crack leads to the anchor.

Pitch 10

Delicate smearing on smallish knobs past 8 bolts leads to a horizontal crack for a 2" piece. Continue smearing up past two more bolts to a left-facing corner with gear opportunity, to the anchor atop a pedestal, 5.8.

Pitch 11

Move up and past a couple of right-facing corners with pro, clipping one bolt to reach the Inverted Prow. There was a piton placed by the FA party here; if it's gone there are some placements for very small cams. Continue up the ramp next to the dihedral, where another piton was placed. Move up onto the buttress crest and find the chain anchor, 5.7.

Pitch 12

Move up the right side of the buttress crest over blocky and ledgy ground, to an anchor on the crest, 5.5.

Pitch 13

Scramble up the ridge until forced by the trees to move right. Step down onto the slab layer just below the trees, and follow its dihedral with good pro to the anchor on a small stance, 5.6.

Pitch 14

Step out right past an obvious clean 3" crack and around the bulge above and to the right. Cruise up a cool rib with a horizontal crack for a perfect 1/2" placement, 5.7. Move up between some bushes to another cool rib with no pro in it, currently, to a sling belay of webbing around a stout tree.

Pitch 15

A short pitch out of the tree branches into some wide cracks between blocks to the summit, 5.6. Top anchor is a long sling around a boulder.

Descent: rappel the route.

Special thanks to Jim Daubert and Wes Bevins.

Follow the directions on the South Face page. From the grassy saddle scramble down on ramps for 20-30m and across the granite apron. Walk up the sidewalk, easiest on the far side of the apron, to find a two-bolt anchor on a vertical short wall in the middle of the slab. This is the start of Pitch 1. The distinctive Africa Flake feature will be visible about 35m upslope.

Standard single rack to 3".

All of the holes on this route were drilled with hand drill and hammer. As the route is within the boundaries of designated Wilderness, power drills are not allowed. All bolts are 3/8" stainless steel wedge bolts. Hangers are modern, stainless steel, mostly powder coated. Chain anchors are mostly Fixe stainless steel two-hanger chain with equalized ring.