Monkey Face via West Face Variation: Continuing Education on Smith's Moderate Multis

When I first started climbing at Smith the one climb I really wanted to do was the West Face Variation to the Pioneers Route. This is supposedly the best route to the summit of Monkey Face that doesn't involve climbing sandbagged 5.11 or harder. For those who don't know, the Monkey is the most iconic spire at Smith. It towers over the Crooked River and is overhanging on all sides, which makes for a spectacular piece of rock.

Monkey Face and the Crooked River. West Face Variation comes up the back side to the notch.

Over the last 18 months, Monkey Face never lost its appeal, but for some reason I never climbed it. I quickly added many more routes to my ticklist, most of which came from the Alan Watts guide book. (There is a list of the 2-5 best trad and sport climbs at each grade. I wrote down every route on that list that is a multi-pitch and/or a trad climb for every grade up to 5.12a.) After climbing all the routes up to 5.10, the West Face Variation on Monkey Face was still undone. In fact, it was the last route on my list under 5.10. Obviously the time had come.

The West Face of the Monkey. You can see the face with its mouth cave at the top. A climber in red is on Bohn Street.

On Saturday my friend John was passing through town and we met at Smith for some cragging. I haven't been rock climbing much since Squamish and wanted to get in some mileage on moderate terrain. We eventually decided to do Monkey Face and found the route free and open, which is truly amazing for a summer Saturday at Smith.

John's van in his personal parking space at Smith... Yeah, he is that cool.

We cruised up the trad pitches and then, while I was belaying John up to Bohn Street it started to rain. Luckily the ledge was sheltered by the overhanging face above. We assessed and decided we might as well climb the bolt ladder to the mouth cave and see how it was. We had opted to climb the bolts old school ghetto style and had not brought etriers or daisies. John led off, yarding on quickdraws and taking between bolts. He reached the top quickly but in the distance we could hear thunder. We decided it would be better to have me clean the bolt ladder and then try make it to the main rap rings before the storm really opened up. I headed up and got myself into a muddle standing on slings and loops of cord. Juggling too many pieces and not sticking to a straightforward strategy, I mis-clipped a draw and it fell to the ledge below. Frustrated with myself I tried to focus and pulled awkwardly into the cave.

Looking up the West Face of the Monkey.

The best rap rings were directly above us through the cave roof and I would have to lead the short but exposed 5.7 pitch to get to it. Between the weather and the dropped draw I let myself get unnecessarily nervous and muscled my way up the pitch with some really ugly climbing. As I reached the belay ledge with beautiful, huge rap rings, the sun came out. John followed and we figured we should just belay the short scramble to the summit. Minutes later we were on top, hollering at hikers and relieved that the weather had cooperated.

John on the summit.

We got back to the rap rings and prepared for the two rope, overhanging rappel. We extended our belay devices for prusik back-ups and then I made my second mistake, which was to clip my belay biner to my harness to get it out of the way. Maybe I automatically thought it was just like a PAS and didn't consider the ATC on the end, but before I knew it my rappel device went tink... tink... gone into air. Now I'm several hundred feet up a free-standing rock pillar that is overhanging on all sides without the one piece of gear I need to get down. Sure, I could Munter, but on a rap this long with two different rope diameters things could get ugly. John, ever the scholar and gentleman, gave me the cool stare and said, "dude, you need to stop dropping shit." He then rapped, tied his ATC to the rope, I hauled it back up, and rappelled on his device. Thanks John!

"Dude, you need to stop dropping shit."

We pulled the ropes, walked back to our stashed packs and ate lunch. Given that I've wanted to do this climb for a while, and that it was the last one under 5.10 on my ticklist, I wish it had gone more smoothly. I felt like I should fly up it with style and ease, and not drop shit. Instead I learned that I'm still just a beginner and rock climbing is challenging no matter the grade. I have a lot to learn and I definitely learned some stuff on Monkey Face. I guess the important thing is that I survived and learned from my mistakes. From that perspective it was a pretty good experience. John, I owe you a beer and a quick draw when you get back to Smith. Thanks for being a great partner and being stoked to climb awesome routes!

Monkey Face after the rappel.

