[Hide Comment] It would be great to have more info about that rap route on the site-- it's the first I've heard of it. Feb 2, 2006

[Hide Comment] All I know is you can rap Iconoclast with 2 60s, if slings are in place. Haven't done it myself, though. Anyone out there rapped it? Feb 3, 2006

[Hide Comment] Slight correction to the above description: Pitch 4 is a right facing dihedral rather than left facing.

Stellar route!! Well worth the approach and the descent. Mar 4, 2007

[Hide Comment] We didn't think the descent was particularly horrible. No fun, but not too long and not life threatening. My partner led the last pitch, and we simul-climbed for a while to get him to the top. He was stuffed butt-first into a bathtub, giving me a hip belay (it's okay, we do that all the time). Behind him was a mountain goat billy! He hung around watching us for half an hour or so, but never approached us to mooch or threaten. Very cool. Apr 19, 2007

[Hide Comment] 5.9 seems like a bit of a stretch for the final pitch. I guess the first few moves are, but the rest of the pitch is 5.7, no more than 5.8. Beautiful stuff! Jul 11, 2007

[Hide Comment] Amazing route, great location, and don't forget that once you get to the top of the cliff you can hike (5-10 minutes) to the very top of the cliff and get a great panorama of the area. The decent wasn't all that bad; but I was very glad when it was over. Beautiful Alpine route that shouldn't be missed. Aug 13, 2007

[Hide Comment] anybody willing to divulge some information on variations of outer space? or submit other routes on the formation? Mar 8, 2008

[Hide Comment] Snow creek wall has over 16 routes on it ranging from .8 to .11c. You should pick up Viktor Kramar's Leavenworth Rock 2nd edition, worth the money, with 1000 climbings in the area Mar 14, 2008

[Hide Comment] We did this route and followed the first three pitches of Remorse. I thought it was a very good alternative to what the entrance pitches had to offer on Outer Space. The second pitch of the alternate on Remorse had a very nice and balancy 5.8 undercling.

Regarding the walk down as opposed to the rap. We walked off and it only took about 30 minutes. Not an easy walk off, but you'd be hard pressed to rap down that quickly I think. Oct 8, 2008

[Hide Comment] Watch you head on the knobs, I almost knocked my self out. Hit my head so hard I don't remember when I did this route, just with my cousin who is not really a climber. Oct 9, 2008

[Hide Comment] When I did this route I did a nice direct start. 5.6 scrambling leads into a dihedral directly below the belay at the bottom of the third pitch, with one 10b or so move (with a cam at your chest) at the top. Great start to an even better climb. you do not want to do the descent in your rock shoes, like I did Mar 12, 2009

[Hide Comment] Amazing, amazing route! We did this on (roughly) Aug 20, 2010. A few notes:

1) Expect an hour on the snow lakes trail (at a leisurely pace - could certainly be done faster) before the turnoff and another 20-30 minutes to the base of the wall. The herd path to the base of the cliff starts maybe 30ft to the LEFT of the first stream crossing as you face the wall. It's certainly possible to wander around yourself and get up there, but using the trail makes things easier and better for the environment; if you cross the stream and go up and left, you'll find a relatively heavily trodden path.

2) The 5.9 crux traverse is solid 5.9. Nobody talks about it much, but there's some business to it, and that business involved pulling fairly hard on a thin, hollow flake. Solid 5.9, IMO, for sure - the gear's good, but if you're not a consistent 5.9 leader, expect difficulties.

3) The pitches on this route are LONG - we did this with a 60m rope, but having a 70m would have been nice for the first and last pitches. It's easy to miss the traverse left on the first pitch (I missed it, for one), and getting to a good belay ledge in that case happens at the absolute end of the rope with maybe 5 feet of simulclimbing. The last pitch can be hairy on length as well. My partner, shooting for the top, climbed past the top of the crack and onto a slabby section (easy climbing, no gear), and ran out of rope. With me standing just below the last pitch crux, he was able to get a couple of cams into a good seam. A 70m would have been hugely helpful here, especially if we hadn't had radios.

Rough pitch lengths, following the original Beckey description:

1st: 60m
2nd: (we did this in two thanks to some routefinding confusion) estimate it would be 50-55m
3rd: 40-50m
4th: 55m
5th: 50-55m
6th: 65m

While the total vertical gain on this climb may be 800ft, the total climbing distance is assuredly nearer to 1100ft. The 500 foot length listed here on MP is most definitely incorrect. Bring a 70 to make life easy, and given the pitch length and wind up high, consider bringing radios as well. Sep 2, 2010

[Hide Comment] I would have to agree. Just from rough rope lengths this climb ascends at least 700 ft with much more actual climbing length to it. DO NOT descend this puppy in the dark if it can be avoided. My fiancée and I got caught behind some slow parties and ended up getting to the top in the dark with only one headlamp. The rock cairns helped us get past the initial steep stuff but they eventually led us astray and we ended up way to high. We rappelled twice off of trees and that after some dangerous traversing. I had done Outer Space three times before but this was the first time in a few years. I knew to go lower than one thinks but without a good range of sight it was hard to tell where to head left. Sep 27, 2010

[Hide Comment] Climbed this yesterday via a pretty fun three-pitch semi-direct start. Pitch 1 - start about 60-70 feet left of the original start and angle up and left along ramps with occasional 5th class moves, headed in the direction of the prominent corner at the left margin of the roof under the left side of 2-tree ledge. About 12 feet right of the start of the corner there is a solid 2-bolt belay anchor with many slings. I think this is the first pitch of RPM, and the 5th class moves are maybe 5.8. With all the traversing the pitch ends up being 180 ft or so. Pitch 2 -- Traverse left and a little down into the corner -- 5.8ish with an ok cam behind a flake -- and then jam and layback up the beautiful 5.8 corner. At the top of the corner, instead of breaking right through the roof at 5.10 -- the line of RPM -- head left around the corner (a large knob appears for a foothold just when needed; use a double-length sling on your last piece in the corner) and hand traverse out along a line of juggy flakes. The flakes thin out into a crack which provides good gear, and then a spicy move (5.9/10a-ish) left on knobs leads to a sloping sandy ledge. Up and right a few moves to a better belay. 120 feet or so. Pitch 3 -- up a big flake into a corner, then up under or over a chockstone into a chimney at the left edge of 2-tree ledge. 5.4 or so. I think this joins up with Pitch 3 or Remorse. 70 feet. This variation allows you to climb the really nice RPM corner but escape the roof at a lower technical grade, and the airy traverses are a nice warmup for the very airy traverse right above 2-tree ledge. With all the traversing and belay exchanges, it probably takes longer than the original start, but allows for more actual rockclimbing. The rest of the route is stellar -- I thought the right-trending traverse off 2-tree was the highlight of the climb, even better than the 300 foot splitter above. May 15, 2012

