A surprisingly easy route up what appears to be the steepest part of the cliff.  The rock is immaculate.

Approach: Start about 200ft up the easy slabs at the base of Arrowhead's South Face (4th class) on the right end of a long terrace.  This point is about 100ft left of the right margin of the apron, between the routes Medusa and

Refugium

.

1. 190ft 5.8s Climb a shallow, left-facing diheral rightwards up the slab, follow a shallow, right-leaning ramp, then zig-zag up the obvious shallow corners.  Pull over an overlap to reach a sloping ledge, beneath the obvious weakness in the roofs above.

2. 200ft 5.9 A flared chimney leads to a steep, left-facing dihedral which breaches the overhang (crux). Above the steepness, follow a huge left trending ramp with finger cracks and excellent exposure until you run out of rope. There is a ledge here with a fixed hex.

3. 190ft 5.9 Continue up the steepening ramp until a broken area is reached. Belay above this at the base of a steep chimney on the left.

4. 150ft 5.8 Climb the chimney, pass the huge chockstone and enter a stellar, right-facing corner with hands. Follow this to an obvious ledge on the left.

5. 150ft 5.8 Climb the chimney and then up into a shallow, right-facing corner (hands and fists).  Where this ends, follow an exposed flake system leftwards to the top.

The descent is either by summiting Arrowhead and dropping down into the 4th class descent terrace system, or faster, by hiking west to the low point of the ridge and rapping.

This route, or a similar line, has been climbed previously by an unknown party, who left the fixed hex described on pitch 2.  Anybody out there have any info?

Watership Down

Warhead

Diamond Back

Glacier Gorge Traverse

South Ramp

Rain Dance

The Shaft

Shoshone

Ramp Tramp

Country Life

Arrowplane

Sidewinder

Gimme Shelter

V-Free

The Godfather

Airhead

Artemis

East Face/Arrowhead

Lost Arrowhead

Refugium

Bequeathed

Thai Hot

Full Metal Jacket

Ripsaw/Northeast Ridge

Ithaca

On the South Face of Arrrowhead, there is a large triangular broken area with a slabby apron at its toe, capped by arching overhangs.  Bequeathed begins just to the right of Warhead and aims for the prominent, white, open book.  Above the initial difficulties lies surprisingly excellent, moderate crack climbing on stellar rock.

Pitch 1-Begin on the right margin of the apron and trend left crossing several black water streaks- sometimes wet (7s). Gain an obvious, arching overlap on the slab and continue to the base of the steep, open book. 200 ft.

Pitch 2- Execute wild stemming moves with flared thin fingers(10d). Plug in some good gear and continue stemming (10b) until the angle eases and an impasse is reached. Charge up the improbable and steep headwall above (8+s) and belay. A small TCU would be helpful for the initial moves off the ledge.

Pitch 3- Trend left on a ramp system and reach a vertical fist crack. Jam the crack (8) and belay beneath the left of two left-facing dihedrals.

Pitch 4- A long  pitch. Climb the pleasant dihedral (7) to a clean slab split by a hand and fist crack. Jam the crack for about 30 ft. (8). Where the corner changes aspect, continue up the right-facing dihedral (8). Stretch the rope to a belay in a broken area.  200 ft.

Pitch 5- Aim up toward the notch on the left skyline and enter a steep handcrack via a bulge (9+). Jam the crack (9) with awesome exposure and belay on a comfortable ledge.

Pitch 6- Enter the V-slot above the belay, sling a pillar, and escape left via a face traverse (8) to reach a right-facing dihedral. Perfect fingers (9) leads to a roof. Turn the roof on the right (9), and follow easier terrain to the top.

About seven pitches of mostly moderate 5.7-5.8 climbing on good granite make Warhead well worth its approach hike.  This 1975 route was the first to ascend Arrowhead's sweeping south face.  Warhead somehow got lost over the years, misplaced in several guidebooks and eventually rediscovered as a "new" route (see Bernard Gillett's comments on

Watership Down

).  The original FA route description is given below.

P1)  Starting from a huge flake lying on a ledge at the slabby base, climb an easy slab pitch to a good grassy stance.

