Route:  Eldorado/W Arete
Climbed:  June, 1996


Approach via Triad col.  Reaching col requires one or two pitches of
easy climb - can be simul-climbed.  Descend glacier and traverse to
base of route.  Gain ridge from NW, scrambling up to heather benches.
We climbed heather and some loose rock on N side, then crossed back to
S side and climbed loose gullies til finally reaching ridge crest
proper on 6th pitch.  Suggest crossing directly to S side and
scrambling as far as possible, beginning roped climbing in gullies.
Maybe better to stay on ridge crest.

Either way, once ridge is gained climb becomes much more aesthetic.
Several pitches of easy to mid 5th.  Climb up a harder step.  Gendarme
1 will be visible at 100 ft or so.  Begin bypassing on N side, on
obvious easy ledges.  Just NE of the G1, from a comfortable ledge,
climb up a thin crack, step over a small ridge, and continue up blocks
to a belay ledge by a sling horn high on G1.  If things look bleak
then you are in the right place.

Beyond the horn is a short, steep, exposed wall which leads to a 18"
slot through ridge.  Down climb (difficult) or rap (easy) the wall and
climb through the slot (easy).  Belaying from other side of slot
reduces rope drag.  I continued climbing.  You are now traversing the
second gendarme.  Looks possible to traverse low, directly to notch E
of G2, but looked difficult and unprotected.  Can climb to top of G2
where there is a mass of rap slings.  I took a middle route and
traversed at level of slot exit to a comfortable belay ledge near a
good horn, about 12 ft above notch.  Place a single (blue) sling on
horn and rapped to notch.

Good bivi site at notch but no water.  From notch climb up crack to
large ledge (fun).  From ledge step over ridge and climb ledges.  I
finished this pitch by climbing up gully to notch with broken blocks
then did a hand traverse on low angle face.

From here climbing is supposed to be easier, and it is for a short
while.  The intermediate climbs guide talks about three options.  We
wanted to take the first, the L side bypass ledges, but could not find
anything that looked easy enough.  Instead, after about 1 rope length
we arrived at the base of a clean W facing face.  Simul-climbed up
crack system on R (S) side of face (mid 5th class but w/ good
handholds).  A couple of rope lengths in this crack system on the R
side of the face brought us to a gully that led back to crest and a
reasonable bivi ledge.  From NE corner of ledge either climb up steep
blocks (easier) or step around corner and traverse up N side of ridge
to gain another ledge at base of snowfield.  Climb up snowfield to
crest and traverse snow ridge (may be rock latter in season).
Continue straight then diagonally L (NE) on ledges below ridge crest
for 600 ft to summit.

This is a long climb.  We did 12 pitches of belayed climbing, 2 short
raps, several rope lengths of 4th/5th class simul-climbing, snow, and
then 600+ ft of 3rd/4th class simul-climbing.





[Route description written by Tom Unger]