[Hide Comment] Just did this route on June 12, 2012. Very crowded even for Tuesday, but great route. I'll add some beta here so I hope this helps:

Approach:

Drive 4.2 miles up Icicle road to trail #1553 in a pullout on the left and park. Hike the main trail for about 30 minutes steep uphill and look for the obvious huge wall begin to appear across the valley and on the right. As you come parallel with this wall, start looking for a nice big cairn with a stick in it on the right. Once found, look for the next cairn on a log crossing the creek. Cross there, and follow cairns, and the trail to the base of "Outerspace".

Route (just the direct start):

We did the direct start, a nice, but committing 5.8 left traversing lead. P1 climb low 5th slabs to where you will need to start traversing left and belay here somewhere. P2 head left across a 5.7 slab to gain a flake undercling traverse (about 15 feet below the huge roof). Keep traversing left (5.8) until you can scramble up to the big ledge at the base of the left facing dihedral. P3 climb the dihedral (5.7) to a ledge at the base of the classic P4 right angling traverse. This is where the alternate easier start leads to from the right. You'll probably just following a line of climbers up this whole route anyway.

Descent:

We rapped the route in 5 double rope rappels. First rap station is visible from the topout of "Outerspace" about 80 feet left and down the slab a bit. (I had someone belay me to it, but probably not necessary). As you rap, stay on the main head wall angling climber's right as you go. Eventually you'll reach a rap station at a small tree about 240' up the wall. You can either rap to the 5.0 slabs and downclimb the last 40', or look for another rap (I am told) about 40' below the small tree so you can reach the ground. Jun 15, 2012

[Hide Comment] Cool knobs. Sep 5, 2012

[Hide Comment] From what I can see, the ledge listed in the description (I think it's called "2 tree ledge" in the guide) with the Cedar on it no longer has any trees on it, so don't look too hard for them.

The descent was well-cairned but not over-cairned when I was there last week, but the approach from the main trail was not well-cairned. May 23, 2013

[Hide Comment] A few notes on the original route...

To approach, take the Snow Creek Trail until directly across from the wall. Keep an eye down towards the creek - a well worn trail should make itself apparent before too long. Locate the line before you approach. You're looking for a long, white-worn splitter crack which runs down the shield on the top-middle-left part of the wall, then down and right to another white-worn traversing crack that goes down and left, then straight down to a big ledge with trees. You will approach this from just to the right of big dark gully.

The thimble berries are really exploding right now. We saw a young but solitary black bear gorging himself on them early in the morning, just off the trail. He gave us the most complacent of looks as we passed not twenty feet away.

Cross the creek over a log, and continue through bushes, then into the boulder field, across and over more logs, following cairns upwards to a dirt trail, which leads to some loose scrambling, and eventually the base of the wall. Locate the dihedral to the right of the gully. If you are scrambling for 100 feet up dirty ledges to a pine tree with a rappel sling, you're too far right.

The first pitch starts about 20 feet right of the big bush-filled garbage chute that comes down from the Tree Ledge. You can scramble the first 30 feet. From a nice ledge, start up the rampy dihedral. When you can see a tree above (it will probably have rap slings), at the end of the dihedral, setup a belay. Stop about 20 feet below the tree, at a small alcove. If you scramble, this pitch is about 45m long and is easy 5th.

Pitch two, move up a finger crack (5.7) to a ledge with two old bolts. Traverse along the slab, passing a big chockstone, heading towards the gap that separates the slabs from the big, obvious ledge to the left. Hop this gap, climb over more chockstones, walk along, and hop down onto the main ledge, with the obvious crack systems of pitch 3 above. Belay from nice cracks, with rap slings on a tree nearby. Close to 60m, little/no gear.

Pitch three, sweet climbing with mostly detached but seemingly solid horns and flakes. After you make the step right around the corner, BEWARE! The juggy flake is super-loose, flexes under body weight, and could go at any moment! If this goes, this pitch will probably bump up in difficulty. The pitch remains exposed, and ends at a sweet ledge with another tree (and rap tat).

Pitch four, up the slab, onto the small featured buttress with fixed piton, and then onto the slabby face with crack above. Try to minimalize placements here, and use long runners for any early pro (at least 1'; 2' for the slabby face). Make a long leftward traverse towards the dihedral and another fixed piton (no gear, easy). Grunt your way to the top of this and downclimb (5.8), or step left around it about half-way up (5.6, hard to see). Belay at a ledge below the hand crack... rope drag will probably be gnarly.

Pitch five, straight up. I used smaller stuff early, but didn't use anything smaller than 1.5" above that (even with sparse placements and six cams from 1.5-2.5"), and ran out about 30 feet from the top, but this is the easiest climbing on the pitch - lots of chicken heads, and less vertical.

Pitch six, bouldery move off the deck protected with thin stuff, but you can step further out to gain really big features. The difficulties end quickly, and you find yourself swimming up this beautiful crack. At one point you are forced to hand- and foot-jam for lack of features - FUN! With a 60m rope, you should belay at another tree.

Pitch seven, continue to the top. I placed one .75" cam before stepping up onto the super-easy knobby face, pulling an overhanging move on huge holds to the final slab, and belayed on a rock bench at the top.

