Window Blind Peak - North Rib

The North Rib is the easiest route on Window Blind Peak, but it is a full day and no giveaway. The climbing is hard for 5.7 with questionable rock and gear. Very much an adventure route.

Start from the highest point on the east side of the prominent rib between the window blinds - this rib is the sun/shade line in the morning light.

P1: Climb an excellent 5.5 corner that deteriorates to loose and sandy 4th class after 60 feet. Pass some belay slings around a shrubbery, and work out a belay in the notch below the upper steeper part of the rib. 90', 5.5.

Alternatively, i've seen reports of people climbing up to the notch from the west side. Didn't look terribly appealing looking down that pitch though, and the Bjornstad guide says it is harder.

P2: Climb discontinuous flaring cracks and sandy slabs up the wide blunt rib. The climbing and gear are more difficult than it looks from the belay. After around 150' you reach some tat around a chockstone in a shallow chimney. With a 70 meter line you can keep going to some tat around a tree at the top of the shallow chimney. 150-200' 5.7.

P3: Climb up the shallow chimney if you stopped at the chockstone tat. Do some easy scrambling to another short headwall, and either climb it directly or scramble out right on 4th class ledges to an enormous ledge system. 50-100', easy 5th class.

Unrope(and change into approach shoes) on the huge ledge system and move west around the side of the peak for a few hundred meters until you reach an easy 4th class gully system that reaches the summit plateau. The magnificent summit plateau is expansive, and is a wonderful place to spend time.

Descent: Reverse the route to the top of P3. We did a short rap off some tat on a tiny bush to get down the short headwall to tat around a better shrub. From there, make a double rope rap(60 meter ropes are fine) to the notch belay area. Downclimb to the tat around the shrub 10 feet below the notch, and make a short single rope rap to the ground. We had no trouble pulling the rope on the long rap, but we got the knot down as far as we could and were very careful about how we routed the rope.

There are chains near the summit plateau gully and also 50 feet or so right of the tat at the top of the long rappel. They might be better(the bushes are not the most confidence inspiring things i've ever rappelled from), but you would be a long way from the start of the route. I have no idea what those raps are like so caveat lector.

From the top of the wash in the Window Bind Peak area description, continue up the gully aiming for the west side of the north rib. The easiest passage will be looker's right of the bottom of the gully.

Pass the nasty looking cliff band via tough 4th class moves well right of the wash. Traverse left until you can climb through another cliff band. Several more cliff bands will be encountered on the way to the base of the route, but nothing harder than tough 4th class. Descending the first nasty cliff band is a little exciting.

The approach takes about an hour from the top of the wash, for a total of a tough 2-2.5 hours.

1 set of cams from yellow alien to 3 camalot, with a few extras in the .5 - 1 camalot size(.5 and .75 are especially nice for working out a belay at the top of P1). Long slings are nice since P2 wanders a bit.

You could do the route with 2 60 meter ropes. You definitely could not rap the shrubbery rappels with a single line, but maybe the chain rappels? No idea.

Helmets are pretty much required since there is significant loose rock on all pitches. Strongly consider bringing approach shoes for the scrambling above P3 - that would be miserable in climbing shoes.