North West Face

Type

Part of

The north-west face is a fearsome wall that has seen little more than a dozen ascents. The aid-lines that tackle the central part of the face are very committing and at present unrepeated. There are possible flat bivouac ledges located under the face, once the snow melts, for attempts on the wall and these can be reached in a long day from Homer Hut.

Aspect

North West

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Routes

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Quality
	Herron Whiston Aitken, 17	17	0m	0
P1 17 Trad 13 pitches: From the ledges right of the Yak Pastures climb the corner immediately right of the North Buttress, angling right to the gully between the buttress and the North West Face. A committing line requiring an uncomfortable bivvy on the first ascent.
	Sarkasmos, 18	18	0m	1.02
P1 Trad Starting from the snow-field under the North West Face where the buttress meets the face. Right-facing corner. P2 18 Trad Traverse right and up a rib onto the right side of the ledges, P3 Trad Up ledges and traverse right. P4 Trad Twenty metre wall then up ledges. P5 Trad Traverse right; take a chimney on the left side of a flake then across the top to a belay. P6 18 Trad Traverse right into a slabby groove, up this and swing out left into a crack with some loose blocks P7 Trad Up ledges and short walls on the left to join a large right-slanting corner. P8 Trad Up the corner to a gully with a steep flake. P9 Trad Traverse right to a slabby gully and up this to the ridge.
	Kamikaze Line, A4	A4	0m	2.01
P1 Aid A4 The initial three pitches of slabs from the snowfield follow a right facing corner to the large terraces under the face, slabby and protection is scarce. Above the terraces a huge flake lies against the face, climb the chimney on the left side. Steep face climbing above a small roof leads to the base of a clean cut overhanging corner with a 30m knife-blade crack. This is followed by two further pitches of mixed free and aid climbing. A wildly overhanging chimney ends abruptly on a broad ledge where it is possible to scramble around to the East Ridge.
	Original Line		0m	1.02
P1 Trad Follows a line of chimneys splitting the buttress in the centre of the face. Start up a right-slanting ramp towards the big corner, angling back left to a pedestal below the large roofs. Climb a delicate wall to the roofs where a wild pendulum regains the main corner. Bridging, thin aid and the occasional ‘30 foot fall’ lead to a good ledge. Follow easier chimneys and slabs up and right along a prominent ramp to easier ground.
	Tora Tora Tora!, 24	24	450m	0
The first all-free route to be climbed on the central part of the face, with a hard first pitch. Take a standard small rack. P1 24 48m Trad P2 20 50m Trad P3 21 27m Trad P4 20 50m Trad P5 16 25m Trad P6 18 250m Trad Continue up a gully and slabs to the top.
	Rowell Route, 19,A3	19,A3	0m	0
P1 19 Aid A3 Trad This route takes a vertical corner just right of the Original Line, with some aid, and then follows broken ledges across to the West Ridge.
	Garrity Parker, 19	19	0m	0
P1 19 Trad Eight pitches to join the West Ridge; crux on the second pitch.
	English Hillary, 17	17	0m	0
P1 17 Trad Climb slabs and walls to a large corner capped by a roof. Climb the wall to the left of the roof then a groove to broken ground and the West Ridge.

Comments

Attribution

Craig Jefferies

UUID

65ce269b-f75a-48e5-8ee6-8f2eb92e3962