UKC

Climbs 49
Rocktype Volcanic tuff
Altitude 2351m a.s.l
Faces W

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Midway on Cupcake, Bear Crag, California. © jon

Crag features

This is a great crag which combines the style of climbing found at Owens River Gorge with the more column based climbing at, say, Frenchman's Coulée. Don't be put off by the left hand end of the crag (the first bit you get to), the crag just gets better and better - and bigger - the further you go. A 60m rope will probably do you, but a 70m removes any doubt... Take about 15 quickdraws - a quick look at the guide will tell you the maximum is 13, but it's nice to have a few extra to extend some on the longer pitches. Although the guide book says somewhere that the grades are similar to Owens, I found them to be about a letter grade harder.

The absence of stars on routes doesn't imply lack of quality, it simply means I haven't climbed them. Star ratings from 1 - 5 are in the guide.

Approach notes

From Mammoth, go over Minaret Summit to Reds Meadows. This requires an early start to beat the shuttle bus service in the summer - cars are banned after 7:00am or take the bus. After about mid September this no longer applies. From the parking follow the guidebook description. NOTE: The area was subject to a fire in the early 90s and there are still many burnt and rotting trees standing. These fall in windy weather and apart from being dangerous, change the footpath. At the time of writing (Oct 09), the small path joining the footpath to the stock trail starts 50m past the large boulder and not just left of it. After Boundary Creek the Crag Trail branches off left 100m after the creek and not 30 feet. This may well change this winter...

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Climbs at this crag

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