P2)  Climb shallow grooves on the steepening slabs above until they end (5.9).  Move right to a lieback flake, and climb right and up from it into the wet leaning corner formed by the first of the huge arches blocking the lower face.  Follow the corner/arch up and left until a belay ledge appears on the right.

P3)  Step left and climb through the arch at a vertical black flake.  Follow the slabs below the second arch up and left.

P4)  Continue on these slabs for another ropelength, belaying below a rotten area.

P5)  Ascend the left side of this rotten area and the much cleaner chimney and jam crack (now in a large, right-facing corner) above to a grassy ledge.

P6)  Follow the continuing corner for a ways, then move out onto the crystal-studded face to its right.  Belay at about the level of some huge, projectile-like pinnacles that appear out to the left.7)  Go up to a small inset dihedral with an overhang at its top, then continue up steep rock to the summit plateau.

The name "Warhead" refers to the large missile-like pinnacles to the left of the 6th belay.  The newer "Lost Arrow" route is named for this same feature.

This route is a variation to P2 of

Sidewinder

and is best linked into P3, whereupon is takes on a unique character. The protection on P1 is sufficiently bad to merit mention here, and although perhaps with slightly different gear I might have had more or something better, there is certainly 5.10 climbing in a no-fall zone at the beginning of the pitch. The seldom-traveled line was a bit scaly underfoot, and that added a bit to the excitement.

We did clean it up a bit and brush holds and scrape off some small chips, but it is best to consider this something well beyond an "entry level" alpine route, regardless. The proper P2 of

Sidewinder

is similar but sports 3 bolts along its length to supplement natural gear placements and might be a less serious undertaking.

Still, the climbing is good, unique, and fun, and there are essentially 2 pitches that should be linked as one 115' pitch to give the best climb. While the unique climbing is short (one pitch, thus), the overall route if linked to

Ripsaw

/

Sidewinder

and on to the summit is 1.08 miles long by GPS.

Details:

Access: (4th Class) start from Solitude Lake by approaching on a 50' slab  as for

Ripsaw

. After 50', cut sharply left onto a ledge, and belay if you roped up at all. Unrope and scramble DOWN and left about 80' to a healthy ledge with grass and a large dead conifer next to a smaller live one. The 3x bolts of

Sidewinder

loom just overhead, and the start of the pitch is defined by a large pillar of rock trapped from above and below, leaning up and right. Stop and belay here just below the pillar and a few meters to the right of the large, standing, dead pine.

P1. 5.7, 65'. Climb as for

Sidewinder

. Climb up and right on the leaning pillar. Wide gear could go behind it if you brought a 4" cam, but really, if you are going to climb a runout 5.10  one pitch later, you're presumably OK forgoing that. Save a  #2/#3 Camalot for the belay.

P2/P3. 5.10, R, 115'  The P2 is independent and avoids the big left traverse to get to

Sidewinder

. Instead, you head directly up some flakes and flares that rise up and left, and face left. These rise about 50' to meet the bottom end of a left-facing, left-leaning overhanging corner. Climb up and into that corner (good gear now available), and proceed to its end on a few jams between flares and liebacks. You will reach a ledge that is listed as the original belay, which would kind of break up an otherwise good pitch. Continue up 8' into a second, similar corner, and climb that to the top for several more meters. After 35 meters total, you will arrive on a ledge between 2 flakes with a spike/horn of rock that can be slung with webbing but should be backed up with gear. If you lean back and look 15 meters out to the right to the arete, you will see the rap station as for

Ripsaw

.

P4. 5.8, 110'. Above lies the next pitch of

Sidewinder

, which can be climbed to reach the top of the buttress and to access

Ripsaw

. This pitch is mostly 5.7 with a move or two at perhaps 5.8. It both climbs and protects better than it appears. Go up and over the top to a belay as for

Ripsaw

, and then continue with that route.

P5/6, etc...  5.7 or easier, 1 mile of ridgeline. Continue up a series of towers and ridges to the summit of Arrowhead Peak. This is 1.08 miles total (by GPS) from the base of the route. There is one rap along the way which we replaced, and we had noted that almost all webbing/cord had been critter-shredded and sunbleached. Bring cord to refurbish or replace anchors in case this has happened again prior to your climb.