We followed cairns all the way down, but must have lost them right as you reach the skirt of the base slabs, because we ended up having to do one short rappel off of tree roots after descending a narrow, loose gully. Maybe we should have gone right here. After making this rappel, we regained a vague trail, which dissipated into the bushes and scree, but we skirted the slabs and soon arrived at the approach trail. From top to the creek, probably two hours. Aug 3, 2013

[Hide Comment] The last two pitches make it all worthwhile. The third pitch of giant flexing flakes really adds to the pucker factor. Do your best not to pull out on them. If you do want to lever them with your body weight, try to move your belayer off to the side so they don't get crushed when you peel one of the big guys off. Sep 2, 2013

[Hide Comment] There are several approaches to 2 tree ledge (with no trees).
The original start up ledges and corner till it runs out at a bush and leaves you on a ledge where you have to down climb to a ledge with 1/4" rusty anchor, or better than that go up steep finger crack about 20' below old bolts.
The Remorse start is more in the grade and better climbing.
RPM is fun if you like steep 10b cracks.
Leaving 2 tree ledge there are 2 options. The original is on the left end with an old Bong, over near the bush with slings you can go straight up to the traverse, also 5.9.
At the top of pitch 4 when you finish the RFC there is a bolt that is helpful as a high directional when belaying the 2nd up at the base of pitch 5. Sep 17, 2013

[Hide Comment] I didn't think flake at the P4 crux was as bad as some make it out to be. I reefed on the thing with my 200lbs with little-to-no flex

The P5 splitter with chickenheads ranks among the top 5 pitches I have ever climbed. Simply amazing.

Linked P1-2 of the Remorse start with about 15' of simul climbing on a 60M. Done this way, it was still a full 6 pitches plus a short 30' pitch to top out. Nov 4, 2013

[Hide Comment] We lost about an hour on the approach to this so I figured I'd share what we learned (on the way out!).

The climbers trail off the hiking trail is not totally obvious. There were a lot of things that could be a trail or could just be some rocks. We ended up passing about 1/4 mile too far and found a great tree spanning the river to cross. This put us in the middle of a long bushwhack though.

The trail really is DIRECTLY ACROSS from the route. Where you descend off the hiking trail is a little rocky to start so it's hard to see there's a footpath there unless you're really looking for it.

We built a pretty large and obvious cairn there on our way out as of 6/28/14. Jul 16, 2014

[Hide Comment] We took a 70m rope and used just about all of it on P6. P5 was great big fun! Aug 7, 2014

[Hide Comment] Don't rely on a cairn to spot the point where the climber's trail breaks off from the main trail, as it may not be there. Look for a flat, one-meter-long, oval bare spot of ground a couple of meters off the main trail. From there the climber's trail winds through foliage and logs, so this bare spot is likely all you will see from the main trail. Oct 4, 2014

[Hide Comment] Outer Space 500'? Really?! That's so off it's laughable. Plan on O/S actually being 800' to those unfamiliar with SCW and Outer Space. Feb 12, 2015

[Hide Comment] Also recommend a 70m rope. May 5, 2015

[Hide Comment] Just finished this route last weekend... What a beauty! The cracks are cruiser if your jams are well seasoned. For my money P3 is where it's at! The moves more interesting, the crack more varied, and the exposure was awesome!

APPROACH- not easily seen from the hiking trail, but the big mossy cliffs were a dead give away. And they are directly across from SCW. Lots of fallen trees but if you're planning to climb SCW you'll have no problems with the trees.

Take a minute during the approach to identify the route from afar. ESPECIALLY the move left toward Two Trees Ledge. We did miss that, and lost about 45 minutes getting ourselves sorted.

Even though it was our first time on SCW and we had no problem following the descent (big thanks to the locals who likely keep that dialed). About the time I started to wonder if there would be a wrap around trail back to our bags, a very obvious exit appeared to our left. Mostly steep hiking with very little downclimbing. Jun 19, 2015

[Hide Comment] Very fun. Party in front of us knocked what amounted to a minor rock slide off two tree ledge that almost took out five people on the bottom, including us. As a reminder to all climbers, which seems silly to say, but it is REALLY important that you yell rock every time you knock a rock off! Luckily no one was hurt but it was awful close! Aug 9, 2015

[Hide Comment] There is a single bolt above the dihedral on P4. I didn't see it until I had started belaying my partner, but it would have saved me a ton of drag. Sep 28, 2015

[Hide Comment] Maybe we did it wrong, but the "5.7 finger crack" at the beginning of P2 felt quite hard, I'd say comparable in difficulty to the 5.9 opening moves of P6. Oct 6, 2015

[Hide Comment] A DMM revolver biner (locker girth hitched on a sling) can really help cut down on rope drag on the start of the traverse of P3 and the bolt above the right facing dihedral. If you are doing the remorse variation start (described well in other comments) you can link P1 and P2 with a 70m rope and the drag isn't bad with the revolver at the traverse start. Without it the drag was horrendous.

Bring a 70 for this climb, it's so much nicer to top out the last pitch in comfort.

Also on P3, I'm reading all the comments about the "death flake". I know what people are talking about, but there is not reason to reef on it. Trust your feet, the friction is good. It doesn't flex on me. Apr 14, 2016

[Hide Comment] Perhaps we had route finding issues (definitely some of that), thought we did Remorse variation start, and got to end of our 70m right at the end of P1. Could not have linked 1 and 2. Also, Holy Tick season. Perhaps we were slow hiking but approach was closer to 2 hrs.
There are a fair amount of hanging rap stations all the way down, watch your rope when you get near Edge of Space. Rap took 2 hours including shenanigans. Down-hiked by moonlight! An amazing day, P5 and 6 are of course splitter crack land peppered with amazing chickenheads for dayyyys, but we giggled the whole way through the 5.awesome that makes up the 4th Pitch. Wandery knobby awesomeness as well.
Being the only people up there all day made it extra rad. Apr 20, 2016

[Hide Comment] Flexing death flex on pitch 3 still there as of 5/12/16.
Outer space is freaking radical. May 13, 2016

[Hide Comment] Climbed this on 5.27.16 on P3 ( crux pitch) at the start of the traverse the undercling flake is ready to go at any moment! Its not just the flex, but has that scary hollowing. -barely touched the thing and was pretty sure it was coming - it would be catastrophic if it goes as its s huge flake. Managed to dance around it with minimal use.

Also on P2 of remorse the traverse flake is super hollow - so beware.

The route has become s graveyard for gear - fix piece was at almost every crux May 27, 2016

[Hide Comment] This climb is sweet. P3 had a bunch of loose/hollow flakes throughout that are solid(ish) for now. You'll have to pull on some of the loose stuff eventually, so just be gentle.

