multi pich climbing

Question
So, i've been lead climbing single pitch sport climbs now for about 9 months I'm pretty good at it.  I've just started trad climbing about 3 months ago and I'm starting to get comfortable, but I'm not super confident in my skills.  I was wondering if the pinnacles had any multi-pitch climbs where I can sport climb most of it?  I want to do a big wall next spring and I believe the next step would be multi-pitch leading.

Answer
Dear Kyle,

By sport climbing, I assume you mean that the climbs are bolted and no or few pieces of trad gear are required.  Pinnacles has a small number of multi-pitch climbs and most of these are serious, entailing long run-outs (15 to 35 feet between bolts), patches of bad rock and route-finding difficulties.  Most of the long routes are on the West Side.  

I have two suggestions for you.  They are both on Machete Ridge.  One is a route on the East Face called Derringer.  It is runout with only bolts for protection and bolt anchors.  If strung together with another route, it will yield 5 pitches of climbing and land you on top of Machete Ridge.  Depending on the variation you follow, it will have only a couple of moves of 5.7 or 5.8. You will encounter loose rock.

Another, Desperado Chuteout, is on the West Face toward its southern end.  Protection is mostly bolts.  The third pitch, a 5.6 chimney, however, has none.  It can be climbed 4th class or protected with medium cams.  The start is a 5.10b or c face for about five moves.  This climb is complex and is about six pitches long.  Again, it lands you atop Machete Ridge.  More difficult climbs - Son of Dawn Wall, Machete Direct and others - climb the West Face directly.  I don't recommend trying these until you've had some years of Pinnacles experience.  

If you are interested in either of my suggestions, send another question and I will provide detailed beta on how to find both of them.

Resurrection Wall has several very serious multi-pitch routes.  Only years of Pinnacles experience can mitigate the dangers of these routes.  Tom Higgins famously fell off the crux of his climb three times running before mantling onto the belay shelf.

The Balconies has serious two and three pitch routes from 5.9 to 5.12.  They are runout, very sustained and have chancy hanging belays.  Shake and Bake or Lava Falls are the best of these.  Again, don't get onto these on your first visit.  Check on nesting bird closures, too.   

Perhaps the most historic multi-pitch experience is on the Hand.  The old Salathe/Burnett route is pretty amazing.  Long runouts, incredible exposure and some shaky rock belie its moderate rating.  The first pitch is a straight half-rope traverse to a belay on a dinner plate sized rock.  The cliff cuts in below you and you've got 200 feet of air beneath your toes.  Your second has to climb through to a bolt twenty feet above.

The new Pinnacles guide by Brad Young is due out in two weeks.  You might wait until it hits the stands.  It is very good and highly accurate.

Check out Clint Cummins's website.  It will give you a good feel for Pinnacles and provide current information.  http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/pin/

Robert Walton