I wish I had seen this page before heading to Mammoth Lakes a few weeks ago. I had a few hours to kill in the late afternoon and this scramble would have fit the bill perfectly.
Very nice page Bob. I'll have to keep this in mind when I need something to fill in an afternoon. The fact that it is composed of limestone and is thus an oddity in the Sierra makes the climb more appealing!
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the two routes you mentioned are pretty much the only ones to the top if you don't count minor variations. Up the front face is doable, but the rock quality is very poor and when I was surveying the rock for a route to climb, I could find no decent crack systems for protection or areas where the rock wasn't falling apart.
So I'd be willing to bet unless somebody goes up there and bolts and/or does some serious cleaning, it won't have any new routes anytime soon.
Edit: Late in 2011, I soloed up the NW shoulder just to climbers right of a large chimney/gash up the shoulder. It was about 300' I think and mostly class 4. Terrible rock for the most part, loose pebble-y crap over slab stuff and shattered rock. It was fun in sort of an adventurous way. Definitely more interesting than the short chimney or face up the back. I probably will never repeat the route however.
mpbro - Jul 5, 2003 1:33 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentGreat page! Interesting story...
kletterwebbi - Jul 7, 2003 12:13 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentNice page !
mrolph - Sep 4, 2003 11:42 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentI wish I had seen this page before heading to Mammoth Lakes a few weeks ago. I had a few hours to kill in the late afternoon and this scramble would have fit the bill perfectly.
Bob Burd - Sep 4, 2003 5:53 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentCrystal Crag is another short climb in Mammoth I found last week that I really enjoyed (more than this one).
Dave K - Jun 3, 2004 12:45 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentVery nice page Bob. I'll have to keep this in mind when I need something to fill in an afternoon. The fact that it is composed of limestone and is thus an oddity in the Sierra makes the climb more appealing!
Diggler - Jun 28, 2004 12:48 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentInformative page.
PrestonRhea - Feb 9, 2009 6:15 pm - Hasn't voted
RoutesI'm not 100% sure, but I believe the two routes you mentioned are pretty much the only ones to the top if you don't count minor variations. Up the front face is doable, but the rock quality is very poor and when I was surveying the rock for a route to climb, I could find no decent crack systems for protection or areas where the rock wasn't falling apart.
So I'd be willing to bet unless somebody goes up there and bolts and/or does some serious cleaning, it won't have any new routes anytime soon.
Edit: Late in 2011, I soloed up the NW shoulder just to climbers right of a large chimney/gash up the shoulder. It was about 300' I think and mostly class 4. Terrible rock for the most part, loose pebble-y crap over slab stuff and shattered rock. It was fun in sort of an adventurous way. Definitely more interesting than the short chimney or face up the back. I probably will never repeat the route however.
CWessels - Jul 18, 2015 7:17 pm - Hasn't voted
Class 2 Chimney?Are you sure the chimney is class 2? I climbed that thing, and it was considerably harder than class 2, IMO.
Bob Burd - Jul 22, 2015 7:44 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Class 2 Chimney?You're right, both routes are class 3, the chimney easier than the other route. I've corrected it.