I thought P4 was a freaking blast as well, wandering through slabby knobs then up into the corner...what a pitch!

Also, holy fixed cams. When I climbed this there were at least 4 #1 C4's and a bunch of other pro fixed throughout. Jun 7, 2016

[Hide Comment] For those not interested in the scramble off or the rappel, there's a non-technical and pleasant hike-off that returns via the Pearly Gates crag. Sep 12, 2016

[Hide Comment] First 2 pitches are unremarkable - find another way up to the ledge. The headwall crack might be the best pitch of 5.7 I have ever done.

Descent is fine. Follow cairns down the first obvious gully. Sep 15, 2016

[Hide Comment] On May 25, 2017, a climber reported that crucial flakes at the start of pitch 2 or 3 (the crux traverse pitch) came off, making the route harder and possibly leaving behind loose rock. So, use caution on this pitch. May 31, 2017

[Hide Comment] Route is still doable following rockfall. More 5.9 moves are necessary than before, but I would say the overall difficulty still stays at 5.9 or 5.9+. Flakes remain loose and more rockfall could easily occur. PULL DOWN, NOT OUT on flakes. If a flake were to rip, it wouldn't threaten the belayer, but it could seriously hurt or kill a following party. Also, the 4th class descent from Outer Space is not bad. We beat a party down who was double rope rappelling.

Climbed 6 June 2017 Jun 7, 2017

[Hide Comment] Three quick bits of info: (1) Pitch three (crux traverse) remains totally climbable at 5.9 after apparent breakage, but there is still a good amount of crumbly rock. (2) It's possible, if barely so, to lead straight from pitch 6 (the second pitch up the mega hand crack) to the first rap anchor with a seventy meter rope. After the crack peters out, continue straight up on knobs near the left-facing corner for about 20 feet, then cut left on dirty knobs (very easy but very runout) until you hit the anchor. (3) I thought the raps (for a visiting climber with no other experience on this wall) were pretty confusing. There are anchors and bits of crappy tat all over the face, and plenty of opportunities for a rope to get stuck. But it's doable and seemed much preferable to the walkoff. The Blake Herrington topo has a rough guide to (most of) the rap stations that we relied on, and we did not die. (We had 70m plus tag line, but possible with double 60s.) Jul 22, 2017

[Hide Comment] In a conversation with Fred Beckey a few years ago, my friend told him he'd climbed his route Outer Space. His response was, "Oh nice job, that's a hard route. Except I climbed it with wooden blocks." Nov 2, 2017

[Hide Comment] A video with some footage from each of the pitches on the route (original start). This was from a climb on 06/29/18. My partner and I thought the 3rd pitch felt more sustained than we expected but we didn’t see any flakes that felt super insecure on the traverse. Very fun climb!
youtu.be/ViCDSb5-mkY Jul 1, 2018

[Hide Comment] The first pitch starts after a 3rd or 4th class approach from the base of the rock to a clean corner. A tree appears to be at the top of the corner and a ledge. However, the tree is above the belay ledge. Climb the corner 5.4 to about 15 feet (3 meters) below the obvious tree at the top of the corner. If you climb to the tree, you will have to downclimb to the belay ledge. Instead to the left find a clean crack. Climb the crack 5.6 to the ledge with two bolts.
The second pitch is more or less level and remains level until close to the large ledge where the third pitch starts. It is mostly 5.0 or 5.1 on the traverse until the final up climb to the ledge where is slightly harder 5.2 or so. If using a 60m rope, you may have to simul-climb for the last few meters.

We felt that the start of the final pitch “a little boulder problem” 5.9 was the crux of the climb.

Unless you are familiar with the decent, it will take you about 4 hours to get back to the trailhead and the first two hours should be done in daylight. There is a nice bivy cave above the top of the climb (just big enough for two) and lots of open flat areas too. Between the top and the base of the rock, there are no good places to bivy. Sep 30, 2018

[Hide Comment] Consider the RPM start as a great option to add ~200 more feet of quality climbing to the already classic route. And if 10b doesn’t sound appealing there is the early exit variation the keeps the grade at 5.9. No sandbag Nov 25, 2018

[Hide Comment] Approach trail is NOT obvious (see picture). Take care not to miss it like we did, and you’ll save lots of time and bushwhacking. Route falls into shade by mid afternoon, so if it’s a hot day, maybe opt for a later start. If not crowded, you can cruise up it. Pitch 3 was the only thing that felt 5.9. Definitely the most difficult pitch, as well as the most objectively dangerous (flakes). Overall fantastic route!! 4 stars Jun 19, 2019

[Hide Comment] As mentioned by several, there is a serious loose flake on pitch 3. This is the downward facing, 3 to 4ft diameter undercling flake on the traverse section about 2/3 the way up the crux pitch. While underclinging the sharp edge of this feature, it pulled about 3-4 inches away from the wall, pivoting from above. Not sure what’s keeping it pinned in. Seemed like it could chop a rope and kill someone on the ledge below. Best to avoid or for someone to inspect and trundle while the base is clear. Ample hand sized gear below the flake. Great route otherwise! Descent was well marked with cairns. Jun 21, 2019

[Hide Comment] Approach is fairly straightforward, a cairn marks the start of the climbers trail on the right when you're directly across from the wall. Recommend taking the more direct 5.8ish start for a more sustained experience that adds an interesting traverse + a short bit of squeezing into a chimney (trailing packs was useful here).

We were happy to have triples of #1s and #2s, but large nuts could definitely work as well. We brought a BD #4, but didn't find it particularly useful for anything other than the short section of squeezing on P2 of the direct-ish start.

Follow cairns for the descent, there's a tempting dusty gully that splits off from the cairn trail part way down. Avoid this, instead look for cairns hugging the edge of skier's left along the wall. Follow these through a brief exposed-feeling section and you're back on easier trail.

