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Location: UT : Moab Area : Castle Valley : Castleton Tower : North Face (5.11b) : Photo
By: Charles Vernon When: Mar 27, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: The really crazy thing about this photo is that he's still got a couple of #3 camalots on his harness!!
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Baboquivari Peak : East Face : Humungous Woosey (5.9 R)
By: Charles Vernon When: Mar 15, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: Some thoughts:
- This route is a fantastic adventure. It's truly wild in both senses of the word. Imagine a gnarlier, grittier version of Warpy Moople in the Sandias. I'm not sure where else in So. AZ you can find 1000 (or 500 for that matter) feet of climbing without a bolt. There are brilliant sections of face climbing on pitches 3, 5, and 6. The position is outstanding.
- The first pitch is very dirty, loose, and uninteresting. Don't go down. There are still some loose sections above, but i...
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : Central : Fourth Flatiron : East Face/4th Flatiron (5.4 R)
By: Charles Vernon When: Mar 15, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: I don't really understand all the negative feelings about this climb. Some of the Flatirons are beautiful cruises, and some are wilder adventures. This falls into the latter category, but it also has a variety of cool climbing. Also, definitely do the "extra credit" summit about halfway up. And then do Takin' Care of Business.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Alamo Canyon : Leviathan Dome
By: Charles Vernon When: Mar 3, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: There's a description and long trip report on rockclimbing.com, but just fyi I think the area is closed for bighorn sheep lambing right now.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Cochise Stronghold : West Stronghold : Westworld Dome : Dreamscape Buttress (5.9)
By: Charles Vernon When: Feb 20, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: How close? Did you realize you were off-route when you clipped them?
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Sundance Buttress : The Guillotine (5.10c) : Photo
By: Charles Vernon When: Feb 15, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: That's awesome. Those shoes don't look like they're going anywhere. Thanks for the great memories.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Baboquivari Peak : West Face/ Southwest Arete : Born of Water (5.10c)
By: Charles Vernon When: Jan 31, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: Back to the climbing for a minute....
....this feels like a Sheepshead clip-up transposed onto Babo. Kinda weird. Still, the climbing was more fun than I thought it would be. The crux pitch was pretty hard. If you're looking for a 5.10 on Babo, I think I'itoi Dance is a better choice: more in keeping with the backcountry experience you're most likely seeking. But any day you summit Babo (and get back home the same night) is a good one.
....carry on with your regularly scheduled flaming.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Mount Lemmon Highway (Catal... : Lower Highway : Sun Spot Crags
By: Charles Vernon When: Jan 6, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: I propose to rename this place the "Steeper Than They Look Crags."
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Mount Lemmon Highway (Catal... : Lower Highway : ... : Viking Soared (5.11)
By: Charles Vernon When: Jan 6, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: This route is quite contrived (hence only 1 star) but nevertheless extremely fun and well worth doing if you're at Sun Spots. The top section is remarkably airy.
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Location: AZ : Central Arizona : Queen Creek Canyon : Lower Devil's Canyon
By: Charles Vernon When: Dec 16, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Marcy, Geir, or anyone--
Assuming the road is in the same condition it was a month ago, would you say that a subaru with 4wd could make it in and back. Or is *high* clearance a necessity?
How far of a hike is it to the climbs from above the "branched switchback"? Is that the same spot as the "2wd parking area" that Geir describes?
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - part E - top t... : Chock Suey (5.10c)
By: Charles Vernon When: Dec 10, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: No, that's the 5.8 section of "pitch 3" of Chockstone. So maybe you were having a high gravity day :)
Chock Suey is up and left after you do this section and climb over a couple of huge, loose blocks.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mendoza Canyon (aka Coyote ...
By: Charles Vernon When: Dec 6, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Access note: we ran into John King's daughter herding cows yesterday. She was very nice, and we talked to her for a little while. She believes that the missing traps that led to loss of access last year were a result of hikers (climbers? hunters?) whose dogs got caught in the traps, leading to the dog owners taking or destroying the traps to free their dogs.
Regardless of what exactly happened, she made it clear that dogs are not welcome. It sounds as though just heading out there wit... more >>
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Mount Lemmon Highway (Catal... : Lower Highway : ... : English Breakfast Crack (5.10+)
By: Charles Vernon When: Dec 3, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: There, that should do it.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Little Twin Owls : Clingon (V3)
By: Charles Vernon When: Nov 5, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I actually didn't rate these V0. Back in the early days of the site, I think it was possible to rate them with the B-scale, and I vaguely remember rating them B1 (I didn't "get" the V-scale back then and in some ways still don't, but I understand it well enough to know that these are not V0!). Someone must have changed the rating to the V-scale during one of the upgrades.
