Chuffed to have completed a new route just to the left of Mixed Master. Sam Eastman and I started it three years ago, when Sam sped up it with a bolt gun in hand and found that it mostly goes on gear, my preferred type of climbing. We followed natural weaknesses, drytooling as there was not a whole load of snow on the route that time around, leading to a lot of tenuous slab climbing between the obvious cracks, thankfully all at a moderate grade. The climb will definitely be better if there is snow on it. Partly it took time to complete as in the spring the first sun burns off any snow, leaving a dubious looking rock climb. Hopefully people can get on it this year as it has more snow and actually ice on it this season.
Blue is the route line. Red is two rappels off trees to below the last pitch of Mixed Master. Route has been drytooled to below the last pitch, but is better with snow/ice. There are large loose blocks on pitch 4 especially that could be nasty in the summer.
The start of the route will determine how you are going to like it, as there is a bit of an entrance exam type move at around 10 meters off the ground. At 15 meters you find the first fixed piece of the route, then a DMM Bulldog at 30 meters, before a bolt to protect a heart shaped block before scrambling to a two bolt anchor. It’s all good, as if you want something a little more classic you are only 20 meters left of the all time natural mixed line in the Rockies, Mixed Master. Really, it is this location that will hopefully lead to some folks trying out this new route.
Pitch 2 on the first few tries was a lot of delicate slab climbing, but with snow on it one easily tromps up and left to two bolts I was hesitant to put in, but are really required when, as when placed, you are delicately balancing on small nubbins in crampons, followed by a fixed pin. A few moves get you to a very large ledge with a few trees. Here the efficient way is to head toward a small alcove out left in a corner in the mountain and protect the traverse with an ice screw in a small but solid ice bulge, before traversing left another 30 meters on what can be called pitch 3 if you split it up by belaying at the ice.
2 bolts and a piton protect the rising traverse on pitch 2. Either belay at the ice up and left in a small alcove, or simuclimb across the top of the ledge with a few pieces of pro under the roof you duck under.
Pitch 4 is one of the highlights of the route. On his first time up the route Raphael Slawinski seemed to have no problem with the delicate footwork required at 5 meters above the belay, while the rest of us missed the key pecker placement, just above a fixed nut, and the fine balance of the Rockies master. A well-versed Scottish cllimber (not naming names) even suggested a bolt might be appropriate…but take faith that when on one occasion I messed up the foot matching the snow on the ledge below effectively cushioned my fall. Gaining the very obvious right facing corner one reaches a chimney section at 30 meters where a decision has to be made: to squeeze and place a very tipped out #4 or a #5 in the back (not an effective option when the route is ice, and not a place for gore-tex), or preferably look for a micro cam on the left outside and climb the offwidth on the outside. Romp up the snow gully above to the base of the wall where it steepens at 60 meters and look to place knifeblades on the wall or lacking snow large nuts at your feet.
Pitch 5 traverses easily past a fixed pin for 15 meters, through one slight depression to a gully with an obviously lower-angled ramp above and a fixed nut and thread anchor. Extend the anchor down to belay the second to avoid rope drag.
Sam Eastman staying warm after doing the rope-gunning on the early pitches of the first attempt.
Uisdean seemed right at home on the snowed up rock.
Pitch 6 is perhaps the most straightforward pitch in any conditions, straight up some low-angled face cracks to where three planes of rock come together. Look for a fixed piton on the left wall, and build the anchor with pitons. You are going to head out on the left wall.
Look for a bolt at Sam’s height on the left wall, the first of three. On the first attempt Sam was hanging on placing the bolt when the crumbly tower he was drilling from collapsed. Thanks for the skills Sam!!
The 7th pitch is moderate again but one of the more sustained pitches. A few pins are useful to reach the first of three bolts. Place some gear before topping out onto the snow ledge as you are going to go a minimum of ten meters to the first tree, or ten more meters to a higher tree.
Move the belay up from the tree by scrambling to a small alcove with two pitons below the narrowing of the groove above. On the second attempt there was no ice here, while on the successful climb a thin dribble helped the moves through the roof on the last pitch.
Move the belay up under the last narrow groove.
Raphael Slawinski saving us from an all-nighter on the last pitch of the new route. If you get it with ice on it it could even be what Raph called “totally classic mixed climbing.”
Astringent Apprentice
Sam Eastman, Uisdean Hawthorn, Raphael Slawinski, Ian Welsted
M5, 300 meters
P1: 50 meters, M5. Start 20 meters left of Mixed Master. Right facing corner. Fixed pin at 15 meters, fixed spectre at 30, one bolt next to heart shaped block. Head up and left to 2 bolt anchor.
P2: 50 meters, easy. Left up shallow gully and snow slope to 2 bolts, a fixed pin, belay above big snow slope out left 5 meters on an ice flow in the back of a small niche.
P3: Traverse left 30 meters on snow slope to fixed angle below very obvious large right facing corner. P2 and P3 can easily be combined.
P4: 60 meters, M5. At 3 meters a fixed nut and beak placement protects slabby moves into crack. #5 cam to protect the awkward squeeze at 30 meters, or better climb on the outside and protect with a small cam. Up snow gully above to vertical wall. Save knifeblades for anchor.
P5: 15 meters, M4. Traverse hard right on ledge past fixed knifeblade to next gully right, fixed nut anchor.
P6: 30 meters, M4. Straight up to the base of next steep wall, fixed silver piton on left wall.
P7: 55 meters to low tree or 65 meters to high tree, M4. Up and lrft to face crack to 3 bolts, amble up snow slope above to tree of choice.
P8: 25 meters. Move belay up gully above to two pin anchor in back of small niche.
P9: 55 meters, M5. Straight up the weakness above, fixed silver piton on right above bulge at 15 meters. Belay at top on trees.
Rappel route with 70 meter ropes at tops of pitch 9, tree on snow ledge, top of 6,top of 5, reverse long snow traverse ledge, tree on first big ledge, top of pitch 1 bolts
Or/ rappel Mixed Master after walking climber’s right to two tree rappels into the MM gully.
Rack: set of nuts, set of cams to #3 with doubles BD 0.4 to # 2, plenty of pitons with emphasis on knifeblades and a few beaks, #5 for squeeze on pitch 4 optional. Extra cord to equip rappel anchors if rapping the route. Two stubbies and a yellow or two if snowy.
