Prow Wall, new route, 'UnBearable'

[evenstevens]

Finished up a new line on the prow wall, creating an 'everyman's' line up the amazing face. Now you only have to climb 5.12a to send the Prow Wall (every other route is at least 13a!). Shares the first pitch of Gravity Bong to access the face, and a pitch of Teddy Bears (the amazing elevator shaft) and then goes left. I wrote up a description on Mountain Project, so go here to see it: http://mountainproject.com/v/unbearable/107759381

[natsdad]

Hi evenstevens:

Thanks for establishing this line and posting. It looks amazing. Great photos. (I'm too much of an "everyman" to do this without a rope gun....)

Steve

[squamish climber]

Here is the topo and route description


Description
After climbing 2 of the hard routes on the Prow Wall (there are no easy routes here!) I spotted a line to the top that looked like the easiest way up the Prow wall, thinking it would be nice to do a free route up this amazing piece of stone that wasn't 5.13! The result is a bit easier, sharing pitches from T-Bears and Gravity Bong, with 4 new pitches of stellar crack climbing.

p1. 5.11a. Same as Gravity Bong, originally graded 10c, but expect 11a awkward flare climbing on the bottom half. At the top go up and right to a bolted belay shared with Teddy Bears Picnic and Gravity Bong. 35m, watch for loose rocks on ledge.

p2. 5.10c Walk the ledge at the base of the wall left for 10m or so until you get to a 5.8 ramp with a corner crack that is a little dirty. Go up this for 15m to a stance and then get in the flake crack on the main wall until the nice ledge with a 2 bolt anchor (p. 1 of Teddy Bears joins here.) 35m.

p3. 5.11c Same as Teddy Bears p2. 2 bolts on the tips flake/crack and some more cranking bring you to a ledge with a short wide crack. Up this to stance, clip a bolt, and layback the arete on the left to come to a stance at the base of the amazing elevator shaft. Stem, double cracks, jam layback up the amazing shaft to a nice ledge and 2 bolt anchor. 40m.

p4. 5.12a Starts the same as Teddy Bears but goes up and left through the slot at the top of the shaft. Tips laybacking and stemming in the brilliant rock gets you to a chimney stem rest. Bust up and left in the purple camalots out the roof that goes at an easier grade than you would imagine. Follow the feature up and left until you get to the treed ledge with with a 2 bolt anchor. 40m.

p5. 5.11, the Gentleman's Flake, harder for small hands. At the left end of the ledge followed the flake cracks up to the stumps in the overlap flake crack, that can be jammed, laybacked or underclinged, 1 4 camalot at the start of the business and then 3 camalots out the traverse. Pull on the tree to the 2 bolt anchor. 40m.

p6. 5.10 Lots of options, the crux is in the first ten feet. then you can either grovel up the chimney with face holds to a 2 bolt anchor (15m) or traverse left past a chopped cedar stump and face climb on cracks and ledges far left to another 2 bolt anchor by a small tree. Pull over to an awesome top out ledge!

Walk off towards the first summit across the top of the prow wall to gain the 2nd summit trail above the ladder.
Location
Do any route on the apron (Rock on, calculus or st. vitus are good warm ups) and walk the trail at the top to get to the Ultimate Everything. Cross under the Kashmir Wall to get to the South Gully. Go up the gully (kind of gross) past a huge stuck flake/block and pull up on fixed lines on left wall of gully. Right before the gully dead ends, you will see a flared crack on the left wall. This is the Prow Wall access pitch, same as gravity bong.
Protection
1 set of nuts
Camalots:
1 x .4 to 4, with doubles of .5, .75 and 3.
C3s x 2 (yellow, red and green) with one purple.
5 quick draws, 5 shoulder slings.

Some photos of the route
Pitch 3

Half way up the crux p4 of UnBearable


p5 of UnBearable, Gentleman's Flake


Reposted with permission from Evan

[squamish climber]

As Evan noted there are no easy routes on the Prow Wall. Check out the thread of Sonnie's route "The Power of Yesterday" 5.13c
Mysterious bolts on the Prow Wall
Pitch One: The Pillar of Darkness 5.10a may be as far as me, a lesser mortal, can hope to get to...still a cool looking spot.

[jstod]

Evan, or anyone else who's climbed this - curious how the overall difficulty feels compared to something like Polaris (which is obviously longer but maybe less sustained?).

Looks like a really cool line, and maybe the only hope I have of climbing something on the Prow!

Julian

[Kasper]

Just did it today. One of the best routes I've climbed, anywhere. Seriously everyone, get on it!
The elevator shaft is an awesome feature, and the other pitches are not filler- they are fun, sustained climbing. We 'skipped' pitch 2, linking the first half with p1 and the second half with p3. This works well, sort of removes the one marginal pitch on the route.The belays are all cushy and it stays shady most of the day- very civilized.
Thank you Evan and everyone else involved in putting this route up!
Julian: similar in difficulty to Polaris, and shorter so less tiring. Also the 12a stemming felt easier for me than the gravelly compression on Polaris... but would be hard to aid if you can't free it.

[Moos]

Agreed, this is an incredible line that deserves more traffic! The climbing is varied and fun, in an amazing position.

We took the chimney finish, which I can recommend. The chimney is very easy and well protected, and it's awesome to climb behind the prow that is so clearly visible from below. It's also shady in the late afternoon, unlike the left finish.

Finally, make sure to bring enough small gear for pitch 4! I used all of our double cams up to 0.5 when leading this pitch. Try to save at least two 0.5-ish cams for getting through that roof.