Choose a descent according to your preference. We were able to sniff out a walk/scramble off down to Solitude Lake and found a single rap station right where it got steep by a cairn, as described in the book.

This is the MEGA-COOL Ridge traverse of the Glacier Gorge cirque.

Starting with Arrowhead and cruising the ridge crest all the way over to Long's. It's a great long day at altitude, with some wonderful and exposed scrambling/climbing. It incorporates a few classic routes, including the North Ridge of McHenry's (5.4?),the

West Ridge

of Pagoda (5.7), and the Southwest Ridge of Long's (5.6).

There are several ways to run this ridge.

I like to start at Arrowhead, and go counter-clockwise, so Long's is at the end.

Hike to Black Lake, approach Arrowhead by skirting the lake on its east side and cruise grass ramps up to the base.

Head up to summit of Arrowhead via the Summit ramp (4th class), or any other way you like. Head up the wonderful North Ridge of McHenry's, with great rock, and exposure. 5.4ish? at the hardest.

Then down and across Stone Man Pass, and up over Chiefshead. This is the easiest and most dull part of the traverse, and it's still very mellow and scenic. Head down, and across the Chiefshead/Pagoda Col, and start up the sick West Ridge of Pagoda.

This route begins with wild sidewalks in the sky, then large overhangs on the ridge push you out North. Way exposed face climbing! 5.7ish. Skirt around on the North Face, until you can gain the crest again and then the summit.

Soak in this killer summit, and push on towards Long's. Pass behind the Keyboard of the Winds, surmounting one or two scrubby walls en route.

And make a beeline for the Southwest Corner. This route lies directly above the Narrows section of the Keyhole route. Climb nice cracks and flakes right to the summit (5.6).

This arete is incredible and makes an astonishing finish to a very aesthetic day.

The South Ramp ascends the south west face of Arrowhead and begins at the same point as Refugium and Rain Dance.  It makes a very handy descent route for routes on the south west face.  Otherwise, this would be a very enjoyable scramble to the top of Arrowhead.

From Black Lake, skirt the right side of the lake to the open boulder field and grassy slopes that ascend to Arrowhead from the back of the lake.  Work up the grassy slopes using an intermittent trail that is found on the right side.  Work up to a prominent left facing break in the slabs above.  Once at the break, traverse left along grassy ledges to the valley between McHenrys Peak and Arrowhead.  Make the traverse slightly rising, but avoid going too high on the slabs.

Use one of two options to get on the route.  From beneath the main South face, scramble up slabs until reaching a long ramp that angles up and to the right.  Follow this ramp until just beneath the summit.  Continue following the ramp around the North side of the summit and climb to the top.  Descend the route.

Alternately, approach as for the start of

Refugium

and

Rain Dance

.  Crank up the loose gully on the right until the ramp can be reached on the right.

The gully is probably 5.4 and the slabs are probably 4th class.  Either way is good, but the gully is definitely loose.  The gully can easily be down climbed on the left to reach gear stashed at the bottom of

Refugium

or

Rain Dance

.  Enjoy.

Rain Dance certainly has some super fun cracks on quality rock, but I don't think this route deserves three stars either. If coming up to do it, make sure you do another route the same day (see

Refugium

).

The 1st 5.9 pitch on this route consists of beautiful finger cracks up a perfect slab. In my opinion, the best pitch of either Rain Dance or

Refugium

. From there continue via variations (the .9+ is fun but thin) to the top. Note: watch out for loose chicken heads on top of last pitch!

Per

Ken Duncan

: the description below assumes use of a 70m rope, most of it should go the same with a 60m. Start on a ledge above the highest grassy point right of the starting slabs for

Arrowplane

,

etc

. There are great belay ledges all the way!

P1. Climb the groove and fins above to a grassy slope 5.6. Belay at the highest grassy point.

P2. Angle up and left the the top of the big, right-facing dihedral, then head straight up to another large, grassy ledge, 5.7.

P3. Climb the groove/flake feature above to a third large grassy ledge 5.6. Belay here or on the rock ledge down and right below the P4 crack.

P4. The money pitch. Climb the left-angling crack up the sweeping slab 5.8 at the start, then it gets easier. Continue along the crack as it arches left into the left-facing dihedral 5.9 then up to an optional belay ledge on the right. Hand traverse a flake left then climb the thin crack up to another big, grassy ledge 5.9+/10a.

