Mount King Access: Route A
Mount King
Approach: Follow the gravel track up to a clearing.
In a clearing at a large tree, before crossing the stream, take the
faint trail on the right.Go up some concrete steps and into the woods.
Follow the faint trail.
Bear slightly left until you skirt a stream over some rocky ground.
Cut back right up a few feet of rock. Continue on the trail.
The cliff should come into view shortly. Allow about 15 minutes from
the road to the foot of the cliff.
Character: The cliff is big by local standards - over 50m high
in its central portion, but its angle is variable.
Many routes have lengthy sections of scrambling at the bottom or top.
The rock is very solid for the most part.
The main feature is a prominent left-facing dihedral in the center of
the cliff. To its right is a face bounded on its right by a large left
-sloping overhang. To the left of the dihedral is another large face,
with a prominent cedar tree at its top left edge.
Going left from here, one passes a short corner capped by an overhang,
before arriving at an obvious chimney.
Descent: A rap station is located at the top of the second pitch of Owl's Nest/Rocketman. You can walk off to the right of the cliff. This descent route takes you past a small buttress which gives a technical roof problem (Mohammed.... 5.10).
The main dihedral gives the superb Great Dihedral (5.9).
The face to its right gives Stan's Route (5.6),
whilst that to its left gives Original Route (5.3).
An alternative start to Wounded Knee starts to the left of the usual
start, up an overhanging crack (5.8).
The short corner left again gives the crux pitch of Birdland (5.9).
The Nose 5.4
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 rappel back down).
Owl's Nest 5.4***
Start 12m left of the obvious chimney, at the top of a steep drop in
the trail at the base of the cliff.
The first and third pitches are hard to protect.
1. (5.4)Traverse out left on a ledge, squeezing past a small tree,
to an old piton. Climb up to another piton, then slightly left and up
again to a small cave, with an owl's nest in it (ed. nolonger there).
Climb straight up from the cave to the obvious cedar tree, reaching
high for excellent hands.Note: The climb from the cave up on the right
of cedar tree can easily feel like a 5.7
Alternate start(5.5): Hike down the steep trail to start 20 feet lower
either on the arete or further left at the overhang.
2. There are several ways you can go here.
2a.(5.4) 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 Jpine to
the rap station at the large pine tree.
2b. (5.7) Climb straight up from the cedar, through the roof, left and
up the easy corner past the small pine. Move right and up the
unprotected face to the Jpine and continue to the large pine tree.
3. (5.1)Continue up the obvious line to the top.
Ron's Climb 5.8+
Start 5m left of the chimney, 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 back from the huge pine tree further right.
Double ropes are recommended because of a very sharp edge on the traverse.
Rocketman 5.4
1. 5.4 Climb the left wall of the obvious chimney, to a large dead tree. Traverse left to a leftwards trending ramp, and follow it up to a large pine tree.
2. 5.3 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 slabby rock past a bent pine to a prominent straight pine.
3. 5.0 Continue straight up the center of the slab behind the pine tree, following a crackline.
Birdland 5.9
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 past another pin 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 > Original Route.
Original Route 5.3
To the right of Birdland is a large easy-angled wall, capped by a sloping overhang.
1. 5.3 Climb the wall by any one of numerous possibilities. Trend leftwards near the top, to get to an obvious cedar tree.
2. 5.0 Climb diagonally right. Easy ground is quickly reached.
Original Route Direct 5:9 +
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.
The Great Dihedral 5.9
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.
Stan's Route 5.6
To the right of The Great Dihedral, the lower section of the cliff becomes quite broken for a few meters. Scramble up the right side of this broken section to reach ledges below more attractive rock.
Zigzag up the face, trending rightwards, to get underneath the large sloping overhang. Continue up past the overhang to easier ground.
Broken Rope 5.4
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 easier ground to a tree belay.
3. 5.0 50m. Scramble to the top (or rappel back down).
Mohammed the Mad Monk of Moorside Home for Mental Misfits 5.10
A challenging micro-route. It is located on a small buttress well to the right of the main cliff. The main descent path passes underneath it.
The left side of the buttress is a short steep wall. The main section is distinguished by a large roof 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 1 ft across the face to easy around.