See Rock and Ice Issue 195 for the full feature on Sierra adventures.

It seems that for every backcountry objective ticked off in the Sierra, a dozen more pop up.  The entire range is filled with unimaginable amounts of fresh granite beckoning the adventurous climber.  The tricky part – choosing one and getting there.  The hike’s are long and the terrain rough, but the payoff is worth it – white castles.

Two climbers approach Day Needle, Keeler Needle and Mt Whitney from just below Iceberg Lake.

We had heard tall tales of large walls and plenty of unclimbed lines in the Whitney region, so a recon was in order.  A quick trip up to tag a few classics yielded great summit views from Mt Whitney and Mt Russel of the surrounding walls in the area.  Three things were instantly clear: the stories of abundant walls were true, they would require much strenuous walking to get to, we needed to hire a plane for a better view. Finding a plane and pilot to fly one through the Sierra is no small task.  Apparently, all “sightseeing tour” operations have basically stopped.  Not willing to accept defeat, I set out on an epic journey through the town of Lone Pine, complete with shifty characters and back-alley deals, in search of anyone with a plane and a willingness to help with the dream that is Sierra backcountry first ascents.  Fortunately, everything came together and we had a wheels up time of 7:30am the following morning.

Temple Crag and the Palisades.

Crabtree Lakes and Mt Chamberlin.

Throughout our flight we saw numerous amazing crags and walls, but our attention kept returning to one – Mt Chamberlin.  Our psyche was high and we began planning our journey to Chamberlin immediately.  As it turned out, our pals Jimmy Haden and Mike Pennings were also planning on a trip to Chamberlin at the same time.  Awesome, party in the backcountry! Being 12 miles out, up and over the Whitney Crest, and wanting to stay for over a week, we knew the approach would be painful to say the least.  Time to embrace our inner pack mules and learn how to hike.  Mike seemed to think the hike would take 5 hours.  We would soon come to learn of his sandbagging nature.

Oh no! 70 lb packs for the grueling approach does not equal fun.

After a 5 hour hike that actually took a day and a half, we were finally dropping in to the Crabtree basin and Mt Chamberlin.  Surfing through knee deep scree and eventually reaching grass hummocks and meandering streams, we were immediately struck by the beauty of the place.  Towering ivory walls lined the valley while lush flowering meadows and perfect boulders filled its interior.

Mike and Jimmy in the lush meadows below Mt Chamberlin.

Sunset over upper Crabtree lake.

A quick hacky session with some beers provided just the stretch-out that our fatigued legs needed.  We’d have time in the morning to scope some potential new lines.

Chamberlin and star trails on a full moon night.

Jimmy, Mike and Josh enjoy morning coffee at camp Crabtree. Asleep at the Wheel climbs through the obvious white square high on the central buttress.

Asleep at the Wheel climbs through the obvious white square high on the central buttress.

The possibilities for new lines seem infinite, but the king line by far is a climb that Mike and Jimmy established in 2006 – Asleep at the Wheel.  Jimmy had this to say about the route: “We named the route, Asleep at the Wheel, after an interesting encounter with the only other person back where we were.  After crashing his car on the drive, he remained so dedicated to his Chamberlin mission, that he grabbed his pack, stuck out his thumb and continued. Asleep at the Wheel (V 5.12-) was completed without hammers, pins, or bolts and is one of the finest backcountry routes in the Sierra.” Well that settles that – we were psyched to go repeat the route with Mike and Jimmy repeating it as well.

In the interest of safety, we decided NOT to follow Jimmy and Mike and their torrent of death blocks up Asleep at the Wheel.  Instead, we wandered down the cliff searching for a potential line.  It didn’t take long to spot a system of leaning cracks and corners leading up to a detached pillar near the summit.  Perfect.  Despite the late start, mellow cracks and intriguing knob climbing led us to the summit of our first new route at Mt Chamberlin: Safety First.  And to think, we almost spent the day in camp.

Time for a well-deserved rest day.  High on the list for the day, in addition to scoping new lines, was catching the elusive Golden Trout, patching pin holes in our Thermarests and quite possibly – bathing.

Glassing the flanks of Chamberlin.

Afternoon shade spot/room with a view.

Waterfall into Crabtree Lake. The water from the shallow pool above provided for an (almost) warm shower.

Fresh catch of the day - Golden Trout.

From Josh: “After a much needed rest day fishing for golden trout in Upper Crabtree Lake, Mike and Jimmy walked over to the Hitchcock Lakes basin one drainage to the north, while we started up a line near Claude Fiddler and Bob Harrington’s North Face route.  From behind the binoculars in camp, all of the features of our intended line appeared to connect, with the exception of one dubious linkage where there was the suggestion of a crack of unknown size.  This feature was screened from our view as we climbed the first few beautiful pitches.  Leading up the fourth pitch, an amazing 5.10 crack with graceful movement and perfect protection, the nature of the mystery crack was revealed: overhanging hands and fingers!  We climbed it at 5.11-, grinning ear to ear the whole way.  Two more long, excellent pitches in steep, knobby corners brought us to slabbier terrain, then the top.  We called our route “The Sword and The Stone” (V, 5.11-) after a block trundled from the upper dihedrals.  We felt it exceptional in quality and sustained in difficulty.  In the upper corners we found a fixed nut, which we later determined was left by Jonny Copp and Nils Davis during the first ascent of their 2006 line “I Fink Therefore I Am”, with which “The Sword in The Stone” likely shares its upper pitches.  A strange coincidence given that friends gave me the nickname “Fink” when I was in grade school.  My nickname, and Jonny’s ability to inspire, are still alive to this day.  Accordingly, all three routes were climbed hammerless, all free, and onsight.”

