Turn Down For What

A really fun backcountry arete climb! We climbed with a 60m rope and simuled a bit on the first 5 pitches and simuled a lot on the 6th pitch. There's a lot of optional belay stances so one could pitch it out as much as one would like. While this climb is also called the NW arete I'm fairly certain it has more of an eastern tilt to it. Expect sun all day.

Pitch 1: 220' Start up a low angle shallow short left facing corner with a flared crack hand crack. Up to a bulge with flared hand rack (crux). Traverse right on jugs and pull the roof on the left on flat golden crimps. Continue up on easier ground to a big ledge. 5.10c

Pitch 2: 220' Wander up past easy ground and more big ledges aiming right to a large left facing corner with a golden headwall above it. Go up the corner and up the golden headwall climbing along the arete to a good belay ledge at the base of 30' right facing corner with a short 4" crack at the top of it. 5.8

Pitch 3: 220' Go up the corner and up the short steep hand cracks. Climb along the really fun arete until you run out of rope ~60' below the white "lil jon" spire. 5.7

Pitch 4: 220' Climb up some ledgey arete type terrain to the base of a dihedral with a thin crack in the back. Step right around the spire to a steep short hand crack with the best rock on the route. Pull up to the notch between the spire and dark head wall behind it. Climb up the back of the lil jon spire, take a selfie, climb back down and go up the dark head wall on the right. Belay in the middle of an exposed 4th class/easy fifth knife edge arete section. 5.10a

Pitch 5: 220' Climb low fifth to the base of a steep fist crack on center left of the vertical headwall. Go up the fist crack until it transitions into a stem chimney. Halfway up the chimney an opening will appear on the right. Step right on jugs to the "crunk juice" headwall proper. Climb juggy face with intermittent cracks to the steep juggy fingers to hands crack in the middle of the face. 5.9

Pitch 6: 300' Follow the fun arete until it slowly transitions down to 3rd class. 5.7

Unrope and 3rd class it 50' over to the true summit.

A good write up with lots of info and pics from the fa:

vividrea1ity.blogspot.com/2…

From the streams at the base of Ericsson Crag #3 go up the ledges to the right of the creek. Turn right to the base of the arete. There was a cairn at the base of the route in june 2020. Also refer to pic of first pitch.

Singles from .2 x4 to #4 c4, doubles from .4 to #1. Small and medium stoppers.