Paisano Pinnacle Rampage (5.10d, 4p, 500′) + Burgundy Spire Action Potential (5.10b/c, 7+p, 800′)

Paisano Pinnacle + Burgundy Spire

Routes:

- Paisano Pinnacle, Rampage (5.10d, 4p, 500')
- Burgundy Spire, Action Potential (5.10b/c, 7+p, 800')

A link-up with some awesome 5.10 climbing to the top of Paisano followed by some adventurous climbing to the top of Burgundy.

Region: Washington
Elev: 7,910 ft (Paisano) & 8,400 ft (Burgundy)
Rock type: Granite
Type: 
Date(s): July 21, 2017 (Fri)
Partner(s): DR

Route Overlays

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Intro

THIS TRIP REPORT IS STILL MOSTLY IN THE EMBEDDED HTML FORMAT OF MY OLD WEBSITE.

The previous summer (June 2016), my friend Sam and I did a link-up of Paisano Pinnacle and Burgundy Spire via Paisano's West Ridge and Burgundy's North Face. This time, my friend DR and I again did a harder version of the Paisano+Burgundy link-up, climbing Paisano's Rampage (10d) and Burgundy's Action Potential (5.10b/c). This was a nice full car-to-car day. Rampage features clean and excellent 5.10 climbing, some of the best 5.10 climbing I have done in the Cascades. Action Potential does indeed have a lot of potential: potential to be another WA Pass classic, if only it were cleaner; but we enjoyed the adventure.

The following page gives a route overlay, pitch-by-pitch description, and photos for each of the climbs.

Pitch-by-Pitch Trip Report for Each Route

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THIS TRIP REPORT IS STILL MOSTLY IN THE EMBEDDED HTML FORMAT OF MY OLD WEBSITE.

Rampage is an awesome climb on steep and clean continuous corners. The climbing is consistently challenging and some of the best 5.10 I have climbed in the Cascades. Because the route is a bit short to justify the long hike up to it, it makes a great link-up with a route on Burgundy Spire.

Route Overlay

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Pitch-by-Pitch Photos


Photos:
Photo descriptions:
Approach 
Bottom of middle of NF or Pasiano Pinnacle, ~300 vert ft below Burgundy Col.
1.    
2.    
3.    
4.    
5.    
   
   
   
   
   
1. Log crossing across Early WInters Creek. There has been a log (in roughly the same place, maybe the same log) every time I have crossed this creek in the last 10 years. Otherwise you have to wade.
2. Views of Big Kangaroo and Liberty Bell group from the steep hike up towards Burgundy Col. 
3. Zoomed in view of Liberty Bell group.
4. We hiked out packs all the way to Burgundy Col, and then descended about 300' along Paisano Pinnacle to the base of Rampage. This was a pretty quick and easy descent and I was glad to have left my approach shoes at the col to avoid carrying them up the route (the descent brings you down 30 feet from the col).
5. The 3rd class ledge at the start of the route. Rampage starts on the far right end of the ledge.
Pitch 
1
5.7
6.    
6. Looking up Pitch 1. This is pretty mellow 5.7 climbing, with the crux move (at least for us) chimnying behind a block shortly before the top of the pitch.
Pitch 
2
5.10c/d
7.    
8.    
9.    
10.    
7. DR stemming up the awesome corner of Pitch 2. The crux is getting over the triangle roof.
8. Looking down the awesome corner. 
9. Looking down the corner from higher up, just past the crux move past the triangle roof (you can the crack gets thinner, but there are excellent finger locks).
10. A bail anchor we found just below the crux roof.  

Pitch 
3
5.10d
11.    
12.    
11. Looking up Pitch 3. Go up the left cracks. This is the crux of the route: steep, flaring jams.
12. Looking over at a climber on Paisano Pinnacle's West Ridge route. 

Pitch 
4
5.9
13.    
14.    
15.    
13. Fun corner on Pitch 4. The 5.9 offwidth looms above.
14. The 5.9 offwidth. You can protect it with small to medium cams (so no #5 needed) and the climbing is actually pretty fun. 
15. Finishing off Pitch 4 to the top!
Top!

