On The Sharp End

Full Value. That is the best way I can describe Construction Job on Shortoff Mountain. It boils down to three pitches totaling about 300 ft that go at 5.5, 5.7 and then 5.9. But those boiled down stats don’t even begin to describe the actual climb.

Finding the route is relatively straightforward because Straight and Narrow (5.10a) is a very distinctive line with a dead tree halfway up and Construction Job is the next one over. Simply rap into the gorge, head climber’s right past Little Corner, Maginot Line and Straight and Narrow and you’ll see the “diving boards” on the rim that mark the end of the route.

It had been a while since I had lead on gear and I took the first pitch. I opted for the path of least resistance mostly because I knew that it was going to be a long day on my arms and I needed to conserve my strength. You can follow either the left or right facing corner system as they both protect well at a leisurely 5.5. The first pitch ends about half a rope length away on a comfy 10ft by 2ft ledge.

Ben took the second pitch which was a baby of a 5.7. It couldn’t have been more than 50 ft and was easily sewn up. It reminded me a lot of the first pitch of Bumble Bee Buttress which is a great climb that is a must do once the Peregrine closures have been lifted.

Pitch 3 is the money pitch. Once Ben and I were at the small sloping second belay ledge it finally hit us what we had signed up for. Not only was the route daunting but a nearby waterfall was regularly raining on us which just added to our doubt. But hey this was Shortoff Mountain and once you’re in the only way out is to climb out. And besides, we’d been told that it was one or two 5.9 moves followed by a whole bunch of 5.7 sort of like Zoo View at Moore’s Wall. Man oh man, were we in for an awakening.

Ben racked up and started working his way around the overhanging fingercrack corner. The crack ate up small cams which bolstered his confidence on the first of the three cruxes. The first crux is a delicate, balancey, stem, undercling on awkward feet. The rock blanks out but jugs are in sight but just beyond reach. The jugs taunt you and all you want to do is thrash n’ dangle your way up to them but you know that that won’t work. While this first crux is short it will definitely force you to pay attention.

After this Ben found his methodical leader head and plowed through the rest of the route for the most part out of my sight. Now it was my turn.

I’ll be honest. I’m not a great climber. 5.9 is at my limit and Construction Job scared the bejesus out of me because this route looked stout. With no option but to second the line I started moving. I’d like to say I cruised the first crux but I didn’t. I thrash n’ dangled past it but I got past it clean but exhausted. Now I was at the second crux which involved rounding the roof/bulge/bend and getting on to a ledge on the golden brown rock. The ledge looked large enough that I could rest once I got past this second crux but boy was I wrong.

On jugs I pulled the bulge and realized “shit shit shit, can’t stop here.” While there was a platform for my feet, there was nada for my hands and I had to attempt to gun it on jugs like Ben did and pray that there would be rest over the next bulge. I made it maybe 5 more feet before I lost my feet and I came off the wall.

It’s been a while since I’ve fallen and I nearly forgot how much I hate it. So there I was dangling in mid-air, 200 ft off the deck, pissed, exhausted and dehydrated with unknown feet of overhung climbing ahead. Sizing up my situation I decided that I didn’t have it in me to pull the second crux again, conceded to the Shortoff Mountain gods and prussiked past the second crux.

If you have ever prussiked up rope you know how exhausting it is even if it is only for 10 feet. After what seemed like ages I got back on the rock and kept climbing overhung 5.9 rock for another 40 feet before I found a decent resting spot to jam my body in. If there is no rest for the wicked then I am a bad, bad man because damn I was drained and I still had at least 80 feet of legit climbing to do.

Working my way through the chimney, gulley, roof system on jugs would have been a lot of fun if I could have stopped thinking “when is this route going to be over with.” With no other options I focused on the double diving board and headed up.

The third and final crux is at the double diving board. This is the kick you in the teeth, did Shortoff Mountain really have to put that there, why won’t this route just end crux. Once you’re under the double diving board there is one last overhanging mini-roof/bulge on rails to pull. The only problem was I had to traverse 5 feet over on wet hand rails and tiny feet and there was a 2ft by 2ft toaster jutting out from the rock. I’m sure there was an easier way to get by it but lets just say I surmounted that obstacle with terrible form that included a dick jam, a knee and quite a few four letter explicatives.

After all of this I still had 40 feet of 5.5 ladder climbing to get to the top where I could finally relax and melt into an exhausted puddle of accomplishment.

Now that might have been a lot more to read than you wanted to but in short, this is not a one move wonder. This has 60-80 ft of sustained, overhanging, no rest for the wicked 5.9 climbing that is about as full value as it comes. I’m definitely going to do it again but not before I get stronger as a climber.

