Hotter
Than Hell to Inferno
Whitehorse Ledge
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5.7
Start to Hotter Than Hell
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This combination of climbs provides an excellent, varied route to the top of the Whitehorse Ledge South Buttress. It's a much better alternative to climbing Inferno all the way from the bottom to top if you're up to the 5.9 face climbing on Hotter than Hell. The face climbing on the steep slab of Hotter than Hell provides sustained 5.9 moves and is a challenge for almost its entire length. This is followed by the fantastic finger and hand jams of the upper pitches of Inferno. These climbs both face South and are named what they are for a good reason.
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Pitch
1- At the 1st Bolt
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The approach to all the climbs on the South Buttress of Whitehorse is a little longer now because it is no longer possible to approach these routes from the end of the Hale's Location development. They've just finished building houses at the entrance to the old climber's approach trail and there are already signs posted prohibiting parking there. The approach now begins from the climber's parking lot below the White Mountain Hotel, the same as the approach for the slabs. As soon as you enter the woods on the north side of the hotel parking lot there is a sign for the Whitehorse Ledge Trail. Follow this trail (marked with yellow blazes) to the left. Follow it for quite a while until you are above the new houses in the Hale's Location development where the trail intersects the old climber's trail. This is the first trail intersection you reach. Turn right here and follow the trail up to the base of the cliff. Go left about 60 feet or so to an opening at the base of a 40 ft. slab ending at a long tree covered ledge. Allow approximately 25 minutes for this approach.
There are three ways to get to the actual start of Hotter than Hell from here. The easiest is to continue walking to the left and uphill until it is possible to easily scramble up and back right onto the tree covered ledge. Hotter than Hell begins below the obvious bolt. There are also two ways to climb up to this tree covered ledge. From directly below the start to Hotter than Hell (the bolt), climb up delicately along right slanting, disconnected cracks until it is possible to clip a fixed piton on your left. Continue up and left, and then straight up, passing a bolt to a belay at a tree directly below Hotter than Hell (5.7, 40 ft). An easier climb to the tree covered ledge is just to the left following a line past two bolts (5.5).
Pitch 1 (Hotter than Hell)- 5.9, 160 ft Climb up to a bolt which is just above a small overlap. From here traverse to the right to another bolt and then cross a left slanting crack (Tranquility). From here, climb up following a line of bolts that lead to a small alcove. It's possible to set a good anchor here if you want to break this long pitch into two. Continue climbing past the alcove and trend right up above to a belay on the large tree covered ledge.
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Great
Crack Climbing on Inferno
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Pitch 2 (Inferno)- 5.8, 100 ft Inferno is the obvious crack system directly above the finish of Hotter than Hell. Follow a steep flake system past a small tree until it is possible to move back to the left to the outstanding finger and hand cracks which lead to a belay at a spectacular ledge with a small tree on it. There are excellent gear placements in the horizontal crack above this ledge.
Pitch 3 (Inferno)- 5.8, 70 ft From the belay, step left to a right slanting crack and follow this (a little awkward) to the top. From the top of the steep climbing it's a ways up into the woods for a belay.
Descent- There is a fixed rappel route about 60 ft to the left that requires two ropes to get down. Move up into the woods and traverse left on a small climber's trail. When underneath a large rock outcrop, move left and down a faint trail to a large tree at the edge of the cliff with fixed rap rings on it. The first rappel leads to a tree on the big tree covered ledge below that also has fixed slings and rap rings on it. From this tree, 50 m ropes get you down to the tree covered ledge Hotter than Hell starts from. From here it's possible to scramble down to the climber's left or do one more short rappel off another tree with fixed slings. With 60 m ropes, its possible to rappel right past this ledge to the ground, making the entire descent in only two rappels.
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Spectacular
Belay Ledge at End of Pitch 2
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© Chauvin Guides International, P.O. Box 2151, North Conway, NH 03860 Voice: 603-356-8919