P5. From the left end of the ledge, climb a short dihedral, then angle left up a grassy slope. Head back right and climb a short 5.8 chimney to a ledge. Now you have three options, a right-angling groove that heads into the dihedral 5.8, the dihedral 5.9, or the right wall 5.10a. Choose one and take it to the top.

The only reason I'm giving The Shaft a star and the only reason for climbing it is because of the access it provides to McHenry's NE Ridge. Although, despite a few large loose blocks, The Shaft does have some nice rock and better views on the way up.

The Shaft is the furthest left (SW) route on Arrowhead. Approach the same way you would for other Arrowhead routes, but continue past all the routes until youre underneath the lowest point of the ridge connecting Arrowhead and Mchenry's.

Traverse up right on grassy ledges, and make a nice traverse on good rock to a right-leaning ramp. From there, follow the crack system to the top taking a left at the final short headwall.

The view from here is super cool so soak it up before continuing up McHenry's NE Ridge.

Clean, sunny granite all the way!

P1. (10-) Easier-than-it-looks slab up and slightly right to the base of the shallow, left-facing dihedral.

P2. (10-) Nice nobby climbing up the corner for about 100 feet.

P3. (10-) A short, harder section then ramble up easier ground for about 60 feet.

P4. (10-) The steep, bulging crack system on the left to the top.

This links a few of the many left-facing dihedrals that run between the left-trending and then right-trending ramps on the Summit Ramp route on Arrowhead. The main feature to look for is a square roof, above and left of which is a nice looking, left-facing dihedral. The first pitch links the easiest looking corners to a stance below the roof. The second pitch climbs up to the roof, easily passed on the left, and up a clean dihedral to the easy terrain of the ramp route.

The climbing is nice, but the climb is short for such a long walk. Be sure to do something else as well.

Alex and I determined the long approach favored a "choose your own adventure"  to summit Arrowhead. Country Life offers eclectic style in a great setting. For what it's worth, we know as for P2 that someone had been there before us, two pitons were found with bail biners...we are certain it goes free. Otherwise, pitch 1 and everything behind the pins on pitch 2 felt quite raw.

Pitch 1: climb moderate terrain to an open book, and make delicate moves on thin/finger gear to gain the stemming section. Continue trending left out of the book through a layback/finger crack. Build a belay below the splitter above you on the left, 10a

Pitch 2: move off the block, and make subtle moves to gain the finger crack. There should be two pitons here (each had bail biners on our ascent). The flared finger crack eventually becomes a hand crack. Gain a ledge and belay, or continue to send the gnar up another hand crack as Alex did, and take 'er to the top!, 10+.

This superb route is located on the clean, left hand side of Arrowhead, left of the Summit Ramp. There are several stellar lines up this part of the cliff, including

Ithaca

(12a) and

Airhead

(11d).

Ithaca

is probably the most distinct of all the lines in the area, as it follows the long, left-facing corner system left of Arrowplane.

This is a brilliant and sustained climb on excellent granite. The rock on this wall is like a steeper version of Lumpy. Orange splitters and good featured faces. It wanders up cracks for 5 pitches before forging up the "lightning Bolt" crack (5.11) on the last pitch headwall. One of the more memorable pitches in the Park!

Start by fourth classing to the bottom of the clean, concave wall right of the lowest point of the ridge on Arrowhead/McHenry's. One might want to rope up to reach the ledge below the first pitch as the approach meanders up some smooth easy slabs.

P1. Climb up a blank slab and water streaks to some right facing flakes and a ledge. 5.8 spice? 175'

P2. Traverse right along some grassy ledges and boulder up into a crack system above. Now follow these up past a small gold colored roof and up to a small ledge. 5.9.

P3. Continue with obvious cracks above, passing a jammmed flake, which grow steeper and lead to a small left facing corner with twin finger cracks. Climb up this awesome corner(5.9) and step across right at it's top.Exciting 5.10 and head right to belay at a spike below a splitter that forks above.

P4. Head straight up the fantastic crack and go left when it splits. Head around the giant flake on its left side and up to a small ledge below the killer Lightning Bolt crack. 5.10  It is possible to go right at the base of the flake when the crack forks, it leads to the same belay and looks fantastic. But requires some bold moves to begin. Bernard says it is 5.11a R getting into it.