16.    
16. The top of Paisano Pinnacle.
Descent 

Scramble NE and rappel twice to Burgundy Col.   

THIS TRIP REPORT IS STILL MOSTLY IN THE EMBEDDED HTML FORMAT OF MY OLD WEBSITE.

This is a route with a lot of potential. It was first climbed in 2004, and doesn't seem to have seen an abundance of ascents since then, so there is a lot of lichen and some looseness to be wary of. But the climbing is pretty good. The routefinding is a bit tricky (partly just due to the untravelled nature of the route), and we did get off route once and had to climb through some rather terrifying terrain to get back on route. Overall, it was a good adventure.

Route Overlay

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Pitch-by-Pitch Photos


Photos:
Photo descriptions:
Approach 
From Burgundy Col, descend 300' and then make a rising traverse below the east face to base of route. May be snow.
1.    
2.    
3.    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
1. Looking down the east side of Burgundy Col. The snow was soft enough that we were able to get to the base of the route without needing crampons and ice axe.
2. Steep snow below the east sides of the Wine Spires. We were able to kick steps up to the base of the route. 
3. If you don't have an ice axe, maybe a #4 cam will at least slow you down...
Pitch 
1
5.9
4.    
4. Looking up Pitch 1 from the base of the route. The first half of the pitch is on clean and splitter white granite. The second half pulls a roof into lichen-coated rock. Despite the lichen, the climbing is pretty good. 

Pitch 
2
5.9
5.    
6.    
5. Pitch 2 starts up a fingercrack that is hidden from view from the belay.
6. Looking up the fingercrack. 

Pitch 
3
5.10b/c
7.    
8.    
7. Pitch 3 starts off with a fingercrack that splits through the arete. This is the technical crux of the route (5.10b/c). Because of the lichen and occasional loose rock, this part seemed pretty desperate to me. If cleaned up, it would be excellent climbing.
8. Climbing through the lichen-coated flakes on the second half of the pitch.
Pitch 
4
4th
9.    
10.    
9. Pitch 4 is an easy scramble to the base of the chimney. I set my belay a bit off to the side to try to put the belayer out of the main zone of rockfall from the chimney.
10. An old hex. 

Pitch 
5
5.8
11.    
12.    
11. Looking up the chimney . The climbing is fairly fun and protectable for the most part. But it is a long pitch so I was running low on gear towards the end and had to put up with some longer runouts towards the end.
12. Looking down while climbing the chimney.
Pitch 
6
5.8
13.    
14.    
15.    
16.    
13. Pitch 6 starts up this grungy rotten corner.
14. Looking up the corner. The route descriptions we had recommended face traversing left out of this corner, but we never found the traverse back in and got sort of off route. Wish we had gone up the corner...
15. The face traverse out of the corner.
16. Looking up from the top of our Pitch 6. We are too far left of the route here. I ended up leading straight up to the notch on the right, where we rejoined the route at the 1953 bolt. But this next section had some enormous death blocks and some difficult moves and was kind of terrifying to lead.
Pitch 
7+
5.8
17.    
18.    
19.    
20.    
21.    
17. DR starting off the pitch. This is where the route joins the 1953 Northeast Face route. As suggested by the SuperTopo guidebook, "Pitch 7" ended up being 3 short pitches to the top for us, first climbing up the arete and then traversing right and wrapping around to the north side of the summit, where we climbed a wide crack to the top and ended up at the top rap anchor for the descent route.
18. An ancient 1953 bolt. This is part of the Northeast Face route.
19. Climbing the arete towards the summit (Pitch 7a). 
21. Traversing right to get to the north face (Pitch 7b).
22. DR on the summit. We climbed the cracks just below him to get there (Pitch 7c). This is the crack system the descent route rappels past.
Descent 

Rappel the North Face route with a single 70m rope.
22.    
22. Cool clouds to the west. Getting late in the day too - gotta get down! 

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
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