Checkered Demon is one of the infamous Sierra ice climbs, much akin to Ice Nine in the fact everyone has heard about it and not many people know where it even is, let alone have climbed it. It is a quality climb that is rarely in good ice climbing shape.

The route starts with a couple pitches of 45 degree snow/ice as the couloir steadily narrows and steepens. Near the top of the couloir, the couloir narrows down to three feet and steepens to about 55 degrees. From the start of narrows, a pitch or two of mixed climbing (5.6) leads to the top.

Checkered Demon Couloir

Chex Mix

The Devil Wears Plaid

There are three tiny towers punctuating the serrated south ridge of Checkered Demon.

Chex Mix

takes a direct line up the west buttress of the north tower. It's not particularly steep, but you'd be hard-pressed to find better alpine granite. Chickenheads galore!

Scramble (3rd/4th-class) to the starting ledge in the middle of the buttress where 5th-class climbing begins.

Pitch 1 (5.7, 200 feet):

Choose from a selection of chickenhead-studded handcracks on the subvertical wall. The cracks merge together about 30 feet up. Trend left on parallel cracks, aiming for the right edge of a left-leaning acute black dihedral (see photos). Immediately before entering the dihedral, pull the bulge straight up (improbable 5.7) and soar into a majestic hands splitter. Low-angle parallel cracks feed up and left to a ledge belay.

P1 variation (5.8+ PG-13, 200 feet):

Instead of busting straight through the right edge of the acute black dihedral, continue left along the thin crack (sparse pro) to the top of the dihedral. Then, move back right to a ledge belay below the regular second pitch.

Pitch 2 (5.4, 120 feet):

Bee-line it for the summit on super fun granite blocks.

Descent:

Rappel 200 feet into the north gully and scramble (3rd/4th-class) down to the bottom. If you only brought one rope, bring extra cord/webbing for an intermediate anchor in the upper gully.

You wouldn't hike all the way out here just to do this route, but it could give you something to do if you have a spare day in the area. Combine it with

The Devil Wears Plaid

(5.10-) and also tag the south tower (via 5.8 corner on north ridge) for better value.

There are three tiny towers punctuating the serrated south ridge of Checkered Demon.

The Devil Wears Plaid

takes a direct line up the west buttress of the middle tower, tackling a steep(ish) headwall splitter and finishing with a dramatic ridge scramble.

Pitch 1 (5.7, 150 feet):

Start at the lowest point on the buttress (see photos). Align yourself with the interesting headwall up high on the buttress. Move up on various ribs and grooves, finishing on a steeper section to gain a nice ledge belay.

Pitch 2 (5.10-, 150 feet):

Trend up and slightly left toward a right-leaning diagonal splitter breaking the headwall. Jam the steepness to a belay on a broad low-angle slab.

Pitch 3 (5.7, 150 feet):

Scramble up and right on easy slabs to the sawtoothed ridgeline and follow it south. Pass below the left (east) side of the final summit block and climb a short offwidth corner to the top.

Descent:

Scramble (3rd/4th-class) southward along the ridge to the notch between the middle and south towers. From there, a 3rd/4th-class scree gully returns you to the base.

You wouldn't hike all the way out here just to do this route, but it could give you something to do if you have a spare day in the area. Combine it with

Chex Mix

(5.7) and also tag the south tower (via 5.8 corner on north ridge) for better value.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Checkered Demon