The Polish Route

A good, clean alpine route. Classic.

This route was really fun. Part of the allure for me and my partner was that there wasn't any good beta available. We just heard that it was wide and sustained. Because we didn't know any real beta we had to make our own rack decisions, figure out how to use/conserve gear, decide which crack to take on the headwall, and figure out how to break up pitches. My recommendation is to go climb the route without reading the beta below. It will be memorable.

P1. Start in the left facing corner finger crack(10+). Cross a shallow roof and transition to a right facing corner(5.10). This pitch is sustained for 190 feet. It eats up gear.

P2. Continue up and trend left. The start of this pitch is probably 5.9, but it eases up. 100 feet.

P3. Here you can see the main wide crack system above, but it is just a seam in front of you. We took the right side up some small edges and traversed left to a horn(5.10+). I think the correct way to go is up the left side wide crack, then traverse right to the crack(probably also 5.10 or 10+). Then continue up past a medium sized flake that doesn't feel real solid, and start up the main crack. We continued up this crack to some pods(used 2 #2 C4's and a #5 for belay in the pod). I think it ended up being about a 150 foot pitch.

P4. Continue up the main crack system that you are in. There are cracks on both sides of this crack. Continue up the main crack over a roof to an anchor belay(5.10).

P5. Continue straight up the crack, and over a bulge (5.10-). After the bulge, if you take some easier options on the right, you will find some sketchy loose big blocks. If you knock them off, they will funnel right down to the belay. Up higher there is a cool flake that you traverse under to the left. You can belay here, but we didn't. The a crack continues back right, and then up. We ran this pitch for 200 feet.

At the beginning of the 5th pitch you can go right to Escape From Poland.

P6. 40 feet of easy to top

Here you can decide to go right and up to the summit. Or, you can go back across ledges to rap slings and rap into the gully.

Start in the obvious left facing dihedral, 40 feet left of Positive Vibrations; follow the crack system to the top of the formation. It is a very natural line, and it would be hard to get off route. Expect about 6 pitches of eastern block, blue collar “fun”. If that’s what yer lookin’ for, you’ll find it up there.

Descent: Many options to rap neighboring routes exist and rapping off the backside of the formation can easily be accomplished with one 60m rope.

60m rope. Standard alpine rack, extra(s) #4 C4 Camalots, #5 C4 Camalot and micronuts would not go unused.

Leave the #6 C4 Camalot, big bros, and other trinkets at home, it ain’t that wide. Double knee Carhartt's recommended.

We brought (2) #4's, and that was sufficient. If you struggle with that size, bring extras. There are 40+ foot sections that just take #4. If you want to reduce the rack, bring single cams up to #1 Camalot.