Shirley and I have made a handful of trips up to Vantage since our first visit in 2004. There might’ve been one or three more where we found shitty conditions and did no climbing (rain, snow, freezing temps…). Our successful trips have been in the spring time when we’ve grown bored with Smith cragging and were willing to put in the extra hour of driving to soak up some of that Sunshine (Wall) goodness. As of now, we’ve visited The Feathers only once (first trip…never really been tempted to go back).

Trip Reports Chronologically

“Vantage 2021” (May 2021)

“Vantage 2015” (April 2015)

“Shrinking Ball Disease“ (March 2013)

“Vantage 2013 Again” (March 2013)

“Good Day In Vantage” (March 2013)

“Vantage 2012” (May 2012)

“May Day In Vantage” (May 2011)

“March Weekend Of Cragging in PNW” (March 2010)

“February 2010 Weekend In Vantage” (February 2010)

“Cocaine Crack And Vantage” (March 2006)

“Second Visit To Vantage” (March 2006)

“First Visit To Vantage” (March 2004)

Listing By Route Name

A-D

272 (5.8)

Air Guitar (5.10a)

Air Guitar (5.10a)

Air Guitar (5.10a)

Bob Dylan (5.10b)

Bob’s Your Uncle (5.11a)

Bob’s Your Uncle (5.11a)

Boschido (5.10b)

Chemically Adjusted Reality (5.10c)

Chemically Adjusted Reality (5.10c)

Crackmaster Lambada (5.10b)

Crossing The Threshold (5.8)

E-R

Elders (5.10a)

George And Martha (5.10a)

George And Martha (5.10a)

In Too Deep (5.10a)

Jihad (5.11a)

Left Out (5.9)

Left Out (5.9)

Mr. Clean (5.11a)

Party In Your Pants (5.8)

Party In Your Pants (5.8)

Party In Your Pants (5.8)

Pony Keg (5.9)

Pony Keg (5.9)

Ride ‘Em Cowboy (5.9)

S-S

Seven Virgins And A Mule (5.7)

Sex Party (5.10a)

Sex Party (5.10a)

Sex Party (5.10a)

Sex Party (5.10a)

Shrinking Ball Disease (5.11a)

Sinsemilla (5.10c)

Sinsemilla (5.10c)

Sinsemilla (5.10c)

Slim And Curvy (5.10b)

Spinning Mars (5.11b)

Steel Grill (5.9)

Steel Grill (5.9)

Steel Grill (5.9)

Stems And Seeds (5.11b)

Stroken’ The Chicken (5.6)

T-Z

Tangled Up In Blue (5.9)

Tangled Up In Blue (5.9)

Tangled Up In Blue (5.9)

The Feathers

Theresa’s Lingerie (5.9)

Theresa’s Lingerie (5.9)

Theresa’s Lingerie (5.9)

Welcome To Vantage (5.10c)

Some Route Picks

Stem Boxes Of Frenchman Coulee

List of notable stem-box type climbs for which Vantage is (perhaps) famous… spanning the grade spectrum and best at each grade.

Stroken’ The Chicken (5.6) – an easy 5.6 set up with a weird turn-around exit move at the top…at least back in 2004 when we did it. Or was that for style points? Its only claim to fame is that it’s one of the few, clean 5.6 routes there I think.

Party In Your Pants (5.8) – get an alpine start for this area favorite. Fun, secure climbing – it must be since we’ve done it probably 5 or 6 times. Approach beta: just look for the first village gathering beneath the perma-TR after you drop down into the Coulee…

Tangled Up In Blue (5.9) – nothing terribly special but it’s the only example I can think of at the grade. Climbs like Party if a bit wider in both stem and crack sizes.

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Sinsemilla (5.10) – a very good route at almost any crag and particularly excellent in Vantage! Good warm up for Stems & Seeds next door even if the gear is relatively gigantic…

Stems & Seeds (5.11-) – in my simple mind, this is the area classic (though admittedly we have not done Red M&M’s). Is it simply because it’s the hardest thing we did on this list? Perhaps – but it’s a line that begs to be climbed. Bring your small cams and offsets and your tall climber to lead it. To find it, look for a sport climber hanging at the 6th bolt on some line immediately to the left…

A Few Shots