Incredibly classic climb. Aug 6, 2019

[Hide Comment] Climbed this on independence day weekend, 2019. For detailed TR : dashertonclimbs.com/2019/07… Aug 6, 2019

[Hide Comment] I highly recommend a 70 meter rope and some radios for this route. A 70 meter rope allows you to link pitches 1 and 2 of the direct start (slabby traverse left 5.8) and allows you to comfortably do a single pitch from library ledge to the tippy top (we had about 5-10 feet of rope left with a 70m). Communication is near impossible in several areas and the route can be crowded with people yelling here there and everywhere, so radios definitely take the stress and confusion out of communication. I know it's a little new-age and not very OG, but radios on a crowded route like this keeps things safer and quieter. I've done it with and without radios and will never do it without again. A double rack from 0.3-3 works great if you are comfortable bumping 1s and 2s for a while on the money splitter pitches. Great route! Jun 8, 2020

[Hide Comment] You'll want a 70 meter rope. Some of the pitches are pretty long. With that said, even with running gear out, there were a couple times I wish I had more options/gear when it came to building my anchors. Maybe bring triples of .75 to #2? It would have made things a lot more efficient for me and saved a lot of time. As mentioned in a few places, radios prove to be a valuable asset and I highly recommend them. Jul 14, 2020

[Hide Comment] You are correct Zach! I climbed Outer Space for like the 75th time or so about a month ago and experienced the same shifting of the flake; I regret I didn’t think to post it here until now. I’ve been climbing for over 40 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. It moves a LOT! I think it’s unbelievably dangerous! It is possible to climb the traverse without touching it but I’m sure just about everyone uses it.

I did post this info on a local email list, there was talk of someone going up there to chop it. Until that happens, or it simply falls off on it’s own, I strongly recommend avoiding this climb. That thing is death! Aug 8, 2020

[Hide Comment] Does anybody have an update on the dangerous flake on the p4 traverse? Oct 19, 2020

[Hide Comment] Climbed this yesterday. Solid rock everywhere, we found no loose flake on any pitch. On the p3 traverse, I use the crack, not any holds above. My partner and I are not sure what loose flake people are referring to.

I'll add that p3 is "the traverse" (although p2 is a traverse as well). P4 isn't a traverse pitch. Oct 29, 2020

[Hide Comment] About 25 years ago I climbed Outer Space with my friend Bob Odom (thanks for this perfect day). As coming from Frankenjura with a lot of finger holes it was a splendid experience to jam my hands. Jan 29, 2021

[Hide Comment] This was my first multi-pitch 5.9 (even though it was rated 5.8+ at the time). It was April 1980. I had been climbing about a year and we camped out by the creek at the base of the wall for a week (which was totally acceptable at the time). What a week! We climbed White Slabs, Outer Space, Orbit, Mary Jane Dihedral (rated 5.9 at the time) and backed off a route called White Slabs Direct which was rated 5.9 in the guide but looked hard and unprotectable when we tried to move out onto the face. The only other people we saw all week were a couple of climbers from California who came to do Outer Space. They said they climbed a lot in Yosemite and told us they thought Outer Space was 5.9. So we believed it! I love this route, and a little later I went back to lead every pitch. Apr 28, 2021

[Hide Comment] Doing the RPM start creates the most direct line up this part of the face IMO, and the climbing is really quite nice for those comfortable at the grade, it's been my favorite way to climb Outer Space. The gear is really good as well and would be nice for someone breaking into that grade on bigger routes.

Didn't notice any flexing flakes on the 9+ crux, although I did lightly balance off a sidepull in there that I believe is what people are talking about. Seems as though largely staying on your feet and balancing through these moves will prevent yarding on any holds that are suspect. Eventually you're on your arms to finish the crux, but it's past this hold.

When descending, you'll eventually hit a drainage skiers right, after going down this a few steps look for an exit to your left that gets you back into the ledge system, this avoids some muddy slip and slide action further down. May 27, 2021

[Hide Comment] Went a little too high on pitch 1, seemed the climb went naturally up to this corner with a gear belay, but after heading slightly up and left, I was above the actual traverse and had to down climb. There is a stuck nut and tricam to aid the process, but rock is suspect. There was a bolted belay with tat below and climbers left from where I went too high. Should've followed the beta pic on here and wouldn't have been an issue. Pitch 3 and 6 (start) were the cruxes for me. Jun 1, 2021

[Hide Comment] If climbing the first pitch via the direct start, you'll notice a fixed orange metolius(?) cam stuck behind an undercling just as you begin the first technical slab moves. Some resourceful (and very angry) wasps have made that cam+flake into their new home. Avoid yarding on the cam or the undercling unless you want them to greet you while you're balancing mid-slab.

Definitely a full value day! We were car-to-car in 13 hours at a relaxed pace. The gully scramble descent is well-marked with cairns and took about an hour. The scramble does contain a few brief moves of downclimbing though; it's not something I would be eager to navigate for the first time in the dark. Jul 23, 2021

[Hide Comment] +1 to the angry wasps that are nested around the stuck cam at the base of the RPM dihedral/roof pitch (climbed on 7/25/21). The flake they're in is an obvious hold along the climb and they got me while on lead - 0/10 would not recommend. Really regret not seeing Jake's comment about them :') The direct start via RPM was great though, and agree that the climbing on some pitches of OS are a bit wandery. The splitter pitches are incredible and had me smiling the whole time! Descent is a bit scrambly and wanders often (lots of potential trails from past descents), with several down-climbing sections, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it in the dark probably. Aug 3, 2021

[Hide Comment] There was what seemed like a large rock fall on P3 for the party below us yesterday (8/8/21). We yelled down to make sure everyone was OK Just FYI: the route may have changed!