My Smith Rock Tick List (up to 5.9)

Western Chimney, Mesa Verde Wall, Smith Rock (5.5R, 1 pitch)

West Face, Brogan Spire (Marsupials), Smith Rock (5.5X, 3 pitches) Solo

South Buttress, Brogan Spire (Marsupials), Smith Rock (5.5X, 3 pitches) Solo

Super Slab, Red Wall, Smith Rock (5.6, 3 pitches) Solo*

Moscow, Red Wall, Smith Rock (5.6, 3 pitches) Solo*

Bookworm, Dihedrals, Smith Rock (5.7, 2 pitches)

Spiderman, Spiderman Buttress, Smith Rock (5.7, 2 pitches)

Living Blindly, Opossum (Marsupials), Smith Rock (5.7, 3 pitches) Solo

Sky Chimney, Smith Rock Group (R of White Satin), Smith Rock (5.7, 3 pitches)

Birds in a Rut, Wombat (Marsupials), Smith Rock (5.7, 6 pitches) Solo*

Out of Harm's Way, Spiderman Buttress, Smith Rock (5.8, 1 pitch)

Lion's Jaw, Morning Glory Wall (L side), Smith Rock (5.8, 1 pitch)

Round River Direct, Koala (Marsupials), Smith Rock (5.8, 3 pitches) Solo*

Sky Ridge, Smith Rock Group, Smith Rock (5.8R, 3 pitches)

West Face Variation, Monkey Face, Smith Rock (5.8 A0, 5 pitches)

Marsupial Traverse, Marsupials, Smith Rock (5.8, 10 pitches)

Moonshine Dihedral, Dihedrals, Smith Rock (5.9, 1 pitch)

Sundown Dihedral, Mesa Verde Wall, Smith Rock (5.9, 1 pitch)

Peking, Red Wall, Smith Rock (5.9, 3 pitches)

White Satin, Smith Rock Group, Smith Rock (5.9, 3 pitches)

Wherever I May Roam, Smith Rock Group, Smith Rock (5.9, 5 pitches)

*climbed with a partner first

Another thank you to all the awesome partners who have gone out with me and taught me the basics over the past 18 months. It has been a blast climbing with you all!

Zebra Zion

Plans get made, changed and cancelled. Life is busy but at least I can go rock climb. Caitlin and I are stoked for June. We're going to Alaska for three weeks but first we're stopping in B.C. to visit family and climb in Squamish. Caitlin's climbing has been improving by leaps and bounds but we want to be ready to take advantage of world class granite when we get there. With that in mind I took her up what many people (Fred Beckey included) call the best multi-pitch route at Smith Rock... Zebra to Zion. This is a 4 pitch, 5.10 trad climb up the biggest wall in the main area. It starts with an easy traverse across large huecos to a hanging belay. From here you climb the crux pitch up a dihedral with small overhangs and roofs to a tiny ledge. Pitch 3 continues up the crack and then traverses face holds to another crack system, which lead up easy slab to another hanging belay. The final pitch traverses over 300ft of air and ascends a flake to ledges that lead to the top of the wall. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were actually worried about sunburn for once. It took us 3 hours from tying-in to topping-out which, while not fast, isn't really slow either.

Morning Glory Wall, Zion follows the crack systems up the middle.

Belaying at the top of pitch 1.

Looking up the route.

Caitlin relieved/happy to be done.

Sunset

Next week I'll be in the Trinity Alps of Northern California's coast ranges for a week of ski touring. Until then...

Solo Linkup: Smith Rock/The Marsupials

Wednesday I checked the forecast for Bachelor and Smith. I had planned to go skiing but conditions obviously favored rock climbing. With no partner I decided to drive out to Smith and solo some routes.

I'm not going to try to justify soloing or explain my motivation to do it. There is a huge body of literature on it. You can read about the out-of-body experience, the focus, the flow, the sense of freedom that people gain from it. People who don't climb a lot will never really understand. They either call you crazy, or stupid, or blabber about how amazing it is.

For the uninitiated I will offer some information for perspective: All climbs are rated. Some of those ratings (i.e. 3rd and 4th class) are defined as climbs where a rope is not necessary, or even appropriate. Fifth class climbs imply the use of a rope. Since ratings are a matter of opinion some 4th class climbs are harder/more dangerous than low 5th class climbs. Many alpine climbing guide books will explicitly tell you to solo some sections of 5th class climbing to save time and minimize other hazards such as changing weather. I don't mean to make a slippery slope argument. I'm merely pointing out that nothing is black and white. Using a rope has never been a given in climbing. How someone climbs a route is personal decision that is based on many factors. Obviously there is a big difference between Peter Croft free soloing Astroman in Yosemite and me soloing moderate routes at Smith. The line between safety and insanity is different for everyone.

