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1615 Hits
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73.06% Score
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3 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.59226°N / 118.24057°W |
Route Type:
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Trad Climbing |
Season:
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Summer |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.10c (YDS) |
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Number of Pitches:
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8 |
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Overview/Approach
PHOTO ABOVE IS THE START
Dow leading the crux 2nd -3rd Pitches, 5.10c
Whitney Portal has a plethora of climbs that see less attention than most of their ilk in California. We had five routes on three buttresses to ourselves during a five day stint in July. The alpine grade IV that MP.com gives Ghostrider and No Country for Old Men is misleading as the approach is menial and there is nothing committing about either route which have you climbing through double 60m rope fixed raps all the way to the top. With a clear view to the west, you could exit these Whitney Portal routes at any sign of a pending storm. We were always back down to the Portal by 3pm with causal starts. Alpine IV? Makes no sense.
3rd Pitch, 5.10a, as taken from descent (end of the pitch)
The first pitch is a hidden gem revealing itself as a tall dark chimney once you dig in. The 2nd and 3rd pitches are best combined and each hold equal weight as the crux pitches of the route with the 3rd pitch’s flake to under cling roof traverse challenging No Country for Old Men’s dihedral pitch for the most unique climbable feature at the Portal. The 4th pitch leads to a large ledge which makes for a fine lunch and a place to store your trad gear whilst finishing the route off with four bolted pitches up the face.
Park at Whitney Portal. There is a climber’s trail marked with cairns that comes off the main Mt. Whitney hiking trail at a sharp left turn. There is no cairn at this juncture so as to avoid confusing the hikers, but once you are on the trail, you will more than likely see cairns. If you miss it by some chance just cut up and right when you can see you are below the left side of the wall. The first pitch left to right ramp is also quite easy to identify once you are at the base of the wall. It disappears into an obvious cleft/chimney. The approach from the parking lot might be 30 minutes.
Route Description
1150’+/-, 8 Pitches, 5.10c1st Pitch- 180’- 5.9/ This pitch starts in an easy left to right ramp located directly between where No Country for Old Men starts on the left and the rap finish to Ghostrider (best way to rap either route) to the right. It is difficult to spy the chimney itself, but once you traverse in from the ramp, you enter a dark tall chimney with ample pro and hand jams to the exit at top on a ledge below the crux pitch.
2nd/3rd Pitches- 180’- 5.10c/ I recommend combining these pitches which are the two crux pitches of the route. Start up the closed seam via slab moves to clip the first bolt. After that you can get a few stem moves in as well. Clip the 2nd bolt and soon you arrive at a small roof pull at a 3rd homemade hanger and bolt (2017). Large gear works here as well. If you brought two C4#4’s, leave one here as you only need one at the under cling roof above. But if you only brought two #3’s and feel the need to use one of them, back clean it so you have it for the roof traverse. Continue up a relatively easy flake with a hole in it and clip a bolt out on the face to the right. At a stance atop the flake place a #5, then make a committing move out right via an under cling to decent feet. You can then place one #4 and two #3’s for three solid placements as you under cling to fist/hand jam out right to the end of the roof. A #2 fits like a glove in the short left facing corner below a small roof pull. A bolt waits directly above as well as a micro piece another meter or two up as you climb 5.8/9 to the fixed anchor.
4th Pitch- 140’- 5.8/ One balance move at the grade. Head up the dirty corner above and venture right away from the corner looking for bolts. Clip four bolts in total. The 5.8 move is a balance foot move about half way through. Go way up and right for the next bolt and then back left to the large ledge that marks the half way point on this route.
5th Pitch- 190’- 5.9/ You can leave your trad gear on the ledge. Climb easy run out ground up the left pillar. Clip 8 bolts total through 190’. After four bolts there is a fixed rap, but with no need to stop at this station. These last four bolted pitches are just a ton of knobs and edges.
6th Pitch- 120’- 5.9/ Six clips through 120’ to the next anchor.
7th Pitch- 190’- 5.10a/ Few 5.10a moves if any, maybe towards the end. Clip 10 bolts through 190’ to an anchor.
8th Pitch- 160’- 5.10a/ The 5.10a move is at a bulge up and right that can be seen from the belay. Then typical knob cruiser to the top of the route, 9 clips.
Climbing Sequence
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