GR407165 'Tombstone South' - Scramble

August 20, 2012 had a great solo day up and down GR407165, better known as 'Tombstone South'.  Kane’s guidebook rates the south ridge as a moderate scramble, but he must assume the scrambler drops left (west) to avoid the difficult ridge.  

Looking up crux




I followed the ridge crest all the way up and there are several sections of very serious scrambling.  The crux section is a long exposed knife edged ridge crest on solid slab, but with few holds, then the crest transitions to a difficult short face climb. 

After this section the ridge climb is moderate for about 50 vertical metres, then another difficult and crazy exposed face climb, that actually bulges outwards, provides some more spice.  This short face is probably low 5 class climbing, short, only a move or two, but certain death if one of the crappy rock holds blows out.

Once on the false summit the scramble is actually moderate to the main summit.  3 hours 45 minutes to the summit, slower than I was hoping, but the ridge climbing required thought and attention.  No summit register in the small cairn. I descended by the scree/slab slopes between the two summits, hard to pick the easiest line and avoid the slabs.  I did stay more to skier’s left and I did have the odd slabby step to downclimb.

Found my bike after crossing the Elbow River, yeah!  Then only 30 minutes out from the bike stash.  I was 3:45 to summit, 15 minutes on top, then about 2:30 from the summit back to the car ; all in 6:40 car to car.  I was hoping for 6 or less, but that ridge worked me a bit.