Pineapple Peel Restoration Project

[Anders Ourom]

I've been working on cleaning up Pineapple Peel, so that it is more climbable shape. (It's essentially a three pitch variation that branches off Slab Alley low down, and links into Banana Peel.) Mostly working on the second pitch, a wandering slab, the third pitch (groove followed by short slab), and a new fourth pitch to link into Slab Alley. There's still some cleaning to do in the groove, plus finishing the fourth pitch. I'll leave the first pitch for later in the autumn, as it will drop stuff onto the start of Slab Alley.

There are only two bolts, on the second pitch, but they need to be replaced, and perhaps re-sited. The fourth pitch may need one bolt.

Anyway, if you're in or below that area, or possibly the nearby parts of Banana Peel and Slab Alley, there may be some dirt around - watch out. It needs a good rain to wash it. I was working on the second pitch today, and a wire brush disintegrated. Usually they 'shed' bristles, wire by wire. This one shed tufts of wires, after little use. So those may be skulking about, ready to spear fingers and ropes.

[Dru]

Pineapple Peel is well overdue for a good cleaning. Unlike Slab Alley, which only really dirtied up over the last decade, even in the 90s PP was so lichenous as to be essentially vanished.

[Anders Ourom]

Pineapple Peel was never cleaned BITD, AFAIK. It was always a modest adventure, wandering around on the slab, knowing you had to get in the groove. So the cleaning should help, as much for route finding (at least until traffic blurrs the cleaned area) as for making the footing a bit better. But it will always involve moderate 5.8 runouts.

I'm not sure what to do about the groove on the third pitch. It's class 5 for perhaps 20 m, with some reasonably healthy shrubs/trees lower down, and some apparently dead ones toward the end, where it changes into a crack that peters out into a short slab. A bit of cleaning and trimming may be in order, but won't do much to make the route more climbable or pleasant - it's quite straightforward. A full on excavation seems pointless, although with time and traffic it may slowly become cleaner.

It will offer a reasonable variation to Slab Alley and perhaps Banana Peel, although a bit more exciting. No plans to add any bolts to it, although I'm hoping to get up on it with Frank Baumann (FA), to see what he thinks.

[Anders Ourom]

Just a note that now that spring has arrived - in theory, anyway - I plan to resume work on Pineapple Peel. I got it about 1/2 cleaned last autumn, and need to finish the groove, and the bottom part, where it branches off from Slab Alley.

I've heard from Frank Baumann and Terry Rollerson about it, and am hoping to persuade Frank at least to climb it. There are no plans (or need) to do anything beyond cleaning the route, and replacing the two bolts on the second pitch.

[gnarnaphobe]

Stoked to get on it! I really liked slab alley, thanks for all your hard work cleaning and posting topos, If you ever need a hand cleaning or hiking tools anywheere send me a PM, I'd love to help out.

-Luke

[Anders Ourom]

Thanks. Did a bit more work last Saturday, before the hail storm, then again yesterday and today. With help from Simon, Jeff and Katie. There are bits of cleaning yet to do - the rest of the steep flake crack on the first pitch, where the climb diverges from Slab Alley, and some on a new 1/2 pitch linking back in to SA at the 5th pitch. Plus replacing the bolts.

We knocked a fair bit of stuff down onto the start of Slab Alley, but hopefully rain will soon wash much of it away. There's a bit more cleaning to do, perhaps just before the next rain. Maybe one more day...

Traditionalists will be happy to hear that the steep flake crack on the first pitch involves a mandatory tree climb - if the tree was chopped, it would jump from 5.9 to 5.10+, so please be nice to it. This bit can be circumvented via Slab Alley, or coming across from the middle Apron - but that avoids a nice little bit.

There is also potential for rope throws, for those so inclined.

[Anders Ourom]

Still working away on PP, but nearly done. Apart from the steep flake right at the start, and a bit on a new pitch linking PP back into SA, most of the cleaning is done. I also replaced both bolts on the 2nd (to some, 3rd) pitch. The only bolts on the route, although I'll probably put one into the new linkup. If only the drill had lasted.

While I was in the area, I replaced the hanger on 'the' bolt on Banana Peel - on the third pitch. An old SMC hanger. Plus checked/tightened other hangers. I also resited the first bolt on the first pitch of A Troll's Sonnet somewhat higher, so it no longer interferes with the variation start to the 3rd pitch of Banana Peel. Not that it was much use... That is, the route as shown in the McLane guide - the original route, FWIW (maybe not much) is as shown in the Bourdon book.

