Free or Ropes on Vestal Peak

[JosephG]

Mostly reiterating what others have said. I did Wham as part of a group of three. Two of us roped up and did the Wham proper, the third didn’t and scrambled up the far right side of the Wham along the edge, with a little crossing out onto the face before fully joining the C4 finish. He reported that that option could be kept to ~C4, maybe a couple moves of low 5 (it’s been over a decade). Obviously, a lot of factors personal to you come into play, including skill level, comfort, and desired experience, along with all the external factors mentioned already. It is, of course, a long way in to get there and find you want the rope.

+1 to not summiting by going up the back. Loose rubble.

[pbakwin]

For a trail runner, it's an ~8 hour run for a 40min scramble. But carrying a bunch of gear in there would be a whole other thing. The approach trail is STEEP once you leave the CT. Yes, 5.4 with exhilarating exposure. If you can comfortably solo Winky Woo on the 3rd Flatiron you would find Wham quite moderate, I think. Another good test would be the standard route on the Fatiron (one of the best scrambles in the Flatirons that would be super popular if it were close to Chautauqua). Or the EF of Queen Anne.

[tortilla]

It’s only a few moves of low 5th following the path of least resistance. I did it in Altras and my partner brought but never wore climbing shoes. Falling would suck, though.

I might add that if you do rope up, be extra mindful above the smooth face. Perhaps just stow the rope even, the broken section holds a lot of loose rock. During the pack out my partner and I ran into another guy who had taken a rock to the chin. He had a penny sized hole in his face, right below his lip. Wham had been busy that day and he had gotten a late start.

[tortilla]

Photos for reference

[9patrickmurphy]

I was very glad to bring climbing shoes and would totally recommend it. Climbing Wham is the most fun I've ever had on a 13er.

[bdloftin77]

You might have seen this thread below, but it was helpful for me. I posted on page 4 about the crux workaround. I went in trail runners (no rope) and was okay, but that’s just my own experience.

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