Les Grandes Dalles Rock climbing 3 routes in area

Nice initiation to longer routes. This climb apparently goes at 400m but I have my doubts. Starts as a slab then the route wanders to find easier terrain. There are a lot of other very interesting features to be climbed on gear around.

1. P1: 5.3 - Easy slab. Follow the bolt line. The pitch is ~66m if you start from the bottom of the slab. If you have a 60m rope and don't want to simul-climb, belay from the first bolt.

2. P2: 5.4 - Starts being a little steeper but still slab.

3. P3: 5.6 - You can either pull through the juniper bushes or avoid them by going around to the right.

4. P4: 5.6 - There is an obvious bolt up and right from the anchor. This is not your route. You are going left. Watch out for loose rocks around the belay.

5. P5: 5.6 - Traversing out and left through a ledge with a few trees.

6. P6: 5.7 - Left and then up. This pitch probably has the most interesting climbing of the whole route.

7. P7: 5.7 or 5.9 - There are two variants here. When you get to the headwall, you can either go up and pull through 1-2 moves of 5.9 or go out and right to avoid it. The 5.9 variant is more interesting.

Top:

Enjoy and great view of the region and the surroundings and a good refueling break as you can roam free around the top of the climb.

Descent:

To descend, you can either rappel or walk off (not recommended).

• Rappel

  1. Stuck ropes are common, you must have the necessary skills to handle stuck ropes and self-rescue. Budget 5+ hours to descend.

  2. Most rappels are longer than 35m. Bring two 60m (or longer) ropes.

  3. The first rappel station is roughly 5-10m right (climber's right) of the P7 belay station.

  4. There are seven rappel anchors. The rappel anchors are independent of the belay anchors, except for the anchor of P5. The first two rappels are climber's right of the route, the last four are climber's left of the route. Follow where gravity wants to take you.

  5. In 2021, a rappel station was added above P5 to mitigate stuck rope. While it is possible to rappel to P5 from the top, do NOT skip this rappel anchor. At P5 belay anchor, take a moment to locate it right above you. At P6 belay anchor, it should be to your right.

  6. There are a many trees over at climber's left to escape. Some may already have slings but make sure you inspect them.

  7. Most pitches are a little more than 30m so try not to link pitches on the way down if you use the bolted anchors. The last rappel can safely be skipped with two 70m ropes.

• Walk Off (Not Recommended)

  1. Follow the red flags to the parking lot.

  2. Note that this route does not lead back to the base of the climb, if you leave items at the base, you will have to hike again from the parking to the base and back.

Much less climbed than its bolted sister, this climb is surprisingly clean of moss and offers much better slab and crack climbing at an affordable grade. The climb follows great features from bottom to top. The R grade comes from the first pitch on the slab which is hard to protect (some gear spoiler in logged ascent).

Disclaimer: Grades and pitches info are approximate since we simul-climbed it. Please update information as you see fit. Although mostly on solid rock, this climb is still adventure terrain. Make sure you know what you're getting into.

Climbing

1. 5.5R 70m: Start climbing about 20m right of the 'Sport 400' and about 10m left of the tree-line splitting the cliff. The first pitch climbs up a friction slab to a slight, shallow dihedral which offers few protections. Make your way up to a pile of broken fridge-sized blocks. Beware of loose rocks. Warning: There was some easily avoidable poison ivy on the first overlap encountered ~15m from the ground.

2. 5.5 ~70m: Climb over the bulge to a low angle, left-leaning dihedral. Possible tree/gear anchor on a comfortable ledge. There might be a line in the larger dihedral right of the bulge.

3. 5.6 ~60m: Follow a nice crack splitting the blocky black rock straight up from the previous ledge, through one steeper move. Move on to a few easier slab moves to another tree ledge. Lots of loose rocks.

4. 5.4/5.9 ~50m: This pitch bypasses the first big roof seen from the ground on the left. We climbed through the tree patch up a slightly overhung and very mossy off-width crack (5.9?). Bring a #5 or sling a forearm-sized tree trunk. Alternatively, you can chimney your way up between that forearm-sized tree and the wall to the right of the off-width. It might be possible to avoid this by climbing between the room and off-width.

5. 5.4 ~40m: A shorter pitch through easier terrain brings you to a bolted anchor right below the big roof overlooking the whole climb.

6. 5.7?/5.9+ 35m: From the bolted anchor, we climbed straight up from the anchor through 3-4 overhung bouldery moves. Hard to protect properly. After a bolt, there is a second bulge that is easily passed by going left for 2m and following the flake under the roof right back into the correct line. You then get to climb a wonderful and exposed dihedral past a bolt to finish this wonderful pitch with 10m of easier slab. Gear anchor in a large finger-sized crack curving left. I believe the first bulge can be avoided by climbing 2m to the right. Looked like around 5.7 (confirmation?)

7. 5.8/5.5 ~40m: Climb up the stellar squeamish-style finger-crack to a crux traverse move and then made your way up towards the shrub guarding the summit. An alternative is going out right past a visible glue-in and up some easier terrain(5.5?). Either build a tree anchor or use the bolted rappel anchor. (This leaves the second unprotected for the finish section.)

Descent

Follow the same beta as for the 'Sport 400'