A grand adventure up the 600m Chilcotin Wall, sustained 5.10 climbing with a 5.11- crux pitch. All belays have bolted rap rings. 60m ropes will get you down, but 70m recommended for leading. 12 long pitches, almost all with some challenging sections. Runout on some easier sections. Bring full rack to 3" including small wires, with doubles or triples of small cams (Esp. Metolious #1 and #0). Devon Girard, Grant McCartney - 2018.
Approach: Follow Saloompt Bluffs trail for about 45 minutes (approx 15 min past the lower-bluffs trail junction), then follow a flagged line directly upwards through steep timber to the base of the large wall.
Descent: Continue through alpine terrain to gain the ridge, then descend the Goat Ridge trail to rejoin the Saloompt Bluffs trail. Or, rap the route.
Pitch 1 - A hard start past a single bolt gains a short thin seam; hard climbing past tiny gear for a few moves leads to easier cracks and a friendly slab, gain a small belay ledge. 5.10+.
Pitch 2 - Climb right from the belay past a single bolt, then up through zig-zagging cracks with sections of face climbing, as you finally trend right onto the main wall of the 'Teapot' feature, to a belay below a long thin crack splitting the face. Be mindful of rope drag; a long and interesting pitch. 5.10
Pitch 3 - Face climb past bolts to gain the partially bolted thin seam. Climb the shallow crack to a crux overlap, then up the remarkable flared groove through easing difficulties to the spacious Teapot ledge. A bit runout at the top. 5.10+
Pitch 4 - Start a few meters right of the belay, and traverse left to face climbing past bolts into a shallow corner above. Continue up left past a bolt, then right through disconnected cracks to a small belay ledge. A long pitch. 5.10
Pitch 5 - Climb up edges past a bolt to hand cracks. Gain the large face via a narrow pillar; face climb past more bolts to the belay on top of a large flake. 5.10-
Pitch 6 - A delicate friction traverse leads to harder face climbing past many bolts. 5.10+
Pitch 7 - Climb the long arching corner crack to an undercling traverse, then up right to a belay stance. Keep an eye out for small gear placements in the lower section. 5.9
Pitch 8 - Face climb past several bolts, gaining a shallow corner at the base of the huge arch that leads to the black roof. Keep an eye out for small gear placements at the base of the corner. 5.10
Pitch 9 - Climb the easy but runout corner, gaining easier ground and gear, then traversing left under the looming black roof. Watch for small gear placements under the roof, underclinging or descending lower onto the slab ramp below as necessary. Turn the corner of the roof and follow steep flakes past a bolt to a steep pocketed corner. Be mindful of ropedrag around the corner. A long and dramatic pitch requiring many small cams. 5.11
Pitch 10 - Climb the long corner to a belay stance below a short headwall. 5.9
Pitch 11 - Climb the headwall past one bolt to a small pond; circle to the right of the pond to a slab ramp past 2 more bolts to a left-trending seam and belay. 5.10
Pitch 12 - Climb past several bolts to an overlap and gear; continue up the face past another bolt to the base of water-worn crack features. Climb the grooves past some gear and a bolt; overcome a bulge to easier cracks. Traverse right on a hanging slab, to the final (overhanging!) exit cracks and final belay. Be mindful of ropedrag. 5.10
