Takes the spectacular dome-shaped blank looking headwall halfway up the
buttress. Headwall is split by thin crack taking picks and small gear. Can
abseil 60m to ground from DBA on top of headwall. Reaching anchor can be
tricky from ledge above, a short rap can be made from a thread above ledge to
gain anchors.
- P1
- Mixed M5
Start directly below left facing corner, This is the left most of the two clear open book corners) on RHS. Up slabby, corner then step right onto steep wall. Up to base of vertical buttress.
- P2
- Mixed M7
Belay off the large chock stone base of the wall. Move 3m up snow slope above chock stone. Direct up thin seam (3 x #2 wires) through overhang to ledge. Traverse left, then up thin crack. When crack peters out, can finish direct to DB Belay, or traverse right to arete, place gear then up thin and runout slab. regular wires and double cams to 1. single #2. Save a .75 and 1 for your final pieces before the last run out to the anchor.
- P3
- Mixed M5
From snowfield above, there are several options. Can I Sit On it, Flaming Gerbil, or State of Nation finishes. Flaming Gerbil Pitch: Continue up large chimney system exiting via RH offwidth (loose runout and scary). The best option for a hard day is to finish the final pitch of Can I sit on it. An excellent 30m M7. (full range of gear to #4 or 5 camalot)
Hard to get a good picture showing the line, but it goes up thin crack straight up middle off buttress, can't miss it!
Any chance you could draw the lines that have been done or at least attempted on the photo you linked to? We just climbed State of the Nation and I was amazed and inspired by that head wall.
Pitch 2 has not had a clean lead. The direct finish would require a positive attitude, hooking small features above gear. A real stonker.
(I suspect harder than grade Dan gave, but won't know till someone does it!)
Photo of last pitch here:
http://climbnz.org.nz/sites/climbnz.org.nz/files/image/IMG_2375.JPG?134…
Took the RH of 2 cracks forming wide chimney in center.