Also, if you’re not interested in climbing all three pitches I met two dudes who rapped down from the bivy cave to a ledge system which allowed them to traverse over and climb the final pitch of The Golden Rule. I haven’t done it but it’s there if you’re feeling adventurous.

I’m not sure exactly when it happened but after climbing X number of years I have changed from a gear review consumer to a gear review producer. The only reason I mention this is because I recently found myself dispensing quite a bit of advice to a few people gearing up and I sort of amazed myself at the sheer number of pointers I could give to them.

That said, I thought I would share my thoughts on choosing an insulated belay jacket using my Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero down belay jacket and my REI brand Mountain Hardwear Compressor knockoff as references.

Before you get ahead of yourself and start thinking down vs synthetic or jacket vs parka, think about exactly what you’ll be using this jacket for. What kind of temperatures do you think you’ll be using it in? Then think about what you’ll be doing in those temps. I’ve been comfortable in -5F weather in a fleece and a shell because I was hauling ass up a hill. I’ve also been miserable cold at 40F in a windy shaded nook belaying my partner. The reason I mention this is that no piece of gear will do everything and you should figure out what you want the gear to do before you buy the latest and greatest mountain toy.

I have both a down and a synthetic belay jacket. My down jacket is considerably warmer than my synthetic but that was by design. (More on that later) The virtues of down are that it is highly compressible, its warmth to weight ratio is high and it is a durable material if you treat it properly. The virtues of synthetic insulation are that it is cheap, provides warmth without loft and dries more quickly than down.

Now I want to say that if anybody tells you that synthetic insulation will keep you warm when wet then they are full of shit, period, end of story. If your down or synthetic belay jacket gets wet you WILL be cold, there is no way around this. But the nice thing about synthetic insulation is that it will dry more quickly than down and won’t lose loft like down will and therefore will work better when wet.

I bought the Sub Zero belay jacket for one reason. That reason was I had 30 minutes to replace a stolen pack of gear and an AAI guide told me I wouldn’t regret it. True to his word, I don’t. The main reason I like the jacket is it works, plain and simple. It keeps me warm, doesn’t let in drafts and is durable. But that doesn’t help you much in picking out a belay jacket so here are some things to look for.

Hoods - In short, get one. Preferably one that zips off but having an insulated hood is a must in cold weather. Bring your helmet with you when fitting the jacket to make sure the hood fits over your helmet.

Pockets – Fleece lined pockets are nice when your gloves are wet but the real “make or break” pocket is on the inside of the jacket. Make sure there is some kind of pocket to hold a water bottle/platypus next to your body to prevent it from freezing.

Zipper – Make sure the zipper goes both ways meaning that you can have the bottom bit of the jacket unzipped while the rest is zipped up. The is clutch when you’re belaying or roped up for glacier travel.

Weight – It may not be the lightest jacket out there but at 2lbs 4oz I’m ok with the weight. Weight is always a factor in mountaineering but your down jacket is not the place to scrimp. You’re obviously bringing the jacket because the weather is less than ideal and as a result it is as much a safety piece as it is a comfort piece.

Misc – The MH Sub Zero has a stretch cord on the small of the back that adjusts to make the jacket more or less fitted depending on what you need. I think that this helps with drafts immensely. I also like having velcro around the cuffs but that is not a dealbreaker in my book.

I also have a REI brand Mountain Hardwear Compressor. It is a lightweight synthetic jacket that works surprisingly well. I bought it because it can be compressed smaller than a Nalgene and can turn into an insulated vest. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a hood but for $85 on clearance I’m not going to complain.

I took this synthetic jacket as my main insulation layer on a trip to Rainier (gear list) (trip report) and it worked wonderfully. The synthetic insulation is surprisingly warm yet is not lofty/bulky which makes it a great layer underneath a shell which is exactly what I did to deal with the 100+mph gusts on Rainier’s summit.

I’m hopefully headed to Denali in 2010 and I can tell you with certainty that both of these jackets will be going. It will be damn cold on Denali but the combination of a lighter synthetic sweater/jacket and a down belay jacket will cover all temp ranges from just a bit nippy to spit freezing before it hits the ground cold depending on how I layer.

Specific Recommendations:

There is a lot of quality stuff on the market so keep your eye out for good deals. It doesn’t have to be the fanciest or the warmest it just has to work as part of your clothing system. To help here are my recommendations based on what are perennial favorites.

Down Puffy: Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero, Feathered Friends Stuff

Synthetic Puffy: Patagonia DAS Parka,

Light Synthetic/Sweater: Mountain Hardwear Compressor, Patagonia Down Sweater

If you have other suggestion please, please, please leave a comment. I’m interested in your thoughts.

Dream in Vertical has a nice review of the Patagonia DAS Parka here (link)