Washington · Rock climbing · Oroville

West Face Slabs

West Face Slabs in Washington has 6 sport climbing routes.

6 routes
5.4 – 5.11a
Sport

Best time to visit West Face Slabs

Best months: April–June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    34° / 23°

  2. Feb

    42° / 26°

  3. Mar

    54° / 31°

  4. Apr

    64° / 37°

  5. May

    74° / 44°

  6. Jun

    79° / 50°

  7. Jul

    88° / 55°

  8. Aug

    87° / 54°

  9. Sep

    77° / 46°

  10. Oct

    61° / 37°

  11. Nov

    44° / 29°

  12. Dec

    34° / 24°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tonasket 4 Nne, WA, 8.5 mi away at 960 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

West Face Slabs is a climbing area in Washington, about 2.6 miles from the town of Oroville. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with the West Face and South West Face areas each about 0.1 mile away, and the Face Only a Mutha Could Love area at the same distance. The Whistler Canyon Trail is just 0.2 mile off, making it an easy pairing for a day of climbing and hiking. The area is a sport climbing destination, with six routes all rated sport. The grades range from 5.4 to 5.11a, with the hardest route, A Sheep No More, at 5.11a. The routes were all first ascended in 2013. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Tonasket show May highs around 74°F and September highs around 77°F, while July and August average in the upper 80s. Paddlers can head to Tonasket Creek, about 4.9 miles away, or the Similkameen River, about 5.6 miles away. Spectacle Lake, roughly 8.2 miles off, offers lake fishing.

Routes (6)

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South SidePhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

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West SidePhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

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East SidePhoto: BLM Oregon & Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Little West CanyonPhoto: BLM Oregon & Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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