No regrets in lugging up triples from .75 to 2. Should have double on 0.5. Aug 9, 2021

[Hide Comment] As of 8/8/2021 the "Key" flake on P3 has been torn off. Chances are the route is harder now. Aug 10, 2021

[Hide Comment] We climbed this 2 days ago, and P3 traverse is still 5.9. I didn't really notice the spot where the flake broke off, though my partner said he did, about third/half way along the traverse. Sep 16, 2021

[Hide Comment] the broken flake is obvious if you know where to look. the movement and protection have changed, the grade has not changed. there is a great stance where the flake was.

there is at least one other flexy flake on this pitch. there is also a ton of super good gear! don’t place cams behind hollow flakes, that’s a liability for you and your partner Nov 1, 2021

[Hide Comment] Finally did this route on my bday last Oct and it was really fantastic! We started from the original start, which was fine but I would like to try the alternate start next time. Pitch 3 wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, not overly hard and great gear the whole way. Pitch 5 was definitely fun but I’d say pitch 6 had to be the favorite of the day! Walk off is easy enough but wouldn’t want to do it in the dark, and we did end up having to do a mini rap right before the end. Overall this climb definitely lived up to the hype, I’d love to do it again sometime! Jan 27, 2022

[Hide Comment] ROCKFALL OCCURRENCE*

On May 13th, 2022 - around 11:30am my partner and I were finishing up the 3rd pitch of Outer Space when we witnessed a large rockfall event on the face climbers right of Outer Space. A large slab of granite released from the upper sections (Photo attached in photos) that rocketed down the slabs and ran a debris field all the way to the creek.

The rockfall ran direct down the 'White Slabs Direct & The White Slabs', the 'Northern Dihedral' and impacted the first 2 pitches of 'Outer Space'. The debris field destroyed parts of the approach trail as well as many of the small trees within the impact field. The rockfall would have effected anyone belaying from the ground, and some of the rock marks extends well away from the main path. Large chunks of rock (beach ball size) made it down to the creek.

The rock scar is obvious now, and the approach trail will be harder to follow. Please use caution during this freeze-thaw cycle! May 14, 2022

[Hide Comment] Did this route on 5/25. It was quite chossy in the first pitch dihedral and we missed the finger crack leading to the bolted anchors so had to downclimb off the nut. I suggest going up the obvious finger crack to avoid this. The choss may have been from the recent rock fall? 3rd pitch was great, went straight up, not in the slabby dihedral, and did not notice where the flake had broken off. This pitch was still 5.9ish. Ran out of gear after the traverse and didn't quite make it up to the sloped ledge to belay. Money pitch was fantastic and the boulder move on the last pitch was exposed and fun! Descent was fairly obvious, but definitely heads up. Recommend extra 2's and 1's. Fantastic climb, definitely the high point of the trip to Leavenworth! May 30, 2022

[Hide Comment] Maybe it's the recent rock fall, maybe I don't enjoy hand cracks as much as everyone else, maybe rope drag bothers me more than others, maybe I'm out of crack shape, maybe I'm too harsh, or maybe I'm just a hater, but I really felt this climb was overhyped. I went into it expecting some spectacular climbing, and I left feeling disappointed.

The first two pitches are a bit of a chossy mess after the recent rock fall, so watch your footing. I think we started a smidge too far right, as well, and it ended up causing some hellacious rope drag. If I could do it again, I'd do one of the lines offering a more direct start.

Pitch three was great! Super sustained, thoughtful crux traverse, ample protection. It was the highlight of the climb for me.

Pitch four was meh. Incredibly wander-y with some heinous rope drag. I actually set an anchor below the final 25 dihedral crux and split it up. Even with 5-6 alpine draws and one double length sling I still found the rope drag to be brutal.

Pitch five and six were great! Quite a bit of fun with the options to switch between knobs and the hand crack. I had triples in #1 and #2 (knowing that it was 120+ ft of hand crack) and I was glad I did. I loved how long both of them were, and the quality of the rock was excellent.

Personally, I just don't see how this is a 4 star route when you combine everything together? Pitch 1&2 were bombs or 1 star at best (maybe these were better before the rock fall), Pitch 4 was maaayyyybe 2 stars? The other 3 pitches were great, but half the climb was completely forgettable. It's a fun outing, and I'm glad we did it. However, I'd have a hard time convincing myself to repeat it. To each his own! Jul 17, 2022

[Hide Comment] Did the Remorse variation (yellow line on main topo) for the first two 5-8 pitches before getting to the big ledge before the pitch 3 traverse. Super fun variation! The traverse under the RPM 10b second pitch roof was especially fun and heady. The route overall was amazing, one of my favorite multis, definitely a classic, I will have to come back to try the other variations. Sep 9, 2022

[Hide Comment] I was worried about pitch 3 being affected by the rock fall, but the route seemed the same as when I climbed it two years ago.
Video of pitch 5, the money
youtube.com/watch?v=jVkb13s… Jul 4, 2023

[Hide Comment] p1 Last move on pitch one is NOT a 5.7 before then anchor - super sketchy finger lock with minimal feet. runout Sandy debris climbing in the dihedral before but does protect where you need it. but I would put that move at the very minimum of 5.9 it does protect a major fall- but not a broken ankle if you miss the finger lock and can't step up and fall to slaby ledge below. use caution- the finger lock is money.

p2 class 4 traverse

• p3* sand bagged bigtime >THIS PITCH IS NOT A 5.9< - ... I get it you edge lords got to flex but stop lying to people its a 5.9 and people read this comments like they are the bible...I am not going to lie to you > Be ready. I have climbed 11's outside alpine with easier moves. that traverse is so hard! its 5.10 climbing for sure. does protect up to the traverse and traverse protects too....but very tenuous moves and barn door. Once you get past the traverse you made it.

p4 is fun - has a fun dihedral finish. 5.7+ 5.8-

p5 is a dream...literally. So is p6. incredible climb and like a dream. 5.8 - has tight hands to perfect hands low angle slab with huge hand/foot hands extruding the side of crack. probably one of the coolest pitches in my career.

p6 5.8- fingers with huge blocky softball size granite extruding for feet- had to jam feet in crack some with tight hands when they disappear but quickly reappear.


summit walk off with one rappel by Orbit. Jul 5, 2023

[Hide Comment] Which alpine 11's have easier moves that P3? Jul 6, 2023

[Hide Comment] Did the route for probably the 77th time yesterday! It remains classic yet sure feels more rad every year!

It’s a long hard day….don’t sandbag yourself! Plus there is a mandatory run out on P4.

This gear description is wildly wrong:

“Cams up to a #3 camalot with doubles in hand size will sew this puppy up“

Even with triple cams you are doing long run outs between gear.

The descent is super super dangerous and convoluted. I’m amazed no one has died here.

The giant loose feature remains on P3…it can be avoided if you know what to look for. Jul 18, 2023

[Hide Comment] Just an update that as of a week ago there is still a hornets nest under the flake where the orange fixed TCU is on P2 of the Remorse start, as is noted in a comment above. Clip that piece gently and keep moving to the left and you’ll be fine.

