Robinson Ridge

Climbing on a real arete, much on the crest of the ridge. A little taste of an "alpine" rock route.

Pitch 1: Start down below right from the base of the arete (or start on the arete and immediately traverse into the Right face. Up the face to join the arete, next up the arete to a small dihedral. Crux is to get past its top. Just above dihedral find two-bolt anchor above behind flat platform. (5.4, 80 feet, 3 bolts)

Pitch 2: Then more along the crest of the ridge to a steeper section. The second crux is to get up this. Finish at obvious flat spot with a low bush with two-bolt anchor for belay (below right from it) -- also a separate two-bolts-with-ring rappel anchor. (5.4, 110 feet, 2 bolts)

Optional extra: Continue up the ridge a ways (class 3+) then bear right (NW) toward summit knob with bigger view (class 3+).

descent

: Three options:

a) rappel southeast from the two-bolt anchor down into the gully. A 60-meter rope will reach to below the 4th class sections of the gully, then hike on steep rugged slope (sometimes loose) to the bottom of the gully. This gully will always have some loose rock, so try to have each person clear off to a safer place away to the side while the next person makes their rappel -- and especially while pulling the rope down.

b) scramble up higher (west) until can go left (south) into the gully, then east down the gully (4th class) back to the bottom.

c) scramble up higher (west) until can go left (south) into the gully, but then instead of going down east, continue south scrambling up out of the gully, then traverse on rock to the top of

the sector 1 Gastlosen

rock, and use one of the descent methods (rappel or down-scramble) for that sector. This entirely avoids the gully.

Name

: for Doug Robinson, who made great contributions to every aspect of Eastside Sierra climbing and backcountry skiing. So next the "Robinson question": What is the only kind to which he did

not

make a contribution?

warning

: The rock on and near this route has not been climbed much yet, and some of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.

(unlike most other routes in this sector) Start at the bottom of the obvious gully which is below the south (left) side of this sector. At the base of the arete on the north (right) side of the gully.

See on this Photo

. . . .

and this Photo

Pitch 1 has 3 intermediate bolts for leading, up to two-bolt top anchor.

. . As of 2019, there are

four

anchor bolts by the top of this pitch. The two on the Left are newer, installed in 2019, so likely preferable to use those for making an anchor for belaying.

. . . (The two on the right have hangers that are loose, and the bolt stud can rotate in its hole if the attached nut is turned with a wrench, so the plan is to remove them).

Pitch 2 has 2 intermediate bolts for leading, up to two-bolt top anchor below right from low bush.

Rappel anchor at top of Pitch 2, composed of two bolts and hangers, linked by a chain and quick-links. There is a rappel ring which can be used to connect the 60-meter rope for making a rappel.

details on hardware:

All the bolt studs are all 3/8 inch diameter. The upper bolt of the P1 anchor and the lower bolt of the P2 anchor are 4 inch long. All other bolt studs are 2.75 inch long.

The bolts studs and traditional flat-stock hangers and rappel ring are 304 Stainless steel. The round-bar-stock hangers are 316 Stainless steel. The chain and quick-links are Plated steel.

The two Left-side bolts-with-hangers of the P1 anchor and the lower bolt stud + both hangers of the P2 belay anchor were installed in 2019. The P2 rappel anchor and other hardware on this route were installed in 2016.

Although there are bolts, this route is not really a "Sport" climb, because in many places on the route, a fall would likely result in injury. Bolt protection is provided only for the harder sequences. Where the climbing is easier, it's a long way to the next bolt.

But most of the route is less than vertical, so it would take many many bolts to make the whole route less dangerous in case of a fall. A leader could bring Trad protection to supplement the fixed bolts, but that's not going to make a big change to the basic situation.

Really the leader needs to be very solid at the route's difficulty level before starting, and be very careful not to fall. If you are not sure you can maintain mental focus and calmness in the face of exposure to serious injury on rock terrain which should be well within your climbing capability, do not try to lead this route - (instead develop the required mental focus and calmness in other more controlled contexts).

Also the follower needs to be solid in handling the less-difficult sections, because a fall in one of those sections would likely result at least in scrapes and bruises, if not worse (despite the protection of rope-belay from the leader above).

hints

to beginning leaders: The exact placement of each bolt might be determined more by trying to avoid rope drag and other problems, rather than showing which way the easiest climbing goes.

Likely will be helpful to have some protection carabiners on some longer slings, rather than only on short quickdraws: to avoid rope drag.