Thin Red Line

For years this under-appreciated route was one of the go-to routes for northwestern aid climbers looking to cut their teeth. Thankfully for those of us that like to try and climb things with our hands and feet, in 2008, local talent Mikey Schaefer had the vision and ability to unlock a free variation to the one blank pitch. His variation allows the whole line to go free at a relatively moderate grade. While this climb is more or less devoid of steep, clean splitters, it offers pitch after pitch of incredible climbing up intricate crack systems and faces on practically perfect rock.

Notes:

-With fitness and careful rope management, many of these pitches could be combined.

-If you're one of those people that's all about standing in slings, know that no hammers are necessary to climb this route. You can happily leave them at home.

-Also see:

thebigwidewest.blogspot.com…

and

cascadeclimbers.com/forum/u…

;Number=969123

P1: This is actually the first pitch of another route, Freedom or Death. Mellow slabbing up discontinuous cracks and bolts. At the anchor step right to another anchor. (the left bolts are FoD) 5.10.

P2: Easy moves lead up to a small roof. The crux is turning the roof with insecure lie-backing. More easy ground leads to a gear belay below a clean dihedral capped by a large roof. 5.11.

P3: Stem and lie-back up the corner on beautiful rock. After this pull a sometimes wet and always wild crux move to establish yourself in the roof and move out left to a bolted anchor at a less-than-stellar stance. 5.11

P4: Continue moving up and left out to the lip of the roof. Step even further left and clip two bolts. (part of FoD) After that, move up and back right to flake that you follow via a hand traverse to a stance and bolts. 5.10.

P5: Crux time. Execute a beautiful, techy traverse right on perfect stone to access a shallow left facing corner. Climb up moderate terrain and ditch your rack (possibly excepting a green alien/red c3) just before the first bolt in the corner. Technical stemming up four bolts leads to stance and another slight crux move to a good hold out left to finish the pitch at anchor bolts. Alternatively, climb slightly higher to a good stance w/medium-small cams. 5.12.

P6: More crux. Believe it or not, you're not supposed to follow the beautiful roof out left to the two bolt anchor. Instead climb straight up the corner on moderate terrain to a small roof. Step right and work up a hanging finger crack towards a large, intimidating roof split by two seams. Figure out the bouldery crux and finish the pitch up a mellow finger crack. Either belay at bolts (worse stance) or continue a little higher to a gear belay. (better stance) 5.12.

P7: More moderate cracks lead up and right to a two bolt anchor on a large ledge-system. 5.10

P8: The last crux. Thin, technical moves on more perfect rock are protected by small gear and fixed heads and pins. Immediately after the crux, step left to a ramp and belay off of gear at a stance at the top of it. 5.11

P9: Fun, engaging climbing up a final corner system leads to a brief thin move in the bitter end of the pitch. Pull the move and mantle onto M&M ledge. Gear belay on the right.

It's possible to rap (trending climber's left) with two ropes from this point. We rapped from a fixed pin and wire. Someone with some old rope and bike tire could rig a better station up and left of this on a large (and bomber) horn. From M&M, work left to good bolts and make four double rope raps to the ground.

Otherwise, step right from the ledge, initially following a left trending ramp up fun ledgy terrain to the top.

The start's a bit tricky to pick out as there are a lot of random exploratory anchors around the base of the east face. Look climber's right of Liberty Cracks and try to connect the line down from features above... Some mellow snow travel is usually necessary to reach the base.

Most of the pitches have a lot of fixed gear most of which is good. Rumor has it that Mikey, on the ffa, updated all the fixed pins and pulled the manky ones.

Single rack from purple tcu to #2 C4, doubles blue tcu to 0.75, small to medium stoppers, (no rps necessary) ~10 QDs.