When it comes to soloing I have a personal set of guidelines to follow. The route I climb must have solid rock (nothing too chossy), I must be familiar with the terrain (ideally I've climbed it before), and it must be rated much lower than the hardest grade I can currently on-sight. I also make sure I have certain items accessible. Besides wearing rock shoes and a helmet, I wear my harness and rack some gear on it. This always includes a set of stoppers, a couple quick draws and a couple alpine draws, an ATC, prusik slings, and a locking 'biner with a long sling. I also have my rope coiled in my pack, which I wear while climbing. With this kit I can secure myself to the rock in a range of situations, establish a self-belay, or rappel back down if necessary.

Racking up beneath Mini Half Dome.

The Koala is the yellow rock in the middle and the Wombat is the green spire behind it.

So, back to Wednesday afternoon. I left my car a little after 1pm and hiked out to the Marsupials (~2 miles). I got on the Marsupial ridge just above Mini Half Dome and climbed the West Face of Brogan Spire (5.5X, 3 pitches). I then down climbed the top two pitches of the South Buttress (5.5X) and rapped off to the base of Living Blindly. I then climbed living Blindly to the top of the Opossum (5.7, 3 pitches) and rapped off the anchors past the summit on the knife edge ridge. These rap anchors aren't really functional. Placed back from the edge of the wall, they force the rope to wrap over several sharp edges which makes it impossible to pull from below. After yanking on it for several minutes I soloed back up a ramp system (5.5ish). Tossed my rope off and down climbed.

Brogan Spire summit pic. Wombat is on the left.

On the Opossum. Looking down on Brogan Spire on the right.

Opossum madness!

I then walked across to the Koala and climbed Round River Direct (5.8, 3 pitches). This is an awesome climb and I was very happy to solo it. It was my first multi-pitch and my first Smith climb. At the time it felt hard and leading it sounded scary. To come back less than a year later and solo it felt like a huge accomplishment for me. I was super stoked.

Sitting on the top of the Koala, looking back down Round River Direct.

Koala top-out stoke!

 I climbed down the back of the Koala and started up Birds in a Rut (5.7, 5 pitches), which takes you to the top of the Wombat (the highest pinnacle in the Marsupials). After climbing off the back of the Wombat I scree surfed down to the Burma Road and started the hike back. I boulder hopped across the river to cut the corner and ended up climbing an unknown pitch of basalt cracks to get out of the gorge. A short walk down the road got me to my car.

The Sisters emerge from the clouds. Smith Rock Group in the foreground.

Smith Rock State Park from the top of the Wombat.

The Monument area from the top of the Wombat.

Wombat Cumbre!

Someone replaced the old rap sling on the Wombat. It didn't feel like much of a community service since they left the old sling and didn't replace it with a very long-term solution. Simple solution: don't rap, the down climb is short and easy.

Overall, in sub 5 hours: 4 summits tagged, 16 pitches climbed, 3 other pitches down climbed, 3 rappels, 4 miles of hiking, some other scrambly bits, 51 photos taken and some bathroom breaks due to enthusiastic hydration. Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon.

Bonus: Check out this video of famous American alpinist Steve House soloing hard ice climbs in New England. The precision and deliberateness that he demonstrates while climbing, and the personal approach to climbing and soloing that he espouses in the interview, changed how I approach climbing. http://vimeo.com/22993356

Winter at Smith Rock

After a super cold December and January the weather has gotten pretty warm and sunny here for the past few weeks. As a result I've been going out to Smith to go rock climbing a lot more than expected. This has been great for my climbing. I haven't been getting out skiing and alpine climbing as much as I would like, but who can say "no" to basking in desert sunshine mid-winter?

I've been climbing with a whole range of people, but my most consistent partner has been Caitlin, my girlfriend. She is also pretty stoked to climb right now, and has been improving by leaps and bounds. Together we have been checking off many of the highly recommended, moderate-difficulty trad routes at Smith. This has been great for my climbing to-do list (and that means great for my OCD, type-A self). It's also nice because I get to lead everything and forces me to adopt a "guide-mode" mind-set.

This past Saturday Caitlin and I went out with a large group of friends... Mike, Joe, Kristin, Dirk and Faith. It was a little windy but absolutely beautiful. We hiked over Asterisk Pass and climbed various cracks and bulges on Spiderman's Butt... ress. (A rock buttress! I wasn't being dirty at all!) Mike, using his new camera, made another awesome video (the man is a natural videographer! mad props!) so check it out...


