Routes as trad in Mont King

A challenging micro-route. It is located on a small buttress well to the right of the main cliff. (Though, the historical descent path does pass underneath it.)

The left side of the buttress is a short steep wall. It is distinguished by a large roof about 3m above the ground, which is split by a horizontal flake crack. Climb up to the crack and use it to get established on the upper face. Traverse accross the face to easy ground.

A superb route which follows the obvious dihedral up the center of the cliff. Start 5m right of Original Route, at the base of an obvious corner.

1. (5.4) Follow the corner to ledges below an overhang.
2. (5.9) Step left and go up the lower section of the dihedral (usually wet, but not too difficult) to a good resting spot below the upper steeper section. Make some hard moves (crux) to get established in the upper dihedral, and follow it up to a good resting ledge. Continue up in the same line (still difficult) to the top.

Start in the corner 10m right of the start of Rocketman.

1. 5.9 Climb the wall on the right of a subsidiary corner up to a pin. Traverse diagonally left and pull round onto a slab. Cross the slab to belay at a large dead tree.
2. 5.7 Climb the corner crack behind the tree to easy ground. Belay below a short slab.
3. 5.3 Up the slab and around a flake on its right side. Continue easily upwards.
4. Finish easily, as for the second pitch of the Original Route.

Start immediately right of Birdland, behind a large double-trunked tree. Climb the obvious steep crack to where it joins the normal route, which is then followed to the top.

Start 5m left of the chimney (Rocketman), underneath the long leftwards sloping overhang. Climb up to the overhang. Layback up to an obvious break through the overhang. Traverse right to the base of a groove. Climb up the groove to ledges. (Rappel from the first belay station of Rocketman.)

Start almost at the same spot as The Nose, climb strait up to the tallest point of rock in front of you. A mixed (bolts and gear) route to the right of the nose. 2 bolts, 1 piton and a 2-bolt anchor.

Instead of traversing left on Rocketman, climb straight for the tree belay.

Zigzag up the face, trending rightwards, to get underneath the large sloping overhang. Continue up past the overhang to easier ground.

Start at the obvious left-leaning chimney.

1. (5.4) 32m - Climb the left wall of the obvious chimney to a large dead tree. Traverse left to a leftwards trending ramp, and follow it to a large pine tree. Belay on two bolts. (Much nicer stance than the original belays off the tree.)

2. (5.4) 32m - Step right from the belay and climb up past another, smaller, pine tree, moving left then back right and up a crack to easy ground. Go left and up to a small cedar, then up a slabby rock past a bent pine to a prominent straight pine and 2-bolt anchor. (This pitch climbs about 33m in length, but rappels at about 28m, so fine on a single 60m rope.)

3. (5.1) 32m - Continue straight up the center of the slab behind the pine tree, following an obvious crack line to a 2-bolt anchor. (This pitch rappels at about 31m, so a 60m rope might stretch to the anchor, or you might have to climb down a couple feet. Be careful not to let go of both ends of the rope in case rope stretch is what got you to the anchor.)

Start about 20m left of the obvious chimney start of Rocketman, at the lowest point of a slabby section of rock, immediately right of overhangs.

1. Climb up the slabby rock until it steepens. Traverse left on good holds, past a small cave and up a short right-facing corner to ledges. Continue up the obvious crack above to easy ground.

2. Scramble to the top, or more obviously, to the 2nd belay of "Rocketman", then rappel "Rocketman".

To the right of the large sloping overhang is another big easy-angled wall, capped by overhangs.

1. (5.1) 18m - Climb the wall, trending right towards a corner which is climbed to a good ledge and cedar tree belay.
2. (5.4) 20m - Climb a wide crack behind the cedar tree, bypassing the overhangs. Once above the level of the overhangs, go diagonally rightwards over easy ground to a tree belay.
3. (5.0) 50m - Scramble to the top. (Or rappel back down.)

Start 12m left of the obvious chimney (Rocketman), at the top of a steep drop in the trail at the base of the cliff.

1. (5.4) Traverse out left on a ledge, squeezing past a small tree. Climb up then slightly left and up again to a small cave (which used to have an owl's nest in it). Climb straight up from the cave to an obvious cedar tree, reaching high for excellent hand holds. (Note: the climb from the cave up to the cedar tree can easily feel like 5.7.)
2. Traverse right on a ledge, cut back left up an incline and up the corner and over the top to easier ground or climb straight up on the right to the corner. Continue up and left, up a corner to a small pine tree and up the slab, past the pine to the rap station at the large pine tree. (2nd belay of Rocketman.)

To the right of Birdland is a large easy-angled wall, capped by a sloping overhang.

1. (5.3) 30m Climb the wall by any one of numerous possibilities. Trend leftwards near the top, to get to an obvious cedar tree, then belay on ledge a bit above tree.
2. (5.0) Climb diagonally right. Easy ground is quickly reached.

Variant:

P2. (5.0) 35m Step right from belay then up and left through some bushes to the open rock at the top of Mont King, then trend up and leftwards towards the anchors at the top of "Rocketman". (This allows rappelling the fixed anchors of Rocketman for descent, rather than the walk-off. 3 rappels, first rap is about 31m on easy ground.)