Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Aid Climbing Thunderbolt Peak and North Palisade

Hi,

I am thinking of doing these next year.

Anyhow, is it even possible for someone like myself with ZERO rock climbing experience to do the 5.8/5.9 summit blocks of Thunderbolt and North Palisade? I'm assuming I could aid climb to the summit block but correct me if I am wrong.

BTW, the highest rated climb I've done is class 3, which is nothing in terms of preparation for 5.8 and 5.9 (LOL).

Thanks,

Amin

Can't speak to N. Palisade - at least until next year (hopefully).
The technical difficulty of Thunderbolt varies considerably with route and season. We did it by the easiest route (first chute south of T.Bolt pass on the west side) during the easiest season (July) and it was a bit hairy in a couple of places. Getting out of the chute about 1/3 up when you hit a chock stone dam was the first - easly doable but sweaty once we decided on the right route. Eventually you come to a notch just N. of the peak. From here it is class 4 for about 30 to 50 feet. Experienced climbers do it no problem without protection. We placed 4 or 5 nuts to get through it. It was our first real life, out of gym rock climbing experience and I would not have done it without protection. Then you scramble up and around until you get to a face that you have to traverse on a large crack. Foot and handholds are great, but the the exposure is breath taking. We did not even attempt the summit block. My opinion is that it is absolutely NOT climbable unless: 1) you are a very accomplished rock climber or 2) you lasso the top of the block or otherwise figure out how to get a rope over the top and then use the rope to get yourself up. We later regretted not spending some time trying to do this and will probably end up going up again next summer and trying to wiggle our way on top.
It was a great climb and I can't wait to try N. Palisade. You will have a great time.

North Pal does not have a technical summit block, maybe you're thinking to Starlight, a sub peak just to the west along the ridge. Thunderbolt is basically a bouldering move. It's easier if you're tall. It's possible to toss a loop of rope around the top and batman your way up. Probably harder to get back down! I'd suggest that the real concern for someone with no significant climbing experience is the process of getting to the summit block in the first place. There's lots of class 3/4 on the way, and you need to be comfortable on this terrain. If you need to rope it all, you'll have quite a long day.

I guess Thunderbolt Peak will be out of the question.

I am pretty comfortable on Class 3 rock but Class 4 just scares me, and I'd hate to waste a lot of time roping most of the way. Doesn't make sense to me.

Are there any good pics of some of the class 4 encountered? I'd hate to say I can't do ANY class 4.

--Amin

amin f, don't let go of the vision. thunderbolt is worth the effort.
you might want to do a more natural progression from class 3 to 5.8 or 9.
if you can do class 3, you surely can do class 4.
maybe mt. sill is the next step. it has 40 ft of class 4 and plenty of class 3.
you have lots of time between now and next year. you might want to start bouldering some low class 5 to get some technique down.
work your way up, top rope, do some pull ups for god's sake, you can do it.

Here is the Class 4 looking up from the notch just north of the summit of Thunderbolt:



Thanks Moosie!!

It is hard to get perspective without a person or object in the picture. It is about 30' (estimated) from one end of the red line to the other. Then it's 10 or 15 feet more. The hollow, dark, cave like area is about 10' up. The holds are large and easy, but we needed a rope and protection to feel comfortable.

As an experienced Class 3 climber with little technical rock experience, I hired a guide for a trip up North Pal and had a great time as a result. I highly recommend going this route rather than trying to cultivate Class 4 soloing skills. You'll learn a lot, and you'll be much, much safer.

Gary:
When in flickr, go to the tab that asks for "all sizes". Pick the size you would like to upload to this site. Right click, scroll down to "properties" and copy the url (or just scroll down the page and grab it from the line below). in here, click on the photo button (third from left) and copy the url addy into the box.

Done.

-L

Now that I've got this photo stuff down, here is my son traversing back across the exposed face with a large crack for great holds:



I will try not to over use the photo trick!