As a side note, Banana Peel was first done with no bolts at all.

[Anders Ourom]

This project is now also finished, or at least I don't think it needs any more work. Here's the topo, with PP the left of the two dashed lines. Essentially, a 3 - 4 pitch variation to Slab Alley, between it and Banana Peel. Like Slab Alley, it's graded 5.8+, but is somewhat stouter. There's a bit more route finding, and cruxes aren't as well protected.


Gear: As for Slab Alley.

Description: Here's a workable description, although as only one of the belays is fixed, there are options. The route wanders somewhat, so even if you have a long rope, shorter pitches make sense.

Pitch 1 (50 m): As for the first half of the first pitch of SA, but instead of going right, climb the tree and the flake behind it, stemming between the two. Excellent protection in the flake crack, so no worries. Please be gentle with the tree - this pitch would be much harder without it. From as high in the tree as you dare, muscle up and left for a few moves onto easy terrain. (Protect for the second!) Go left to a tree, then up about 10 m to the bolt belay at the end of the second pitch of SA.

Pitch 2 (15 m): Left along the easy crack to a point directly below a groove/crack with shrubs in it, about a pitch above. This is about half way from the SA belay to the tree bay on Banana Peel.

Pitch 3 (50 m): Follow the cleaned streak. Up then a bit left to a bolt (5.8 - 12 m), right and up to a second bolt (5.7 - 12 m), up a bit, straight left to below the treed groove, then up into the groove (5.7). Somewhat runout, but not serious.

Pitch 4 (30 m): Straight up the groove/crack past trees (class 5), then when it peters out, there's a spicy 5.8+ plus slab to a large tree ledge. If you're OK on Sparrow or Snake, you should be OK with this.

Pitch 5 (60 m): A new half-pitch, linking back into SA. Up and a bit right from the ledge to a bolt, zig zag up a slab that eases into a small corner with a nice cedar. Continue up the corner to its end, then right into the fifth pitch of Slab Alley. You'll need to belay in the groove halfway up that pitch. A DiY belay - trauma counsellors are standing by. (It's also possible to move left into Banana Peel, but I piled all the dead trees I could on the ledge, to discourage it. He he.)

As with SA, feedback welcome. Apart from cleaning, replacing the existing two bolts, and adding a short variation with one bolt, I didn't do much with this climb. It's a fun option, and of course one can traverse into it from the lower or upper long cracks on Banana Peel, although then you miss the first pitch of PP, or the first two of SA.

[Anders Ourom]

Oops - forgot. And you can't edit posts on this forum.

The exciting mantle on the first pitch of PP may be 5.9, but it's a one move wonder, and if you can't get A1 overhead protection, you probably shouldn't be doing it anywya.

[t-bone]

Took a quick run up this route Friday afternoon and had a blast. The first crack on the first pitch is a cool and the 3rd and 4th pitches (if you count the 20m traverse as p2) are really good too. The 3rd pitch is a bit runout (I only found one bolt) but not too bad. The crux move on the 4th pitch feels very similar to the crux move on Sparrow p3 (slabby moves a few feet above a crack).

Definitely a worth-while route if are looking for a quick after work run up the Apron

[Anders Ourom]

Thanks! The third pitch wanders quite a lot - up and a bit left to a bolt, then way to the right to a second bolt, then a bit up and way back left to the bottom of the wide groove. It's reasonably cleaned, which should help with routefinding. It would probably be possible to go straight up from the first bolt through a steep and sometimes polished area, but considerably harder, and unprotected. As with so many "routes" (variations) that may be possible on the Apron, especially to the right of Diedre, probably best left as is. (As with many cliffs in the Little Smoke Bluffs.) Little point to grid-bolting relatively moderate slabs.

Both Slab Alley and Pineapple Peel have a fair amount of quite moderate climbing, and wander to follow natural lines. Still, they have historic value, plus offer alternatives.

[Lurch]

Anders- These are Excellent routes. I've done both twice now and both are highly recommended imho. Pinapple Peel is Spicy! Easy, but somewhat runout for sure.

Sandra on Pinapple Peel



Thanks for your efforts!!