Heat Seeker

Heat Seeker climbs directly up the North East Buttress of Mt. Meeker. The first few pitches are good fun up mostly continuous cracks systems. The last two are victory romps to the top of the buttress.

P1.

5.9, 140ft

Begin about ten feet right of a left-facing corner on the sheer face of the buttress (where the belayer is in the photo of p1). Climb straight up through the black band to a ledge and up a fantastic corner to another ledge. Either belay here or higher up on a huge flake. The first few feet of this pitch are a bit difficult to protect.

P2.

5.9, 65ft

Climb straight up through some tricky movement on good rock to a mega ledge belay. P1 and 2 could be linked with rope drag.

P3.

5.10a, 115ft

Move the belay about 50 feet across the ledge. Climb the awesome but short finger crack (crux) to a break in the rock, and traverse right past a thin rotten crack to a second with blazen yellow lichen. Fun moves on periodically suspect rock lead to a right-leaning crack on perfect white stone. Belay on a great ledge.

P4.

5.7, 125ft

Climb a full pitch of "swimming pool exits" on amazing white rock. Belay below the obvious offwidth.

P5.

5.8, 115ft

This shares a final pitch with

Bands and Brothers

. Climb up the unprotected offwidth for 20 feet. Then climb/scramble to the top of the ridge line. The offwidth can easily be avoided by climbing around to the left.

This ascends the Northeast Buttress of Mt. Meeker. Hike up as for the Iron Gates, and cut right to the main face of the buttress.

A single #3

Doubles 0.1-#2

Nuts

Quickdraws

60m rope