Notes from the Top
The Big Deal, Pine Creek
As rock climbers living in Alberta, we decided to extend the season with a road trip to Pine Creek in Bishop. Our first visit to Pine Creek was spring 2018, when we climbed the famous Pratt’s Crack, an old school 5.9 that took gear up to 10 inches. What we discovered was beautiful pristine granite with as promised, smooth slab faces and very wide cracks. We left with a feeling of awe for the cathedral ambience of the rock but intimidated by the difficulty of the climbs, thinking we would never return.
In fall 2019, there was a new guidebook for Pine Creek by Tai and Mary Devore. It has detailed descriptions of 10 climbing areas, approximately 650 trad, mixed and sport routes. An added bonus is the firsthand account of the crag development history and accompanying stories to provide a local perspective. Best of all, as the area is off the beaten path, we expected the climber traffic to be moderate. Our trip took place in the last week in October 2019, when the valley was ablaze with fall colours; the golds of the rabbit bush flowers dotting the grey talus slopes and the bright yellows of the towering cottonwoods lining the creek beds. To offset the yellows were the dark greens of the mountain mahogany shrub, the light olive of the sage bush and the occasional red stems of the elderberry bush.
Our drive to get to the climb took us alongside glacial moraines and into the glacial scoured U-shaped valley with talus slopes and striking white granite peaks on either side. As we looked directly ahead, in contrast to the white peaks was a striking pyramid shaped, red peak of sedimentary rock. We had read that at one time this valley road was travelled by hard rock miners and geologists on their way to work the underground seams of ore at the head of the valley. We were curious how it all came to be, climber and miner accessible.
According to the guidebook, from a geological history perspective, several events had occurred to make it happen. Put in simple terms, during the time of the dinosaurs, about 150 million years ago, the movement of the tectonic plates created magma pools which solidified into granite deep below the earth’s surface. During the time of the magma pools, where the magma contacted limestone, it created a rare ore called scheelite, rich in minerals including the valuable and rare tungsten. During the next major event about four million years ago, the granite was uplifted, to the surface by tectonic forces, penetrating through the overlying sedimentary beds and subsequently shaped by glaciers. And voilà, the rocks of respective interest became accessible!
On an autumn day, we had the valley to ourselves. We parked the car at the Elderberry drainage, on the east side of the road, at the base of the p.s.o.m. slab (Palisade School of Mountaineering). Our objective was the The Big Deal, a fitting name for our first multi-pitch in the valley. It was described as a popular mixed 5.9 route, with five pitches of bolted slab faces and moderate sized cracks. It was a great place for us to discover the tone of this stunning white granite. After a short approach, we stopped to survey the route and enjoy the warmth of the early morning sun. We knew the temperature would soon drop by at least 5 degrees when the sun moved behind the west wall of the drainage, especially if the wind picked up. John geared up with all the trad gear, pulled on his trusty TC Pro shoes and taped up his crack gloves. The start of the first pitch was an inviting arching flake that held gear well and could be climbed comfortably in a layback position.
John climbed a flake that eventually ended at a slab. There was a bolt on the slab, but it required a few moves to get there. John scanned the face and looked for chalk clues to locate the best line. We both held our breath as he started to move, calculating the critical angle where gravity will overcome the coefficient of friction. John and I, trained as engineers, know that important and critical calculations have ‘fudge’ factors; we hoped that Tommy Caldwell, in his shoe design, had used the optimal ‘fudge’ factor for his calculation. As John transferred his full body weight, the holds held and we both exhaled with relief.
In addition to the flakes and slab features, what sweetens the Big Deal are the hand and finger crack systems. Above was a perfect direct line up a continuous crack for about 30 metres. The Big Deal crack held gear well and John was able to zip up the pitch with small and medium cams. As an added bonus, there was a bolted anchor station. The station was a good vantage point for looking at the route ahead. Our attention was captured by a beautiful white granite roof adorned with distinctive gold-like medallions. After passing the golden roof, we climbed over small block roofs to arrive at the last pitch. According to the guidebook, it held the crux of the climb. As we surveyed the pitch, we were intimidated by the steep angle and smooth blank appearance of the slab. John stepped out and committed to the climb.
When he reached the slab, features like scoops for feet that gripped and fingertip cracks appeared. The excitement wasn’t over yet, the final left-facing flake was flared, and the angle of the rock steepened. The hunt to find secure holds was on. With the grit and determination that is a prerequisite for all those that lead trad climbs, John made his way; hand over hand up the flake to position him for the final move to the right to reach the anchor. With a sequence of lean, brace and side-pulls, he topped out on top of the flake and clipped the anchor. As the second climber, my job was to make the climb look easy.
After our inaugural climb, we spent a few more days exploring
the granite and getting excited about coming back again next year. The campground was closing so it was time for us to return to Canada. We recommend putting The Big Deal and Pine Creek on your list. It’s a five-hour drive north from Las Vegas and has camping options; our favorite was Horton.