This start is far superior to the regular first two pitches of OS which looked pretty “mid” as my teenager declared. Aug 19, 2023

[Hide Comment] As of 8/19, I can emphatically say that the hornet nest is alive and active. I climbed up to the stuck cam (my orange alien from 17 years ago, btw) was reaching up to clip it as ive always done, and the swarm exited the nest and about a dozen of them swarmed around my arms and helmet. A few even tried to crawl inside my helmet vents. Shockingly none of them stung me.
I down climbed 10 feet working hard trying not to freak the F out, assessed and resolved to climb under the nest. As soon as I made moves upwards, they deployed again. I down climbed again, and just to see, made a move upwards, and again they moved towards the entrance, watching me closely, responding to my movements.
Not wanting to FAFO any longer, I down climbed back to the belay and we did the traditional start.
That was the freakiest experience I've had with hornets and am stumped as to why the lot didn't just start stinging the sh#t out of me
Be cautious!

You've been warned! Aug 19, 2023

[Hide Comment] Can confirm as of September 24 the hornets are still alive and well. We found them next to the stuck cam at the beginning of pitch 2 of the original start. However we were able to circumvent them without too much difficulty by going up the ledge system to the right of the bush to reach the bolted yellow anchors above. Sep 24, 2023

[Hide Comment] Additional Beta:

Approach - When you are in the field of toothpick looking tree stumps, start looking for a cairns on your right. If you enter the green lush forest, you have gone too far.
P1 - is very easy to miss, when you reach the 2 pedestals, there is a difficult finger crack that takes you to the correct/first ledge. If you take the easy scramble route, you end up on the second ledge, you'll have to downclimb to the first one.
P2 - The ledge you are looking for does not have a big old cedar anymore. Look for a ledge full of bushes. Do not use the piton for an anchor at the end of this, use the crack system 5m to the right.
P6 - Save your #3's for the end, one for the anchor.
Gear - I suggest Triples in #1 and #2's, doubles in these will have you running things out a bit. Oct 26, 2023

[Hide Comment] There are a lot of ticks on this route in spring, might want to bring bug spray.

We went yesterday and were covered in them. Apr 14, 2024

[Hide Comment] Both variations of the traditional start are fairly annoying:

The "finger crack" is on your left as you begin to near the end of the dihedral. It's relatively easy and safe once you get off the ground to the first stance, but the first couple moves are NOT easy and you will definitely hit the ledge if you fall. I ended up yarding on a few cams after determining I could not free it safely. The next problem is that the bolts at the top are total garbage. I backed them up with a few cams but the only solid placements are well past the bolts horizontally and the whole operation is a big janky time waster. You could continue past the bolts and belay somewhere else at the cost of rope drag and a likely poor stance.

If you proceed past the finger crack to the end of the dihedral, you'll end up on a ledge above the bolts where the finger crack ends and will have to do a ~15ft downclimb that is basically unprotected for the follower. It's not hard but somewhat tedious and many would probably not like it.

It sounds like whichever "direct" start that somehow avoids the wasps is the way to go.

I also have no idea how people can make it up this route OK but be horrified by the descent, although I would not want to do it in the dark. Once you are near the bottom and reach a large ledge with a rap anchor on a tree, continue scrambling past it, initially staying high, and following your nose you will be able to downclimb easy moves to reach the ground with no rap. Apr 22, 2024

[Hide Comment] Climbed Outer space again today after four years and it was even better the second time. A fantastic route, we did the Remorse start variation, which I highly recommend over the original start. The crux pitch is definitely classic cascade alpine/Fred Becky 5.9 and feels true to other climbs in the area and the cascades in general. It is airy and exposed but all the holds and protection are there. The upper finger/hand crack pitches are phenomenal. The most common size in the upper crack pitches is BD C4 #1. If you really want to sew it up I would bring; 4 BD #1, 3 BD #2, and 2 BD #3. 2-3 BD #0.75 is not a bad idea either. Either way if you are comfortable on 5.8 hand to thin hands, then it may be overkill. We did not find any wasp nests. The walk off is very straightforward/safe and the trail has become so evident and well traveled over the years, there are so many carins to follow and if felt very safe if you go slow. Jun 1, 2024

[Hide Comment] Linked and simul'd p1-2 with a 60m. Would recommend leader placing gear to protect the follower on the long P2 left-and-up traverse to prevent a bad pendulum fall.

On p6, 60m was just long enough to reach and sling a large attached block for an anchor at the top of the final knobs section, just before the 5th class ramp heading left to the top. Jun 27, 2024

[Hide Comment] Climbed this wonderful route again this past weekend, figured I'd leave a bit of beta that I personally might have found helpful on prior ascents. Enjoy the climb!

TL;DR (more route beta below)
• The approach is 2.7 miles with 1900 feet of elevation gain. It takes about 75 minutes at a moderate pace.
• If doing the original start, P1/P2 can be simul-climbed. This speeds things up and makes for some enjoyable 5.5 romping.
• I strongly prefer using a 60m rope. The only place you could conceivably want a 70m is for P6 so that you can take the pitch all the way to the proper summit tree, but there are belay options just below the true summit that don't add much more time to build. IMO it is not worth carrying the weight of a 70m and dealing with the extra time of rope management at belays.
• IMO a double rack from .3 – #3 (+ nuts) is fully sufficient, and a single .1 and a single .2 are also useful. P5 is where a lot of people mention triples for hands, but the climbing is so secure and spacing gear out doesn't feel that spooky. Plus the weight can add up. Obviously do what makes you feel comfortable! But triples doesn't feel super necessary.
• The walk-off is well-marked with cairns. It's not nothing, but it's quite straightforward. Takes about an hour at a pretty casual pace.
• Expect a 6-9 hour day car-to-car (depending how quickly you move).

