Rites Of Spring – chossclimbers

Rites Of Spring

Mount Whitney

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Rites Of Spring — Rites Of Spring (March 2012).

Sacramento by 11pm Friday. Bishop by 5am via a quick all-nighter. Pratt’s Crack Buttress by 10am. Lunchtime top-out on Rites Of Spring. A pre-dinner climb of Sheila. Dinner. Sleepy. Rainy. Out.

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Sheila — Shirley on the cruiser part of Sheila (5.10a; March 2012).

The four-pitch Rites Of Spring (10a, 9, 10b, 10d) is a gem of a route. Well protected and uniformly challenging without being overly desperate until the short (~8 foot) 5.10+ section on pitch 4. Thin/small pin scar pockets with some imaginary footholds. The next door Sheila (10a) is even better, though the wide crack section near the top was pretty strenuous.

Photos

Pine Creek Canyon — Hiking in to Pratt's Crack Gully in Pine Creek Canyon (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Starting up the first pitch (10a) of Rites Of Spring (4 pitch, 10d; March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Shirley leading pitch 2 of Rites Of Spring - nice corner to some wideness (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — ...the wideness that finishes off pitch 2 of Rites Of Spring (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Shirley belaying me on pitch 3 of Rites Of Spring (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Below the pitch 3 roof (10b) on pitch 3 of Rites Of Spring...nothing but pure hand jamming joy (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Shirley firing the roof on pitch 3 of Rites Of Spring (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Pitch 3 topout - lookee at those fun hand jams!

Rites Of Spring — Pitch 4 of Rites Of Spring - a nice crack to a short and thin 10d tips section followed by some easier wide crack to top things off (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Pitch 4 of Rites Of Spring.

Rites Of Spring — Done with the hardness...

Rites Of Spring — Shirley in the thick of it (or is it in the thin of it) on the short crux of pitch 4 of Rites Of Spring (March 2012).

Rites Of Spring — Those with smaller mitts might find the upper half of pitch 4 harder than the true crux (March 2012).

Sheila — The lower crux of Sheila ...thin crack to thinner crack to a wiiiiiide step left into the beautiful hand crack(s). A stellar pitch!!

Sheila — Leading the stellar Sheila (5.10a) above the opening crux (March 2012).

Sheila — Each hand jam like butter...

Sheila — Shirley on Sheila.

Sheila — Shirley on the cruiser part of Sheila (5.10a; March 2012).

Sheila — Shirley enjoying the hand cracks portion of Sheila (March 2012).

Sheila — ...and the strenuous wideness...

Pratt's Crack — Leading (& soon failing on) Pratt's Crack...need more big gear including bigger nuts (March 2012).

Pratt's Crack Gully — Shirley hiking out of Pratt's Crack Gully after a great day of climbing. Rites Of Spring starts up the broken left facing dihedral. Pratt's Crack (5.9) and Sheila are the obvious laser cut corners (March 2012).

Pratt's Crack Buttress — Shirley hiking out after a great day of climbing (March 2012).

Pratt's Crack Buttress — One last looksee at the small beauty that is Pratt's Crack Buttress (March 2012).

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