Satellite

Approach

This is an easy but fun climb to the summit of Snow Creek Wall. However, it is a bit of an adventure due to mossy rock and the lack of clear topos. Climbers looking for clean Leavenworth granite should look elsewhere - but what this route lacks in climbing style it makes up for with great views on an impressive wall in an alpine-like setting.

Follow the directions on the main Snow Creek Wall page to get to the base of Snow Creek Wall. From the creek crossing, follow the climbers trail, turning left at any junctions. You will pass by the base of the Orbit route. Continue hiking left and up, following the trail which is also used for descent. Look for a gully with a prominent right-facing corner - you will need to leave the descent trail and scramble right towards the wall to find the base of the gully. See pictures below of the start of the route. Some guidebooks mention a "5.2 chimney" at the start, but we didn't find anything that looked like a chimney.

Route Description

Most pitches are probably 5.4-5.5 range. There are a few moves which might be 5.7, but for the most part the difficulty is due to moss on the rock, not the climbing itself.

Pitch 1: Start up the mossy, low-5th class gully. Pro can be placed in the crack against the left-side wall (mid-sized cams helpful here). Climb over a nasty bush, then follow the gully around to the left. A few short traversing moves, then climb up onto a ledge beneath the roof. Belay here for a 50m rope. With a 60m rope you should be able to continue and belay above the roof.

Pitch 2: Follow the wide crack towards the roof, then traverse left out of the gully. A large cam is required here for protection. Alternately, avoid the wide crack by climbing left onto sandy ledges and out of the gully. Ahead and to the right is a low 5th-class gully - continue climbing up.

Pitch 3: The goal is to get onto the slabs on your right. Climb a bit further up the messy gully until you find a place to step rightward onto the slabs (protect with cam in horizontal crack). There is a tricky move here on mossy rock to get over a small step. Head up and rightward, following horizontal cracks for protection. Aim for a large vertical crack in the prominent roof. There is a fun pullup move to climb over this crack - set up a belay here.

Pitch 4: Climb directly over the roof, or move to the right a bit and climb a short arete. There is a small bush above here which can be slung for pro. Head straight towards the summit, crossing a blocky section by climbing a short fun crack. Belay at a great sandy ledge overlooking the E. face of the wall.

Pitch 5: Head left from the belay - a short crack followed by a mantle move. From here it is fun chickenhead climbing to the summit. For best views, bypass a large summit boulder on the right and traverse around to the top.

Descent: Follow the 3rd class descent route on the south face of the wall (marked by cairns).

Essential Gear

Cams are best for this route. Small cams or aliens are helpful for the cracks higher on the route. At least one large cam (#3) is used on first and third pitches. Bring two ropes in case you need to bail (lots of bail slings on this wall!)

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.

Images

View Satellite Image Gallery - 6 Images