Sliding
Board Whitehorse Ledge
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Nearing
the End of Pitch 3
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Rack- A standard rack with a complete set of wired nuts and camming units up to a # 3 Friend. Also bring along the three smallest tri-cams. Bring the usual assortment of quickdraws and shoulder length slings.
Sliding Board is one of the two best routes that will take you up to the top of the Whitehorse slabs, the other being Standard Route. It has lots of great friction climbing on it (of course), but also has an excellent inside corner pitch and an exhilarating steep pitch up a dike. This route is very popular and rightfully so. Several sections are quite run out, even for Whitehorse. The route climbs the steep slabs to the left of the prominent Standard Route arch.
There are a couple of small openings at the base of the cliff directly underneath a large right, slanting arch which begins about 300 feet up. After following the trail in from the hotel parking lot (from its northern end) follow the trail left along the base of the cliff to a small height of land to find these. Most people begin this climb from a flat ledge (the Launch Pad) located about 150 feet up from here. You can rope up in the woods or do as many people do, scramble up to the Launch Pad and rope up there.
Pitch 1- 180 ft, 5.2 From the left side of the Launch Pad, climb up to a double bolt anchor that is level with but to the left of the bottom of the Standard arch. Alternatively, you can climb straight up from the Launch Pad and belay at the two bolt anchor that is at the base of the arch itself. If your rope isn't long enough, it's possible to get a belay about 60 or 70 feet up from the Launch Pad in a big solution pocket(# 2.5 & 3 Friend).
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Just
Past the Crux, Pitch 2
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Pitch 2- 80 ft, 5.7 The Sliding Board pitch. This pitch climbs the steep swell of granite just to the left of the Standard arch. Depending upon which bolt anchor you used at the end of pitch 1, traverse either left or right to some small steps which provide a way up through this steepest section of slab. Climb past a bolt and angle up to the right past another bolt. Belay a little bit above at a vertical crack that has an old piton in it. It's also possible to place gear here and continue up and left to a fixed gear anchor that is part of Interloper.
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Belay,
End of 3rd Pitch
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Pitch 3- 130 ft, 5.4 Climb pretty much straight up from either anchor at the end of pitch 2, passing only one bolt on the way to a good little ledge where there is a two bolt anchor (run out).
Pitch 4- 110 ft, 5.6 Traverse right and move up to a beautiful left facing corner with a crack in it. Climb this until it ends and then continue up a dike until you're near the top of a small, right-leaning arch. Belay here. A brown tri-cam is useful in setting up this all-gear anchor.
Pitch 5- 125 ft, 5.5 Continue up the dike which gradually peters out, aiming for a small birch tree (run out). Get gear in cracks by the tree, move up a little higher and traverse right to a big dike which leads to a double bolt anchor at the base of a steep headwall.
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Gear
Anchor, 4th Pitch
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Pitch 6- 100 ft, 5.6 Climb the steep dike (awkward) and continue up the dike after the angle eases to a good-sized ledge with a big stump and small tree on it.
Pitch 7- 80 ft, 5.0 Follow the stair-like dike to a small flat spot with two fixed pitons.
Pitch 8- 80 ft, 5.2 Climb up and to the left, past the left edge of a steep section to a sloping ledge where it's possible to build a good gear anchor.
Pitch 9- 110 ft, 5.0 Continue up the easy dike to a single bolt belay.
Pitch 10- 160 ft, 5.0 Up the dike to where it's possible to easily head straight up to the woods.
Descent options- From the top of the cliff the easiest descent is to follow the climber's trail right (north). Find it by traversing north, right along the top of the slabs and then angle uphill a little bit. Follow it downhill through the woods to a trail intersection marked by a sign. Go right here (going straight will take you to the top of Cathedral Ledge). Follow this down steeply until the trail flattens out and you reach a clearing with an old shack on the right. You'll be at a 4-way intersection, go right and follow this trail back to the base of Whitehorse and the hotel parking lot.
With two ropes it's fairly straightforward to rappel back down to the bottom from the top of pitch 3. There are good fixed anchors. If caught in the rain at the end of pitch 4, you'll have to leave some gear behind to get back down to the double bolt anchor at the top of pitch 3. If you get to the end of pitch 5 (below the steep headwall), you can rappel straight down to the bolted Wavelength anchor which isn't too far below. From this anchor you can continue down to the Pinch belay on Standard Route and from there continue down past the Quartz Pocket and Toilet Bowl to the Launch Pad.
© Chauvin Guides International, P.O. Box 2151, North Conway, NH 03860 Voice: 603-356-8919