The Elephant’s Perch, Northwest Face, Sawtooth Range. On September 6 Bill March and I climbed the northwest face of the Elephant’s Perch. There is a prominent, left-facing curving corner starting about halfway up the face. The climb follows this feature and the principal difficulties are to gain the base of this crack. Start several hundred feet left of the corner and scramble for two pitches up a shallow gully chimney until level with the base of a prominent curving orange crack. At this point, traverse right on a large ledge and descend 15 feet onto a ledge and tree. Above is a wide crack with a dead tree jammed in the upper part. Climb this for 100 feet. F9, A2. Make a skyhook move for aid to gain a ledge at the right. Above is a superb, V-shaped chimney. Climb the wall on the right and gain the chimney at 20 feet. Continue up the chimney for 120 feet. Pitch 3: Traverse up and right to large detached flake, tension traverse right to gain the foot of the prominent corner which is climbed to a ledge, and belay below a bush. Pitch 4: (100 feet) Use two points of aid to gain crack on the left and climb this free to a small belay stance. Pitch 5: (120 feet) Continue up the crack using some aid. Pitch 6: (150 feet) Climb an awkward chimney crack and continue more easily to summit. NCCS III, F9, A2.

Jeff Splittgerber, Idaho State University Outdoor Program