Routes as trad in High Sierra

There are a number of routes and choices up the north face of Crystal Peak, all starting at the same chimney, and all having about the same difficulty level. Mostly easy 5th class, with 5.5-.5.6 sections, and the occasional 5.7 move.

Start up the chimney in the back of the corner where the approach trail reaches the cliff. At the end of the chimney, choose any of many choices towards the peak:

a. Stay left, following the arete.

b. Take the obvious ramp up rightwards, then up crack lines that rise up and rightwards, then straight up to the peak.

c. Up the ramp rightwards, then back left towards obvious chimneys.

All finish through the layer of gorgeous quartz crystal that gives the peak its name.

Corners to face climbing, bolted on some of the face.

Pitches:

1. 5.7. Gear. Gear anchors.

2. 5.7. Gear. Gear anchor.

3. 5.9. Gear & bolts. Bolted anchor.

4. 5.10a Bolts. Bolted anchor.

5. 5.10b bolts, to gear.

6. (optional) scramble/climb up and right, then walk-off.

Start as for "Beckey Route", but instead of stepping right above first roof, continue up and left.

Near the front of the buttress is a smaller buttress with bushes and a ledge on top. Start up either side of this buttress:

1. Climb a grovelly corner to a ledge. Up past more bushes to a an awesome crack in a corner. Stay left of the first obvious roof, pull up, step right, and belay at a tree and huge knobs. 5.7.

2. Look up at the huge roof. Step up and right to the arete, then up the exposed arete bypassing the huge roof to the right. Pull a small roof (crux) and then belay at good cracks. 5.9

3. Up thin face/slabs/intermittent cracks above with occasional dykes, until a bolt anchor appears to the left. 5.8

4. Run-out bolts up slab thin face and intermittent cracks and seams to another bolted anchor.

5. Up 200ft of mixed 4th class and easy 5th to the summit, generally trending rightwards.

1. 5.9

2. 5.9

3. 5.9

4. 5.6

Climb face to bolted anchor.

Near the center of the cliff there is a small (2m) high buttress with a top that is a ramp heading up and right. Start here, climb up to the ledge, then up right, to a vertical crack. Follow this to the rising horizontal break, step left, then up another crack/flake system that goes up and slightly right. Gear anchor.

On the right side of the cliff, there is an obvious ledge about 4m up the cliff. This climb starts at an obvious crack below the left end of the ledge.

Climb the crack to the ledge, then follow and obvious crack that trends up and leftwards, through a slab section where the crack peters out, to an upper left-facing crack/flake system and the top. Gear anchor.

Below the middle of the ledge is a finger crack, start at this.

Climb the crack to the ledge. From the ledge climb the face above on small seams towards the roofs. At the roofs, go left then pull up into a dihedral and finish directly upwards. Gear anchor. (No bolts, despite them being shown in one local guide.)

Start on a crack a couple meters right of "Surfin' Safari". Follow this crack up to the ledge, then continue following it up and left the whole way. (This will pass entirely right of and above the roofs that "Surfin' Safari" traverses under.)

Chimney.

1. 5.8. Face climb to dihedral.

2. 5.10a Pull roof to face.

Takes a corner on the left hand side of the face bypassing a few roofs to then climb broken ground to the summit. Take double rack of cams micro to #3 and a single #4.

Start on splitter crack just to the right of Bloody Cleaver. Climbs fairly directly to the top.

To the right of the South Face route. Look for a difficult under cling at the top of the first pitch.