We stopped at a ledge before the Lightning bolt and did a small but stout 10c pitch in a small, left-facing corner and block to gain the actual stance below the headwall. A 60 meter rope could probobly combine these.

P5. No route finding here. Step up and send the incredible 100ft. lightning bolt crack with bouldery moves off the belay to sustained stoking up above. 5.11 crux. Continue up through the maze of stacked blocks above, scary looking but very solid and mantle onto the ridge. Incredible 5.9.

Walk left a few hundred feet and rappel off a boulder in the lowest point of the saddle. Two or three fixed raps get you to 3rd class terrain, just left of the starting ledge.

This excellent route begins behind a big tree on the brushy ledge that crosses the lower south side of the first tower on the Northeast Ridge. Hike the Solitude Lake Trail to Shelf Lake.  Just before reaching the east end of Solitude Lake, hike talus to a high point on the shoulder of the Northeast Ridge.  Climb the initial slab of

Ripsaw

for about 60 feet then break left around the crest, descend a short way and continue across a ledge system to a big tree.

P1. Climb the left side of a wedged flake then climb up the outside of a huge flake to a good ledge at its top (8, 90 feet).

P2. From the far left (west) end of the ledge, pull up and left into a shallow, left-facing dihedral (9 s) and clip a bolt.  Follow the scalloped dihedral past 2 more bolts and a fixed pin to a left-leaning roof/dihedral.  Lieback the dihedral and belay at its top beneath a second left-leaning roof/dihedral (10a, 90 feet).

P3. Climb the second roof/dihedral through an apex, stay left and belay at a horn in a crack that goes straight up the wall (10b, 70 feet).

P4. Follow the crack to the top of the wall where it veers right to join

Ripsaw

(9, 90 feet).

Rappel

Ripsaw

(2 X 100 feet) and down-climb the initial slab (class 4) or climb a short way higher to the top of the first pinnacle on the Northeast Ridge and continue with

Ripsaw

.

This is a route that parallels the upper pitches of

Refugium

. Where

Refugium

climbs the splitters on the face of a prominent prow of rock, Gimme Shelter takes the right hand side of the block that forms the prow. A non-descript pitch of 5.8ish leads to a ledge below a headwall with a curving, then straight up crack. Gimme Shelter climbs this amazing crack. There is a fixed wire at the start that will ease the strenuousness of the initial boulder problem to get into the crack.

This is a short route for such a long walk, but like other routes on Arrowhead, the headwall splitter pitch is amazing (like

Airhead

and

Arrowplane

). This one is shorter than on those routes but is still quite good.

This "mountaineer's route" is probably the easiest way to climb from the alcove between Arrowhead Spire and the East Buttress to the crest of the Northeast Ridge.  Begin up and left from the big ledge that runs beneath the Rorschach face on the East Buttress.  The main feature is a 180 foot V-slot that runs the entire height between what could be called Ledge One and Ledge Two.  A second "pitch" goes straight up, then left up an easy ramp to the crest of the Northeast Ridge.  This is a good scrambler's route to the summit of Arrowhead, though most scramblers will want to rope up for the V-Slot and most of the second pitch.

Athough I gave this route 3 stars for overall quality, that is because it starts with the first two pitches of Arrowplane, which are good, but not outstanding IMHO. If Godfather were a stand alone route, it would easily merit four stars because the last two pitches are superb.

Pitch 1:  Climb the first pitch of

Arrowplane

.  Good beta I got for finding this pitch was to look for a shallow dihedral left of the prominent water streak.  5.8+ R; 180'.

Pitch 2:  Climb the second pitch of

Arrowplane

. 5.9-; 150'.

Pitch 3:  Start up the third pitch of

Arrowplane

.  After the undercling, head up left to the prominent, right-facing dihedrals.  Start up the rightmost dihedral, and then step into the left dihedral to its top.  Step left again into cracks leading to a large ledge.  5.9+; 195'.