Detailed route beta:
- P1: For the original start, 5.5. Climb up some easy ledges, then gain a corner-ish gully and work your way up that and build a belay at a good stance after about 180 feet of climbing.
- P2: 5.6. Move up the gully about 20 more feet, then move to some corner ledges out left. The easiest way to traverse (IMO) is to down-climb about 15 feet to gain easy terrain, then go left. Place a piece if you can at the end of the traverse to protect the follower. Then move up the blocky ledges to gain the excellent ledge at the base of P3.
NOTE: if you're comfortable, P1 and P2 are easy to simul. I find the original start to be a really fun and casual warm-up romp, and the time savings of simuling make it very worthwhile.
- P3: proper 5.9 climbing. IMO the crux of the route – physical and sustained with solid exposure on the traverse, but you should be able to find a jam or a jug somewhere throughout the whole pitch. There are two belay options. 1) belay from the sloping ledge with a tree (this is a better option if you're climbing on a warm day b/c this is the last bit of shade you're going to get). 2) from the sloping ledge, keep moving up and left about 15 feet to a flatter ledge. IMO option 2 is preferable as it's more comfortable and will reduce drag on P4.
- P4: 5.8. There's an old piton just above the option 2 belay ledge. Easy knob climb gets you to a short crack where you can get your last pro before the easy, but run-out knobby slab traverse. Make your way to the corner system and climb that. At the top of the corner/pedestal there's a bolt that you can clip to help reduce drag while belaying. Belay from the narrow ledge at the base of p5.
- P5: as many before me have remarked, this is the #moneypitch. Truly its a natural wonder of climbing. And you get a comfy belay ledge to hang out on and enjoy the views. 10/10 no notes.
- P6: a few moves of exposed 5.9 right off the belay. You can plug a .1 standing from the belay ledge so that you don't have to do the first hard move unprotected. From there it's cruiser 5.7 of mostly .75 climbing. If using a 60m rope, right at the full rope length you can belay by slinging a large horn backed up with a piece or two. Then you can either have the second go up to the summit tree while still on-belay, then they can give you a hip belay. Or you could both scramble to the summit. Jun 27, 2024

[Hide Comment] Climbed in late June 2024. Did the remorse start variation. Here's beta from us climbing it!
Remorse start: The top of pitch 1 of remorse has a bolted belay. However, if you're trying to link P1 and P2 of remorse, do not go up to the bolted belay (it will create a 90 degree angle with the rope). Instead, angle left and up a slab section to get to the traverse. My partner climbed P1 up to the bolted anchor. I led the traverse P2. This pitch starts with a few cruxy downclimb moves. I felt fine on lead because I placed gear up high then did the downclimb. But it was a spicy follow for my partner because he had to remove my gear before doing the crux downclimb moves, and a fall would definitely have been unpleasant. I would recommend linking P1 and P2 of remorse. Or, at least, it will be easier and less spicy if you do it that way.
P3 of remorse is the pitch that leads up to two tree ledge and links up with the top of P2 of Outer space. You can branch right or stay all the way up the chimney/offwidth. The chimney/offwidth is harder than if you cut right.

P3 (of outer space) is good climbing. Agreed with the other comments about the grade. I've been climbing a lot of Leavenworth 5.9 cracks lately, and the 5.9 grade is very consistent with the area. For me, the crux of the pitch was actually in the vertical section of the crack. I got pumped and almost had to fall/take. The traverse section felt pretty secure once I found the beta, and the pitch overall protects very well.

P4, the runout sections are very secure/easy climbing.

P5 is a very fun crack. In order to "sew it up" (meaning avoiding 15 ft gaps between pro), you would need 3 or 4 #1 cams. And 2-3 #2 cams. The climbing is very secure, as there are knobs on the sides of the crack pretty much the entire way up. So you don't really need to do any foot jams. And agreed with other comments that if you're very comfortable at the grade you're probably fine with doubles. I am solid at the grade and was happy to have triples of #1 though.

For me, the first 15 ft of P6 were the crux of the entire route. Some finger locks with friction feet from what I remember. The rest of P6 is super fun crack climbing. I think P6 may have been my favorite pitch of the route.

Expect tons of goats at the top. I think they live there! We did the walk off descent. Didn't have too much trouble route finding, but there are definitely some exposed scrambly sections. Take your time, there has been at least one death on this descent, so just go slowly and carefully and you'll be fine.

It's a long day, but a great adventure, have fun on it! A classic for sure. Jul 8, 2024

[Hide Comment] Started p1 up a dirty gully on the right. Not great climbing, protectable but confusing to transition over to climbers left. You go up maybe 60' then you get to a climbable crack with positive features. That's where you likely want to go. I decided to climb over the column with crack and features by going up the gully and then down climbing. I cant recommend my route. It's doable just the downclimb sucks and the rope drag situation is an issue if you place gear higher up in the gully above where this crack/column starts. The downclimb is easy tbh there are hidden feet you just need to step for. But my fear level was really high so I placed a high piece and then my partner took the unprotected downclimb (sorry Oskar).

You are aiming for the two old rusty bolts (1/4'') that are right next to each other with rusty looking old school hangers. I don't know if they are visible from the ground though or the gully. After that and the walking traverse you get to pure gold. p3 was some hand traversing which was quite on. Jul 27, 2024

[Hide Comment] Climbed this route with my son Roberts yesterday. A pleasant approach for 1.5 hrs produced 8 snake sightings, two of which were rattlers (all sightings occured on the climbers trail past the turn off). The approach was relatively straightforward, just follow the mountain project approach map. The first two pitches were meh, and delivered us at p3. P3 felt like very sustained 5.9, with loose flakes and hollow rock making placing gear and choosing what holds to pull on trickier. 5.8 in index probably. Pitch 4 dihedral was fun, and pitch 5 splitter was all-time. We brought a triple rack up as the other comments scared us into doing. As a moderate 5.10 leader, I had 4 hand sized cams left on my harness when I got to the belay. If you can onsight 5.10 cracks with some concistency, you can lead p.5 on a double rack no problem.

We topped out from there, which only required a few meters of simul climbing with a 60m rope. A quick scramble to the true summit passed some goats provided an ideal lunch spot. Roberts had a ham sandwhich and Guinness and I had some hash/chippies. The comments re deproaching almost scared us off from doing this route, but in the daylight the descent was easy to find (cairns), and not bad. Took us an hour at moderate pace, and only a few engaging moves. Just stay out of the loose gulley at the end. We're always in hard for grimey day out on the stones!

-Toby Jul 29, 2024