Conditions:Island In The Sky-20250507164608
Latest: |
6 May 2025 (1 month ago) |
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| Reported by: | Kirbside (98 reports) | |
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| Quality: | Great |
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| Waterflow: | Dry |
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| Wetsuit: | None |
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| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | Special challenges |
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| Time: |  5 hours
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Team: 2 people with experience level Brand new to Advanced
Trip report URL:
Comments: Great day at Island in the Sky. Overall the route is heady but doable. If you have a fear of heights the first 20-30 minutes are the worst of it
The route itself is actually about 5.5-5.6 climbing grade (Mountain Project says 5.2 which is silly). We were trending towards three hours, but after the first rappel on the exit, there is a climbing anchor with webbing visible on the right that we thought was our rappel anchor. This anchor descends about ~130-180 feet to a hanging rebelay on the face (not in the gulley). From this station it is another ~100-150 feet to the ground. We did not use this hanging rebelay so I can't say anything to it's quality.
We sent our first person down not expecting this. They ended up missing the rebelay and getting the rope stuck on the wall in a J-hang which added about 2 hours of problem solving and rescue. In the end a 215' rope barely reached from the top station through the gully DCL to a ledge that you could downclimb from. Not recommended. Do not use this anchor unless you are prepared for this sequence
You are able to downclimb and avoid this section entirely. The entire route could be done without ropes though the first rappel on the exit would be sketchy to downclimb. There is also a gully rappel to skip the scramble on the exit
I attached a photo to make this a bit clearer.
Additionally about halfway through the traverse there is a 2 bolt anchor that I assume is another alternate route down. We didn't use this anchor so I can't speak to that route
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great | Dry
| None
| Special challenges | 5 hours
| 2 people Brand new to Advanced | Kirbside (98 reports) | |
Comment: Great day at Island in the Sky. Overall the route is heady but doable. If you have a fear of heights the first 20-30 minutes are the worst of it
The route itself is actually about 5.5-5.6 climbing grade (Mountain Project says 5.2 which is silly). We were trending towards three hours, but after the first rappel on the exit, there is a climbing anchor with webbing visible on the right that we thought was our rappel anchor. This anchor descends about ~130-180 feet to a hanging rebelay on the face (not in the gulley). From this station it is another ~100-150 feet to the ground. We did not use this hanging rebelay so I can't say anything to it's quality. We sent our first person down not expecting this. They ended up missing the rebelay and getting the rope stuck on the wall in a J-hang which added about 2 hours of problem solving and rescue. In the end a 215' rope barely reached from the top station through the gully DCL to a ledge that you could downclimb from. Not recommended. Do not use this anchor unless you are prepared for this sequence You are able to downclimb and avoid this section entirely. The entire route could be done without ropes though the first rappel on the exit would be sketchy to downclimb. There is also a gully rappel to skip the scramble on the exit I attached a photo to make this a bit clearer. Additionally about halfway through the traverse there is a 2 bolt anchor that I assume is another alternate route down. We didn't use this anchor so I can't speak to that route | |||||||
| Great | Dry
| None
| Special challenges |  4 hours
| 5 people Intermediate to Expert | Danielson (93 reports) | |
Comment: Bolts can be found on the first third of the trip (upclimb) presumably left by guiding companies to belay clients. There is a fixed rope in a dihedral near the top; we found it easier and safer to not use. All members of our party were able to climb the 5.6 crux (in the middle of the traverse) unprotected. I found this obstacle much easier than my last trip thru - but please still bring a good climber with you to be safe. We descnded the last part of the trip by down-climbing the 2 rappels. The second rappel is particularly difficult to down-climb and a handline was use just to be safe. There were anchors in place. The first was made with climbing rope thru 2 bolts, but it did seem like it could form an American Death Triangle? The second was webbing on 2 bolts painted brown.
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