This route winds its way up the central spur on Sugarloaf Peak's west face. The first who knows how many feet are the approach up a scree gully. Try to stay on the bigger rocks so you're not fighting your way up. The gully eventually splits. Go up the spur that splits the two gullies, and take this onward and upward. Lotta class 4 scrambling with two 70m pitches with some 5.8-9 moves in there, depending on exactly where you go. Pretty neat experience overall.

I unroped when I got close to the top of a sub-peak or whatever you call it on the spur, where lots of Oak grow. Scrambled the rest of the way up the ridge, past a notch, to the summit. The summit is guarded by tons of very thick Buckthorn, so you'll probably want to find a way around it. I went straight through like a G and am covered in bleeding cuts. G-g-g-g unit!

The Irregular Route

Submarine Dog

Westside Connection

Painslut

Hoop Dreams

The Hobo Route

Breakfast Burger

I rope soloed this route, so the description, gear, rating, etc reflect that. I gave it a Grade II rating, though a small team familiar with bad rock could climb this much faster than myself having to do all the work associated with rope soloing.

Anywho, this route heads up the right side of Sheep Canyon, left of Kimchi Ridge, past Sheep Canyon Spire. The terrain is kinda complicated looking, but really if you go to the base of the headwall and go up the right side on the easy looking slabs below Sheep Canyon Spire, the climbing is obvious. Go too far right and you'll be in some class 3 looking super loose gully. To the left is much steeper and often difficult to protect ground. Follow the best line up.

P1: ~100ft easy slab to tree anchor

P2: ~200ft+ past Sheep Canyon Spire to tree anchor in low-angle slab/mini dihedral thing

P3: ~100ft up right facing dihedral with easy slab

The two 'cruxes':

1. To the right of Sheep Canyon Spire, a 10ft long section of kinda insecure 5.8ish.

2. Start of last pitch, 5.7ish up a right facing dihedral then moving right over easy slab with crappy fall potential.

Be careful of loose rock, especially at belays. I got rid of a lot of more dangerous blocks (usually on purpose), but the whole place is very loose.

FWIW, a 5.8 here is different from a 5.8 elsewhere due to the loose rock. It's a little more mental. Same gymnastic level.

The first pitch is the good part. A 5.7 or whatever crack up to some lower angle crap to a super loose ledge with really big sharp pointy blocks of imminent peril, followed by more crack up and then a super cool airy traverse left. Super fun when yer alone, dawg! I don't remember the pitch length. Who cares, nobody's ever gonna climb it again.

Pitch 2 starts off loose, then there's a cool fin thing that goes at like 5.8 or whatever, probably 5.1 for all you high speed interthugz. Goes under a big tree (good hauling here if solo), then up some truly awful rock. Bad even for the San Gabes. Then finishes after some more neat moves in a little alcove thingy with a tree. Class 4 to the top.

Hike east following game trails down the easy gully about 400ft east of topout. Check yer map. You'll go straight down the gully to the wilderness boundary, and that big boulder and sign.

Note that this route was done on lead solo with a modded Grigri.

This route winds its way up to the top of Sugarledge via the west face. Sugarledge is on the west side of Sugarloaf Peak, about halfway up and on the right side of the screefield running up from the bridge at the base (check your map). Finding the crag may prove challenging the first time, but it really is simple to get there. Really good quality rock with a somewhat-strange character to it. The 'crux' is down low and involves sorta mantling up on a little bulge thing. The higher you get, the easier it gets. Can be very run out but again, it's all easy 5th up high.

There's a good anchor just below the ledge, climber's left when nearing the end of the pitch. Some cracks in good rock.

This is a cool route to a rad ledge with great position and a little exposure. The ledge is super nice and a great place to spend time with friends.

Please keep the ledge super duper clean or John Mendenhall's ghost will totally kick your ass, and I'll get mad but it's not like I'll catch you doing it or anything so just leave no trace at all and be nice, okay?

Another scary route up San Gabriel granite. First pitch is 60 meters long, second is about 100ft or so and ends at the big pine at the top of the headwall, which has served as the rappel anchor in past years.

The rock is a little water worn and presents mostly smooth sloping holds, chockstones, and awkward chimneys with step-arounds with 200ft+ of exposure. Don't fall. Protection is challenging at times. The cracks are either dirty, or flaring, or both. Expect 50ft+ runouts on easier terrain (up to 5.7).

Pitch 1 belay is way up near the top at a small Sycamore growing out from underneath a very large and wobbly sharp rock. I backed this up with two shaky cams in offset cracks. DFU. Be gentle.

Route was put up solo via Silent Partner and 60m rope while I was sick and unable to eat solid food as a result of dental work following several major tooth infections.

This route runs up the north side of Sugarledge. Starts up a corner with some trees (crux), then moves up very easy ground with loads of loose stuff to the top.

This route is probably best avoided, though there is a variation that could be done which might be worth a shot.

Easy face climb on decent rock for the area. Route follows just left of the obvious crack. Ascend class 3/4 to the first bolt, crux is immediately after the 2nd bolt and could be made easy by using the rock loosely jammed in the crack just right of the route.

Multiple sets of bolts on top, the newest have chain and rappel rings in good condition as of April 2021. Good place to set up a top rope for the rest of the face.

40m rope will barely make the rappel from the bolts. The first bolt is a little low for a first bolt but a great place to setup a belay, if using a 40m rope to top rope the rest of the face.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Icehouse Canyon