Pitch 4:  Climb the crack to the right of the ledge, which peters out to face climbing protected by two bolts to a two bolt anchor (slightly sporty).  5.11a; 100'

Pitch 5:  Climb the traversing tips crack (5.11a/b, good gear) to the continuous, flaring hand crack (solid 5.10).  At its end, continue up to the overhangs.  Climb the first, smaller overhang on its right side, hand traverse the second larger overhang to its left end, and then climb back right to the top of the wall (5.8+ R). 160'.

It's hard to believe that Airhead, which climbs the plumb line dihedral and crack system up the center of Arrowhead's south face, isn't an RMNP mega-classic.  Not only is the line itself the most obvious directissima on the wall, but the climbing is really good and the crux pitch is one of the gems of the Park.

After approaching via any of the methods listed for Arrowhead, begin climbing from the highest of a series of ledges below the obvious, hanging, left-facing dihedral.  This feature is several hundred feet right of the low-point in the McHenry's-Arrowhead ridge and about a hundred feet left of

Ithaca

.  The first pitch is just left of the clean slab of Ithaca's first pitch.  Above the dihedral system the beautiful splitter crack of the crux pitch is visible.

P1: Wander up the path of least resistance to a belay ledge about 25 feet below the true start of the corner system.  Do not continue up to what appears to be a sloping ledge at the base of the corner itself as the belay there is poor.  Low 5th.

P2: Climb up the corner with good gear and increasingly difficult moves until an opportunity presents itself to swing out of the corner onto the right hand wall and climb the arete for 40 feet.  Wild!  One can either return to the corner higher up, or continue along the arete to a belay stance.  5.10+, 140'.

P3: With a handful of wires, this pitch is easily linked with the previous one.  Continue up the slightly mossy corner all the way to a nice belay ledge (5.10c?), or, after 20 feet, once again swing out right around the arete and follow unprotected, clean face climbing to the same belay ledge (5.10a R).  A short pitch, maybe 50'.

P4: Amazing!  Ascend the now shallow, left-facing corner for 40 feet before reaching a small roof on the left side.  Pull through this and continue up the stunning splitter past a few cruxy sections punctuated by really good rests.  This pitch takes great, small gear (that is pumpy to place), but it is nice to have some hand-size cams for pods and the anchor.  Lots of thin but positive 5.11 climbing up immaculate rock with one brief section of 5.11+.  Belay on a huge ledge, 120'.

P5: Although a bit scary and having less than ideal pro, this pitch is nevertheless great fun.  From the right end of the ledge, ascend a corner to a chockstone and then hand traverse back left over your belayer's head for 15 feet.  Climb a nice, leaning, finger crack and pull up onto a stance at some loose blocks.  Swing around to the right, then trend back left up a series of stacked blocks all the way to the ridge.  5.9 and possibly very dangerous, 80'.

Descend via the walk-off or rappels (one 70m rope plus easy downclimbing).

Two easy slab pitches lead to a clean, steep corner about 100 feet right of the low point of the McHenry's-Arrowhead ridge.  Two more pitches up this corner, passing several overhangs, gain the ridge itself.

Artemis is too short to be a destination route, but is worth doing if you happen to be in the cirque without the time, weather or energy for a major climb.  If this route were in Eldo, it would see heavy traffic.

Artemis was named in memory of onetime Boulder climber Diane Hunter.

This is an interesting route but involves more scrambling than actual climbing.  We also got off route somewhat and ended up climbing up to 5.7.  I am not sure where this route lies relative to the other 3 routes on the site (Rain Dance, Refugium and Watership Down) as I do not have the latest version of Gillett's guide, and these routes are not in the latest Rossiter guide.

This is the farthest right route on Arrowhead's South Face, and your goal is actually to hit the East Ridge at the level of a huge ledge about 400' below the summit.  There is a reasonably good photo showing the route line on p. 170 of Rossiter's latest guide.

From Black Lake, follow slabs up and right to the route, which starts as a series of slabs alternating with tree covered benches.  We climbed near the crest of a buttress, slightly left of the line shown in the photo, to the huge ledge mentioned above.  This avoids traversing some ledges covered with trees which do not look pleasant (shown in the photo).

Follow the huge ledge right to the East Ridge, and then follow this ridge (or the face to the right) to the top.  This upper section is only about 5.2 and somewhat loose.

