Category: southcentral

My Three Rats

Rating: WI5
Length: 130 meters

First pitch may consist of 70′ of rock, turf, verglass, ice and everything in between. Rock and ice pro may be required to reach the end of the first pitch at a ledge with alders on the right side of the upper pillar. Climb though to the end of the pillar.

FA: Steve Garvey & Jim Sweeney, February 1988

Anchor: Rappel via alders and v-threads.

Fishing for Fools

Rating: WI4
Length in Meters: 35
Length in Pitches: 1

Overview: Take off from the belay directly onto 20 meters of steep ice. Finish on 15 meters of quality lower angle. This drainage has been scouted many times in the past but with no ice being noted by long time local climbers. In late January of 2018 Ryan Sims and his dog Ueli went on a scouting mission to see if anything new or thin could be found. Low and behold, a great single pitch route was discovered and plans to return commenced. The name of the route derives from a walk that the first ascensionist and his lady Lydia Lardy took up stream wielding fly rods in the late fall in search of no fish to be found.

Approach: Take the same approach to Hole in the Wall canyon. Continue past Hole in the Wall on Browns Creek and around the bend to the right. The Climb will be the first major flow on the right hand side of the canyon.

Descent: V-thread or Alders

FA: The first ascent was made by Ryan Sims on 2/12/2018.

Objective Hazards: alert icon Standard creek navigating.

Hole in the Wall

Hole in the Wall Canyon is easily accessible and is viewable across the Lowe River at approximately mile 8 of the Richardson Highway. The first WI5 route outside of Keystone Canyon, Crystal Visions, was climbed in this canyon. Aside from Crystal Visions, this area contains a handful of other quality two pitched routes. Access is best gained at approximately the 12.5 mile marker on the Richardson Highway crossing the Lowe River on the pipeline bridge. But, parking may be available at the end of an access road to the pipeline crossing that is sometimes plowed (see map).

Flakes of Wrath

Rating: M7 WI5
Length in Meters: 35
Length in Pitches: 1

Bolted as a community project by Travis McAlpine, Nathan Pooler, Taylor Brown, and Matthew Tucker, Flakes of Wrath follows an obvious line of overhanging jugs and flakes from lookers right of the pillar and trends left to transition onto the pillar proper. Climb overhanging or steep ice to the pillar top out.

A variation on this wall was completed by Eddie Phay and was dubbed “Eddie’s Route.”

Descent: V-thread for descent. There is now a two-bolt anchor.

Objective Hazards: alert icon Fallstaff pillar is in a large avalanche path so know conditions.

Submitted by: Matthew Tucker

Falstaff

Rating: WI5
Length: 25 meters

This route consists of a first vertical pillar about 15 meters in length, depending on snow depth. it continues up more vertical ice to the finish.

After much debate in February 2019 amongst the FB crowd, this route’s difficulty was upgraded from Embick’s original publication of a III.

FA: Chuck Comstock, Andrew Embick, Bill Lorch, December 1981

Anchor/Descent: Easy walk off from top.

alert icon ALERT: Prone to avalanches from above.

Twisted Sister

Rating: WI5
Length: 100 meters

The approach is the same as Big Brother. From the canyon floor climb a snow cone located to the left of the overhanging rock wall. Above the cone climb exposed and frozen terrain that ends just above the bottom of the good ice. Rappel to the ice (bottom of the pillars) then climb the prominent right pillar to the alders above.

FA: Evan Smith & David Miller, March 1985

Anchor: Rappel from alders or v-thread, but make sure you aim for the bolts. One can also hike the rim to the road or a safe avi chute.