The Boxtop, East Face. The east face of this interesting tower in the Cashmere Crags was first climbed on July 6 by Tom Oas and me. It is a two-hour, strenuous route on superb rock. One first scrambles to the top of the Mount Temple ridge east of the peak from either the north or the south via easy ledges. There, from the right-hand base of the face, layback and jam a steep crack and block system leading up and left 50 feet to a wide mantle shelf, and climb over an awkward bulge above a sharp-edged block at the left-hand edge of the shelf. An easy jam-crack above leads 25 feet to a large platform. Use a shoulder-stand (may go free, but difficult to protect and scary) to enter the right-hand of two overhanging jam-cracks at the inside corner of the platform, then stem a wide chimney for 30 feet to the summit. A horn at the west end of the summit can be used for a 150-ft. rappel to the bottom of the north face. About five angles up to 1½? plus several nuts will be useful. After the climb, an additional entertainment option is to leave the area by trailless Rat Creek; allow an extra 7 hours. NCCS II, F8.

Mike Heath