A fun continuation of this route is to continue West over the summit of Arrowhead, then drop down to the Arrowhead-McHenry's Col and climb the East ridge of McHenry's (called "Arrowhead Arete" by Rossiter).  This continuation is only class 4 and we did it unroped.

P1 - Ascend the right-hand most of 3 right facing dihedrals by climbing a 5.8 slab in a right facing dihedral.  At a point where the two right most dihedrals converge step up and left over 5.9 folds, traverse left 30' above or below a bushy ledge to two prominent 30' tall right angling ramps that pass a small roof on the left, climbing the left hand ramp. Belay on a large grassy bench below the now prominent south buttress. - 5.9, 200'

P2 - Step left 10' and work up a 5.7 off-width just left of the prow and continue up a wide crack for 50'.  At the grassy ledge above, step left again and climb an easy hand crack that turns into a delightful finger crack above another small step. Follow it up and right across the face and belay on the right side of the prow in a right facing corner.  5.7, 180'

P3 -  Boulder up over a 6' flake moving right to a crack. Step left on the ledge above, climb a broken hand crack above the undercut and at an alcove move right. Climb a crack that starts in a left facing dihedral and becomes the obvious splitter hand crack in the south facing summit arete.  Fire up the long hand crack (crux) and arrive on the summit ridge gendarmes.  5.10a, 170'

The balanced rock - ArrowHead itself is 100' north along the broke ridge, past 3 gendarmes. Climbability of balanced rock is unknown, but the two sides we saw looked extremely difficult.

Descent: (there is some very old tat webbing up on the 3rd gendarme wedged along a loose chock)  but don't go there. Instead: after descending the back side of a deep cleft in a chimney, traverse through two massive stones and from the 2nd gendarme drop down 10' to the east and traverse down along a large sloping ledge, northeast 100'. Find a 3' horn out on the end of the precipice. Sling the horn for a 160' rappel to the gully, above which you started.  Scramble down 4th class grasses ledges to the start.

Refugium was one of the "new" routes to be put up on Arrowhead in the last few years. Although this route has some nice pitches. I'd strongly disagree with the three stars this route received in the new Gillett guide.

If you come to do this route, make sure you do another route in the same day. This is the only way I could justify the somewhat epic approach. We did Refugium, ran half way down the Summit Ramp and then did

Rain Dance

starting at its quality pitches.

Much of Refugium's lower half is broken with ramps and ledges. Simul climbing works for you, cruise the first three pitches in one to the base of the 1st 5.8 pitch. From there, you can link the last three pitches in two with a 60m rope. The last three (or two w/60m rope) pitches are the best pitches of the route.

While it's certainly not a three star route. You will be rewarded with over all good rock and some long lost solitude.

This route shoots directly for the large jagged roof above ledge 2. It proved to be even tougher than it looks. Most of the moves linked well and were there, but in the end, we aided through about a body length. The FFA should go around mid-5.12 with a bit more alpine gusto.

If one can utilize a safer approach pitch to the roof and free said roof, this would become a quality line.

Approach

From Black Lake, head straight up to East Buttress of Arrowhead over "involved" terrain.

P1

. Start up the flaky, left-facing corner until reaching a ledge. Traverse right for 6 feet using great hand jams, and climb straight up the wide 4" crack. Belay at a small ledge, or battle rope drag up to Ledge 2,

(5.9, 35m)

.

P2

. Chimney up to a slabby finger crack with great locks and gear. Belay at Ledge 2,

(5.7, 10m)

.

P3

. The roof pitch. Stem up between the wall and the giant, leaning, detached columns with little to no gear. This is very spicy. After reaching the mini-roof, escape from the corner and onto the column to the right. Climb through the meat of the jagged roof via the rightmost crack using reachy hand jams, cramped smearing, underclings, and inspiring gear for about 12 feet (crux). Pull the lip as the crack widens to #3 until it tapers again to twin tight hands. Stop above the roof for a stance belay to avoid rope drag,

(5.10R C1, 15m)

.

P4

. Follow the rad, twin, over-vertical finger cracks to a small ledge. Sidestep to the rightmost crack around the corner, and layback up to the slab. Follow the wide, leaning crack to the summit,

(5.11-, 25m)

.

