Got up on the Belly Button for the first time a couple weekends ago with Paul. This is a really cool volcanic crag on Mt Lassen, just low and left of the summit (technically called the Vulcan’s Eye by NPS).


The trail to hike Lassen has been closed all summer except for a few dates due to construction, so when it opened for a couple days we pounced. The approach involves hiking up the main trail about a mile then an easy scramble across talus, snow, and scree.




There are multiple sport routes well above our abilities all along the base.


However there is one area of weakness that allowed us to climb two trad pitches to a ledge system from where multiple other climbs are accessible. Because of this, naming the routes is tricky because new routes start 2 pitches up and only 1 route (the Regular Route) continues the whole 3 pitches.

So I took the first pitch of the Regular Route, a 5.5 face climb with occasional pockets for pro. The rock is littered with solid knobs so the climbing was easy but fun. The first belay is on the left-most side of a big sloping ledge (dubbed “Big Slopey” by Paul).




Paul took the second pitch, a well protected 5.8 with a mix of crack and face climbing that gets steep but solid. This short but sweet pitch got us to a big ledge system that makes 10+ other climbs accessible. From here we traversed the ledge right to the start of three great cracks and decided to make this our home anchor for a while.




Paul led the middle crack first, called AIRRAL #4, a stellar 5.6 with excellent pro and fun knobs. We set up an anchor and rapped down to the ledge. I then led the left crack, a really fun unnamed (?) 5.7 hands with knobs galore. We rapped again to the ledge and Paul led the right crack, another unnamed (?) 5.6 with a tricky start (yes, we know how to make 5.6 tricky!) but solid finish. Apparently I didn't take pictures of these cracks, which is weird and now annoying as I try to write this.



Because we had to build a trad anchor at the tops of these cracks, when we were done with them we had to find the bolted rap anchor to the left. It was pretty much a 5.0 boulder scramble up and around some pillars and then down to the chains.



We then climbed one of the best 5.10a cracks I have ever been on called Pinacoidal Cleavage. It goes right up the middle of an awesome arête and is sustained with solid hand jams. Very fun. After enjoying some cleavage we made our way to the next set of chains and rapped off.




This crag has so much more potential, but even still it is littered with awesome routes, unfortunately many of them out of our range. Most of the routes could use new bolts, but this place sees such little traffic anyway.

Check this face/arête out! I wish I had the strength and skills because it looks amazing.


There will be a guidebook for this area coming out hopefully sometime next year so people can start enjoying this place for what it’s worth. In the mean time if anyone is curious or wants more beta feel free to PM me or Paul and we would be glad to hook you up! Unfortunately the approach is closed this year except for Labor Day weekend.





Mike