The Wham Ridge

Journal Entry July 27, 1996 Vestal and Arrow Mountain 

          The Wham Ridge…Vestal’s Wham is not really a ridge, but a mid-5th class face. Combined with Arrow’s South Face, this had to be one of my favorite climbing adventures.

          Jim Morton, Dennis O’Dwyer, and I spent nine hours in awe on the Wham and route finding the seldom climbed south face of Arrow. Most parties rope up and set protection on this route. We felt it challenging but certainly in our wheelhouse, so we free climbed it without issues.

          It is hard to say one mountain as a favorite, but the Grenadier Range of the San Juans has few equals. The Andes are spectacular as are the Canadian Rockies. I have not visited the Himalaya, but the sheer rock, rugged terrain, and chest high flowers meets my definition of paradise.