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Peak Mountain 3

The Tipping Point

FA Kerwin Loukusa and Luke Stefurak 2017
CREATED 
UPDATED 

Description

From the gully scramble up per the west face. From the sandy ledge, go up 10 feet of 5.7 and step left to a small ledge with a tree below a left facing corner. There is a bolt about 8 feet up with a black hanger.

P1 - 20 m - 5.11, 1 bolt.

Climb the corner with a variety of techniques. There is a thoughful crux crux getting off the ground, and another punchy section mid way up. Belay at a ledge with two bolts.

P2 - 20m - 5.11, 5 bolts.

From the belay traverse straight left to a bolt. Pass this and keep heading left and up past another bolt and some tricky knob wrangling. Optional gear out right, and then traverse left to a good stance below a thin corner. Layback past 3 bolts onto a ledge. Work left further with some thin gear and a final boulder problem to a nice ledge with a two bolt belay.

P3 - 40m - 5.11+, 3 bolts.

Head up the seam and clip a bolt. Figure out an insecure crux to access the flower power crack. Stimulating climbing with very small gear (rp's useful) for about 15 meters leads to a steeper corner. Power up the corner, relishing the amazing knobs and edges to gain the Sky Lounge,  a stellar ledge with two bolts.

There are two options for the start of pitch 4. The seam directly above the belay is shown as "Kerwin's Crack" in the topo. This is 5.12/12+ and can be climbed as a standalone pitch or linked with the crux of pitch 4.

If climbed as a single pitch take a double set of cams from tips to yellow alien,with 3x blue alien/green C3 size and two draws.  15m to a lower off anchor.

The righthand method is the standard way to climb pitch 4 and is described below.

P4 - 45m - 5.12, 8 bolts.

Traverse 10 feet right. Head up the well featured slab (5.10) taking care to minimize rope drag. Once the bolts run out you are below the power flare. You can see the anchor for Kerwin's Crack six feet to your left. Punch it up the overhanging gold rock and enter the flare.  Look for a bolt on the left to indicate when to exit onto the face. Follow a tips to fingers crack to a roof. Traverse left under the roof until you see a bolt on the right wall. Stem up past the bolt and AVOID a big flake out right. Look left for a bolt in white rock that protects the final boulder problem to a two bolt anchor in an alcove.

This is the last point you can rappel from. If your rope does not reach the Sky Lounge you can stop at anchor for Kerwin's Crack (less than 40m to there). From the Sky Lounge two 40m raps bring you back to the gully.

P5 - 30m - 5.11-, no bolts.

Head up and left from the belay through a small roof to gain an long hand and finger crack.  Follow this left past one small roof and then trend right. After the crack runs out step right and build a belay in an sandy alcove. This is the same stance as the P6/7 belay for Let it Burn..

P6 ->  Summit -  Finish per Let It Burn

Location

This route is to the left of Let it Burn and The West Face.

Protection

RPs, Single Purple C3, 3-4x Green C3 / blue alien, Double rack from Green Alien to #2 Camalot, Single #3 Camalot

Around 8-10  alpine draws. Bolted anchors to the top of Pitch 4