Climbing at Smith Rock from Mike Arrera on Vimeo.

Routes we climbed that day:
Squashed Spider, 5.7 sport, 1 pitch
First Ascent Crack, 5.4 trad, 1 pitch
Out of Harm's Way, 5.8 mixed, 1 pitch (check mark! short dihedral to vertical face climbing, very fun!)
Spiderman, 5.7 trad, 2 pitches (check mark! slab, dihedral, splitter crack and overhang all in 200ft!)


Other great routes Caitlin and I have climbed in the past month:
Western Chimney, 5.5R trad, 1 pitch (strenuous and complicated for 5.5, don't go up it expecting a cruise)
Bookworm, 5.7 mixed, 2 pitches (off-width crack to a bolted slab)
Lion's Jaw, 5.8 trad, 1 pitch (awesome dihedral)
Moonshine Dihedral, 5.9 trad, 1 pitch (same as Lion's Jaw but steeper and longer)

Fake it 'til you make it!

In March I rock climbed outdoors for the first time since I was very young. I may have exaggerated my experience to my partner, and that day I did my first multi-pitch route and lead climbed for the first time. It was a good experience and I enjoyed myself a lot. Eventually I even over-came (some of) my inner cheapness and forked out the cash for the basic gear involved. I was on my way to becoming a "real" climber.

Smith Rock, my home crag.

Fast-forward to August. My partner, Ian, from that first day at Smith Rock in March called me up. He was trying to plan a trip to the Tetons to climb the Direct Exum route on the Grand Teton. I had never lead a trad route (although I had followed several) and he was suggesting we swing leads. I had basically never rock climbed outside of Smith either and this was very different rock at 13,000 ft elevation. I had also never climbed a route longer than three pitches and this one was 18 pitches. Was I interested? Absolutely. I was stoked!

The Grand Teton from the East.

On September 7th I picked up Ian at 4am and we drove 14 hours straight to Jackson, Wyoming. We stayed in a campground just outside Grand Teton National Park, cooked a light dinner and went to sleep for a few hours. We woke up at 2am and drove to the Lupine Meadows trailhead. We were walking by 3:15am.

hiking in (photo by Ian Garner)

Ian had been concerned about the minimal gear loops on my light-weight alpine harness and at his insistence I had taken his old harness instead. After some scrambling from the lower saddle we reached the bottom of the technical route. We broke out the gear and started preparing to climb when Ian realized he left his new harness in the car. We discussed options. I was against hiking out and trying again tomorrow so I gave Ian his old harness and made myself a makeshift harness with slings and a locking biner. So much for extra gear loops.

comfortable harness and used women's puffy... you don't need fancy gear to climb a mountain (photo by Ian Garner)

Traffic jams and route-finding difficulty ensued on the Lower Exum. Ian had some bowel issues (don't trust Nutella). I took most of the leads and we ended up half-way up the route by mid-afternoon. The Upper Exum is easier than the Lower so we stowed the rope, put on approach shoes and started racing upwards. We got off route a bit but made it to the summit fairly quickly. A few quick photos and two rappels put us in the upper saddle. We scrambled down to the lower saddle just as the sun set.

belaying P2 (photo Ian Garner)

Middle Teton from Exum Ridge

On the summit (photo by Ian Garner)

We had walked in in the dark and we would walk out in the dark, but with no moon this time. I wished that I could have seen Garnet Canyon in daylight--the shadowy bulk of rock faces suggested a spectacular location. Ian developed bad blisters. We slowly plodded back to the car, arriving at 12:30am, over 21 hours after we had left. We had been in constant motion almost the entire time, stopping only for a few minutes at a time to eat or drink.

Lower saddle at sunset

The next day we slept in and ate a huge breakfast in Jackson. Then we drove into Yellowstone to act like goofy tourists with the rest of the crowds. Monday morning we drove 14 hours back to Bend. I said I was going to take two weeks off, but 4 days later I was back at Smith climbing and more motivated than ever to do more long alpine routes. 

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo! This is a gramatically correct sentence.

Absurd crowds waiting for Old Faithful

Old Faithful erupts

Despite everything I still felt like the Grand Teton had not pushed me to my limit. I wanted, want, very badly to have shit hit the fan. I want to be completely crushed by a mountain, to really get taken to my limit. Some people think I'm crazy, but to me I'm an athlete first and testing myself is why I'm here.

The Grand from the NE