Amin,

Generally the guides will work with you to schedule out how much (or little) you want to try to pack in. I was initially going to try to add Starlight Peak while doing North Pal, but the effort and exposure convinced me that N. Pal was enough once we got up there.

Here are articles on my site describing the two guided climbs:

http://www.sierradescents.com/climbing/north-palisade/u-notch-couloir.html

http://www.sierradescents.com/climbing/whitney/east-face.html

The most important points I would make about the benefits of going with a guide is that you can make it into a private climbing clinic if you want -- really dig in to learn as much as possible from someone who knows what they're doing. And of course, you're stacking the odds in your favor when it comes to safety. Plus, they'll usually cook you dinner.

Take care!

The WEST side over Bishop Pass allows for the easiest accents. Not the way Roman went(east side).
Spring is the best time. There is 2 miles of x country terrian to travel in getting to camp from Bishop pass. This sections has some talus that really suck with a heavy pack. Hopefully this is covered in snow and allows for an easier accent over Thunderbolt pass and into camp. Normally it is a five day trip. Day to hike in and a day to hike out.
At times.............some people can bag 3 summits in those three day....but the Norm is 2 summits. Many people need a day of rest after getting in there or after they climb one of the peaks. This also allows for some ground school(aculmating too) and some good scrambing/climbing in and around camp on your REST day.
In order of easiest to hardest. T-bolt, palamonium, N pal, starlight.
Sill is a little easier from the east side but can also be done one the west side.
Sometimes people are in shape and can get Palimonium and N pal in the same day.
Can alway hire a porter to carry a load to camp...it will keep you fresh and ready for the harder stuff. Good luck.

I read your reports. They were very insightful!! Thanks for sharing.

Quick question: For your North Palisades climb, what were the prerequisites? I noticed you mentioned in your report you had no roped climbing experience but had some experience with crampons/ice axe. But you seemed to do fine on the actual rock climb!

In my case, I have zero experience with the crampons, ice axe, and have done class 3 rock climbs at best (includes Mount Whitney Mountaineers and Mount Muir). I went to the Sierra Mount Guides website but didn't see any prerequisites listed for North Palisade. But I'd think they'd want some class 5 experience or was your case an exception?

You can climb the west side routes of the Palisade peaks without worrying about snow during the "season." Check for conditions when you do it. I've been up there half a dozen times and never needed crampons/ice axe. Of course I always check around beforehand.

There's class 4 moves and sections then there's scary class 4. I was scared going up the class 4 ridge to Polemonium the first time even with a rope and such. It has wild exposure. Class 4 going up to the base of Thunderbolt summit block was scary for me. On the other hand I was very comfortable going the class 4 to Mt. Sill from the east side.

There are two class 4 routes from the west side for North Palisade. I attempted one of them years back but turned around because I didn't do a good job route finding. I couldn't find that "class 4." I think you should keep in mind that class 4 in the Sierra is, again, subjective. It can be anywhere from class 4 to low 5th. You just have to go up there and experience it for yourself. If you get scared, turn around.

Send Kurt an email. He was up there with a few peeps when I was up there.

http://www.summitpost.org/route/157706/west-chute-u-notch-southwest-side-.html
http://www.summitpost.org/route/160630/clyde-variation.html

Amin,

I can't speak for guides as to what prerequisites they want, but I can offer some observations. In my informal conversations with guides, I've noticed that they're generally willing to let people try something new, like technical climbing, if the guide is satisfied with your overall experience level, ie hiking, camping, scrambling, etc. So I'm thinking prerequisites are more like guidelines than absolute rules -- my opinion.

That said, I think you'll enjoy yourself a lot more if you get in a little time beforehand with rock, rope, or ice (as the case may be). There are many inexpensive mountaineering courses you can take via guiding companies to pick up whatever skills you think you're missing. You'll be more comfortable, and you'll be able to focus more on the experience rather than on techniques.

Give Kurt or Neil a call, or try PM'ing Eric. I'm sure they'll take good care of you!