East face direct of Mount Idaho - September 22, 2012

Kevin Hansen and I had been talking about getting on a climb together for awhile, but due to various factors didn't manage to make it happen until this last weekend. When Kevin brought up the possibility of doing a first ascent up the east face of Mount Idaho I jumped at the chance! I had looked at the east face longingly last summer when I went up to do the north face, and was excited to find that there was someone else who was also excited to get on it.

My view of the East Face back in July of 2011:


The goal was a first ascent directly up the center of the imposing East Face. Kevin had done the probable first ascent on the face earlier this summer via a route that escaped left at the top. During his ascent he had spied a line that looked like it would go directly up the center of the face.

Our route (East Face Direct) is in blue, and Kevin and Wes' route from a month ago (Mountaineer's Route) is in Red:


Closeup of the East Face Direct:


Pitch one started from the base of the chimney, scrambling up easy white rock to where the wall steepens at the dark rock band. We followed a right angling crack/seam up the steep but featured black rock for 20 feet before leaving the angling crack to follow a vertical seam that took small gear. After about 100 feet a sloping gravel filled ledge was reached, with lower angle (5.6) black rock above. The lower angled rock was good, but there was no protection. I belayed at the top of the black rock on the right end of a ledge. We had to simul about 15 feet for me to reach the anchor. In this picture I'm just about to leave the right angling crack for the vertical seam. 75m, 5.9.


Pitch 2 started up the corner above the belay before getting to easier terrain that was stretched out for an entire pitch. Kevin belayed at the base of the steep wall 20 right of the prominent white triangle in the center of the face. 68m 5.6.


3 obvious lines penetrated the overhanging wall above. The right edge of the white triangle had a large black water streak that looked like good rock, but the climbing looked difficult and we could see no obvious gear. A series of angling cracks and ramps took off right that likely would have gone at about 5.9, but they looked a bit wandery, and we wanted to keep the line as straight as possible. Straight up was a faint water streak with enough broken rock that it looked like the overhanging pitch might go. We chose the last option, and I led, managing to get some decent gear and pull the steep moves after much grunting. After the overhanging bit I followed a right angling crack for about 100 feet to a small but comfortable belay ledge. 5.10a 65m.



Me following the fun and mellow pitch 4, which went up and left to the base of the final headwall. Kevin belayed me to a nice ledge with a giant horn to sling for an anchor. 5.7 65m.


Kevin had been drooling over the last pitch since he spied it from his other route while doing the first ascent of this face 1 month prior, so we restacked the rope and I gave him the lead. This pitch was "western"! It followed a left facing, overhanging dihedral, just right of a right facing dihedral at an obvious notch that penetrates the intimidating overhanging upper headwall. After taking a bit to get himself pumped up, Kevin launched up the initial finger crack, and reached a short but good handcrack. An awkward high step then allowed him to attain "the dancefloor", a good but small foothold that is not accompanied by much for your hands, which forced kevin to "dance" back and forth switching his feet to try and milk a rest. After getting a good #3 cam, he then pulled the overhanging bulge that guards the slightly easier climbing in the dihedral above. As he pulled the bulge, he found the crack that he was hoping to reach for to be filled with loose dirt and rocks. He locked off with one arm and furiously dug the dirt and rocks out of the cracks until he could get a good jam and pull the bulge. Above the bulge was easier 5.9 stemming up a corner to the top of the face, where he slung a good horn for an anchor. I followed with the heavy pack (I put my smaller pack into his larger one). Great pitch! 5.10b/c, 130ft.

Kevin, calming his nerves before the pitch 5 crux lead:


Me, ecstatic at the top of the last pitch:


After completing the face we headed down the scree slope to our right, which eventually brought us back to Merriam Lake and our camp. Camp to camp time was about 9 hours 30 minutes.