Edit: I just changed my rating of this and Jaws to V3 which I believe are their consensus ratings in the guides, though I c... more >>
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Alamo Canyon : Leviathan Dome : North Face (5.10c R)
By: Charles Vernon When: Oct 29, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: [edit] Went back up again, couldn't find the #3 camalot, but came back with some thoughts about the route:
One way to improve the quality of the route is to do the (somewhat hidden) original 6th pitch instead of the variation that most seem to do (that EFR describes above). Having now done both, I'd say the original line is some of the best and cleanest climbing on the route and adds another 5.10 pitch. To get to the original, belay lower and to the right at the end of traverse. The thin ... more >>
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Cochise Stronghold : West Stronghold : Whale Dome
By: Charles Vernon When: Oct 26, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I'm almost positive that's Blood Brother-we tried to pick it out (using Kerry's guide) when doing Dem Bones and that's the only feature that makes sense. Looks really cool. Great photo by the way.
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Location: NM : New Mexico Navajolands : Ship Rock
By: Charles Vernon When: Oct 15, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: J, I'm pretty sure Quentin is Navajo (I'm sure if he reads this he'll speak for himself), so he might be situated a bit differently from the rest of us.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin...
By: Charles Vernon When: Sep 6, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Ken, Mt. Lemmon is one of our "sky islands" that rises far above the Sonoran desert and is therefore a safe haven from the epidemic--the ORGY--of beheading that's been going on around here. But I might add that the desert regions themselves are getting safer--Jan Brewer has did everything she can.
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Cochise Stronghold
By: Charles Vernon When: Sep 3, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: AngeMtn-I don't know anything about the Beanfest myself, but you might try posing your question here.
Jean--I think May is pretty hot for Cochise. You can do it if you have high heat tolerance, chase shade, get up really early, etc. Heck, some of the area's main route developers climb there all summer. It's a bit much for me personally. You might consider substituting Paradise Forks for Cochise. Otherwise... more >>
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Mount Lemmon Highway (Catal... : Windy Point West : ... : Rich and Dave Route (5.8+)
By: Charles Vernon When: Aug 30, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I agree with Derek. Great climb with lots of variety, especially if you do the arete finish. A little spice on the first pitch too!
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : The Golden Shower Wall : Pushing Two Hundred (5.11b/c)
By: Charles Vernon When: Aug 22, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I totally agree with Eli. This route must have taken hours of loud hammering right next to a very popular tourist trail. Isn't this basically how bolting got banned in the Flatirons?
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : Mount Lemmon Highway (Catal... : Summit Crags : ... : Voodoo Child (5.10+)
By: Charles Vernon When: Aug 18, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: This is actually a four-pitch route starting from the left end of Pine Tree ledge. Pitches 1 & 2 as shown in SQ II are fun (particularly the arching 5.9 corner), mildly spicy, and can be combined. They are not as good as Quick Death, but worth doing if you've already done that route. A light rack to a #2 friend is sufficient for these pitches. After the crux, the last pitch heads slightly up and right past several bolts, finishing with a fun, albeit contrived roof to the chickenheads.
... more >>
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Location: AZ : Southern Arizona : Cochise Stronghold : West Stronghold : Sheepshead Area (Southwest) : ... : Photo
By: Charles Vernon When: Aug 12, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I'm curious what routes these are, does anyone know? Great photo!
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Location: NM : Albuquerque Area Climbing : Sandia Mountains : Chimney Canyon : Muralla Grande : Warpy Moople (5.9 R)
By: Charles Vernon When: Jul 7, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I thought P5 had pretty good pro, but I really didn’t want to fall—you’re slinging everything long, the rope is running around several corners, your belayer can’t see you, etc. Could be a long, weird fall. However, I think the danger could be eliminated by setting a belay after the initial traverse (i.e., on P4, clip the anchor and continue into the traverse from the P4 corner)—there is a decent stance and really good hand-size pro for this. I’ll probably do it that way next time.
Great adve... more >>
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Location: NM : New Mexico, I-40 Corridor : El Malpais
By: Charles Vernon When: Jul 1, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Hi, do any of you New Mexicans know anything about camping possibilities on the national forest land west of El Malpais N.M.? I.e., how's the accessibility (we'd be arriving pretty late), is it sketchy, etc? We're just looking for a place to crash quickly on the way to Albuquerque.
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