Type: Trad, 13 pitches, Grade IV
FA: Les McDonald, Hank Mather, Fred Becky 1962
Page Views: 69,585 total · 344/month
Shared By: Ian Wolfe on Aug 3, 2006
Admins: Mark Roberts, Mauricio Herrera Cuadra, Kate Lynn, Braden Batsford

You & This Route


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Access Issue: SIGNIFICANT ROCK FALL CLOSURES - UPDATED SEPT 20th 2021 Details
Access Issue: Camping Details

Description

This route runs along the edge of the North Gully and frames the top of the Sheriff's Badge. There are lots of ledges and terraces, and moving the belay is quite common.

Begin on a blocky pitch of 5.8 with a pin. Climb up to a large ledge and belay.

Climb the magnificent Angel's Crack, a diagonal hand and finger crack, at 5.10a. Belay on a good ledge at its end.

Next, climb a difficult face, the crux, at 10b past 2 bolts and up into a corner. There is a belay at a large slung boulder on a slab, but I thought it was more comfortable to climb another 15 feet up and belay on the ledge above.

Traverse along the ledge and up some easy slab to the base of the next wall (5.7).

Face climb up to the beginning of a left-facing corner. Step right below this corner and enter a right-facing corner on the other side. This can be tricky to see from below. Climb up the corner (5.10a) and step right again below a roof. Belay on a ledge.

Climb a pitch of 5.7 to a large ledge. This pitch can be successfully linked with the last one to make one long pitch.

Move the belay to the base of the next wall. Climb up a ramp, step right to a second ramp, then step right again into a corner system (5.10a).

Move the belay again. There are two options here. The normal way is to climb up a 5.9 lieback in a corner to another large ledge. The second is a 5.10b 7" offwidth crack. This crack is pretty consistent in size, so you can't get a #5 Camalot in there, even way back (trust me on this one). Bring your Big Bros if you wanna shot at this beast.

Follow the climber's trail up through the trees to the base of the Acrophobe's Traverse. Climb to the top of the first tower (5.7), rap off the back side, then scramble up low 5th class rock to a fixed rope (you can see it from the top of the rappel). Descend the fixed rope to a dirty alcove and climb up to the notch between the highest tower and the ridge (low 5th).

From the notch, climb up to a nice ledge (5.9).

You have a couple options from here. Start at a tree (using the tree to get past the start is permissable) and climb a 5.8+ fist crack up to a blocky corner. Continue up to the Whaleback Arete and belay at the base of the next, steep and somewhat intimidating, wall. Otherwise, traverse right along the ledge and climb a 5.10b/c crack, joining the route at the top of the Whaleback Arete.

Begin this pitch at the large dead tree growing out of the crack. Pull through this opening roof past a pin using the main crack and also a second crack on the left. Continue jamming up steep ground, past several small roofs and a couple trees to the top of the wall (5.10a). This pitch is sustained and somewhat strenuous, so make sure you have some energy left!

Step right into a 5.8 squeeze chimney, which opens up near the top. If you are carrying a pack, bring a double-length sling to drop the pack on, you won't be able to fit in the chimney otherwise.

Congratulations! You are at the top! Enjoy the views from the Chief on the walk back, and then high-tail it down to the Howe Sound Brew Pub to celebrate!

Location

From the Angel's Crest/North Gully Trail, find a dirty 5.7 corner, just past the large roof. The route starts at the top of this corner on a large ledge. This is a fairly popular route, so the best way to find it is to look for signs of wear.

Protection

A normal rack up to about 3". Doubles in the 1-1.5" range could be nice. Bring a Big Bro or 2 for the offwidth variation.

Photos