Step 1 - spot the splitter. The line that we scoped hinged on whether or not this really was as spectacular a splitter as it appeared from basecamp.

Step 2 - climb the splitter. Score! Gently overhanging tight hands from heaven.

It wouldn't be an alpine route without a bit of loose rock, or in this case - a sword... pulled forth from the stone.

Just when it looked like we'd have to grovel in some offwidth - more miracle knobs apperared.

Summit. Sunset. Sierran Gothic.

The moon and Milky Way rise over the last supper at Camp Crabtree.

With our supplies running low and the weather beginning to turn, it was time to leave Mt Chamberlin.  Our plan was to contour out of the Crabtree Basin and into the Hitchcock Basin where we could hook up with the John Muir Trail as well as recon the potential for new lines on the cliffs above the Hitchcock Lakes.

Leaving the comfort of the Crabtree Basin and returning to the evils of the world via the gates of Mordor.

Routes

All told, 3 new routes were completed at Mt Chamberlin during the Summer 2010 season, and Mike and Jimmy repeated their climb Asleep at the Wheel for its second ascent.  “The Sword in the Stone” shares its upper pitches with the Copp/Davis route “I Fink Therefore I Am.”  “Safety First” likely shares its upper pitches with “Barracuda” put up by Dave Nettle and Brandon Thau in 2006.

Mike and Jimmy, having headed over to the Hitchcock basin a few days before us, were able to establish the first line in that area on a formation they dubbed Alfred’s Tooth.  Their line, “Pleasure Garden”, follows a continuous splitter to the top of the tooth.

Jimmy and Mike put up a new route, the first on this formation, on the walls above Hitchcock Lakes. Pleasure Garden takes a plumb line up unbelievable splitters to the top of Alfred's Tooth.

EPILOGUE

I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking that what you’ve just seen is an anomaly.  That all the sweetest plums in North America were plucked long ago.  That the climbers you’ve just heard about are mutants who cruise 5.13 in the backcountry and subsist on a steady diet of mountain trout and stewed krummholtz.  That the only way you’re gonna get to climb splitter new routes is to hone your climbing skills to the elite level, travel to the far corners of the earth, and endure interminable bad weather, hourly avalanches, and harrowing runouts.  I know what you’re thinking because that’s what I thought too.  That is, before I put down the guidebook, trusted my instincts, and ventured ever so slightly off the beaten path.  Right here in the good ol’ US of A.

And you can too.  It’s not that scary.  It’s not that difficult.  All it requires is an open mind and a committment to the process.

Domestic alpinism is alive and well.

Now go out there and get some!

Last year Josh Finkelstein and I did a bit of aerial recon into the hills to have a look for ourselves.  Walls galore.  All you’ve got to do is just hike out there…

Our noble steed, a suped up Cessna 182.

The Citadel.

More photos and video after the jump…

Mount Tyndall.

Bubbs Creek Wall and Charlotte Dome.

A wall somewhere in Sequoia/Kings Canyon.

Mt Chamberlin and the Crabtree Lakes.

See Rock and Ice Issue 195 for the full feature on Sierra adventures.

In July Josh Finkelstein and I departed Colorado’s frontrange with the High Sierra set firmly in our sights.  Ahead of us lay 2 months worth of clean white granite, crystal clear mountain water and more crack than a South Compton ghetto.

3 weeks in Yosemite National Park climbing and guiding a group from Vertical Ventures served as a good warm-up for the back country adventures we had in mind.

Whats better than the perfect pitches of Blues Riff? Blues Riff done in one perfect pitch.

A great view of the OZ/Hobbit Book link-up.

From Yosemite, we headed north past the town of Bridgeport and into The Hoover Wilderness.  Tucked deep within this pristine area of the Sierra lies an objective worthy of any domestic Alpinista’s tick list – The Incredible Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk and stars from camp.

Saluting the Hulk from camp.

The Hulk is absolutely STACKED with prime lines up nearly perfect white granite.  If you go, arm yourself with as many topos as possible.

Overlay of 5 classics on the Hulk. Click the image for large version.

Check out these links to topos for Hulk Routes: Sunspot Dihedral, Airstream, Positive Vibrations, Venturi Effect and Tradewinds.
Just up canyon from the Hulk lies Ice lake.  Bring your tackle for some rest day fun.

Fresh brookies from Ice lake.

Mike Pennings, Jimmy Haden and Josh Finkelstein wait out an afternoon thunderstorm.

Camp below The Hulk at night.

From the Hulk we headed south to The Needles.  This area had lingered in my mind since the first time I saw a picture of it, yet somehow it took 12 years just to make it there.  The wait was well worth it.  The Needles are everything you’ve ever wanted granite trad climbing to be.  Only way better.

The great east face of the Sorcerer.

German team starting up the second pitch of Atlantis.

Darren Snipes dances up Westwind on the Sorcerer.

Josh and Chris on Atlantis from chris brown on Vimeo.