The Half Pipe (5.9) Traditional Geocache

This cache is a small preform-like tube. It is hidden in the middle of the 5.9 sport climbing route The Half Pipe. This route is a nice climb at the White Buddha Climbing Crag.

Park at the Powderface parking area. If you're planning to climb at The White Buddha between December 1 and May 14, you will have to park at Elbow Falls and walk 500 meters down the road to the Powderface lot. Proceed along the Powderface hiking trail until you reach the White Buddha access trail (waypoint provided). This trail switchbacks nicely up the steep hill up to the crag. Expect to take ~20-30 minutes from car to crag in good conditions. There's also a nice trail on the north side of the creek, but it's a little less defined.

The White Buddha sport climbing crag has a number of beginner climbs as well as several expert climbs (grades range from 5.3 to 5.14a). The White Buddha has been previously known primarily as a bouldering area, but in recent years it has seen plenty of development making it attractive for sport climbers. The best thing about The White Buddha is that it's a sun trap and you can climb here in the middle of winter in a tshirt if the sun is shining and temperatures are single digit positives! You will note that all of the current topos of the crag are out of date - many new routes have been bolted and many existing routes have been fully retro-bolted. If I get my hands on an updated topo I'll be sure to update the page.

The Half Pipe is a nice 12 meter intermediate route on the Mello Jello wall. It is a 5.9 (YDS) route that is well protected with 4 bolts and a solid 2 bolt anchor. Note that this route has been retro-bolted with 4 bolts instead of 3 as the topo indicates.

Note that climbing gear and experience sport climbing is essential for this cache - do not attempt to scramble or otherwise reach this cache without a rope. This is a significant challenge requiring specialized climbing skills, equipment and a knowledgeable partner as a belayer. You will need experience lead climbing if you expect to reach this cache from the bottom of the crag. Even once you reach GZ, finding the cache could prove to be a major challenge due to the number of potential hiding spots. Read the hint and bring the spoilers to help simplify your search.

You can easily reach the top of this crag by simply walking around to the climber's left. This opens up the potential for rappelling down to the cache or setting up a top rope from above. However, I did not investigate this option and I urge you to be very careful if you do attempt this. If you plan to do this, you may need the additional equipment and skills needed to set up a natural tree anchor.