DESCENT

. Either rap

Full Metal Jacket

, or hike over the top of the East Buttress to the North West and scramble down to the South Ramp.

Begin from Ledge 1 about 10 feet right of the Inside East Buttress route.

1a. Climb the crack on the right and bridge up through a slot into the main crack (a short squeeze chimney at first).  Jam fists and hands to a good stance behind the Bullet (10a, 80 feet).

1b. Climb a wide crack on the left as for Inside East Buttress, then work up and right to the top of a pinnacle (the Bullet) in the main crack (10a, 80 feet).

2. Continue in the same crack (mostly hands) into an awesome overhanging wide crack (crux, up to 12 inches). Bridge and jam to a fantastic stance on the right (can belay here). Jam a final hand crack (9) to Ledge 2 (10c, 100 feet in all). Move the belay to a slot beneath an obvious, left-facing dihedral.

3. Bridge up the slot then jam and stem the dihedral to Ledge 3 near the top of the East Buttress (10a, 100 feet).

Rappel the route from slings around boulders or escape north and west over the top of the East Buttress (Point 12387) and scramble to a junction with the South Ramp.

This route ascends the complete northeast ridge from the shoulder above Solitude Lake to the summit of Arrowhead and is joined by the last several hundred feet of the old East Face route.  It is reminiscent of the CMC Route on Mount Moran, but is 4 thousand feet shorter and 4 grades harder.  Expect some snow on the approach and descent until July.

P1. Climb a beautiful slab and belay up and right on a good ledge with a poor anchor (8, 180 feet) or go 15 feet higher and belay at a poor stance with a good anchor.

P2. Work up and left to a big sloping ledge beneath a steep wall with a conspicuous finger crack (4, 70 feet).

P3. Climb the excellent finger crack to a sort of notch, then go straight up to the top of the pinnacle (First Tower) and belay (10a, 150 feet).

P4. Downclimb 50 feet from the west side of the ledge into a notch (class 4, could belay), then climb 60 feet to a ledge at the base of a perfect hand crack (7, 110 feet).

P5. Climb the hand crack to a step in the ridge, then climb a finger crack to another pinnacle (8, 120 feet).

P6. Scramble to the top of a final pinnacle and rappel 80 feet to a big notch in the northeast ridge.  One can escape the ridge at this point by descending a steep gully to the southeast (East Gully, Class 4).

P7. Scramble through some blocky terrain and belay where the angle increases, even with Ledge 1 (Class 4, 180 feet).

P8. Climb the exposed arete on the left to where the angle eases and belay (6, 200 feet).  Scramble west quite a long way (staying right of the crest) to the true summit of Arrowhead.

Descend the South Ramp.

Ithaca climbs the huge arching corner system just right of the plumbline of

Airhead

(5.11d) and a bit left of

Warhead

. Start off a long ledge system reached after some easy scrambling.

Pitch 1: Climb straight up the beautiful slab below the arch with no gear but good holds. Belay in some ledgy stuff below a nice clean right facing corner. Delightful 5.8X, 160feet.

Pitch 2: Climb the [L-facing] corner to a nice stance below a left angling roof/arch. Excellent. 5.11a, 75feet.

Pitch 3: The crux. Climb out left with underclings under the roof, but nada for feet. Very similar to The Adventures of B-Dog on the Book. A fixed wire helps protect it. The climbing eases after about 20 feet. Climb out left to a corner and up to a little stance. Wicked. 5.12a, 100 feet.

Pitch 4: Climb the hanging corner above. Tricky to protect but safe. Brilliant. 5.11, 100feet.

Pitch 5: More of the same. straight up more thin corner till it ends. Climb up steep flakes above, belay below a big wedged flake. Nifty. 5.11, 125 feet.

Pitch 6: Step up and climb onto the huge flake.Negotiate a spicy section of 5.10. Continue up through the very imposing roof above with a delightfully juggy finish. Mind-bending. 5.11, 150 feet.

To descend, walk east down the summit ramp or bring two ropes and rap from the saddle between Mchenry's and Arrowhead. It's possible to link pitches on this badboy, but the climbing is hard, and when Andy says to stop, y'all better stop. All in all, one of the finest routes I've climbed in the Park. Enjoy.

Description

Protection

Routes in Arrowhead