Type: | Sport, 4 pitches, Grade II |
FA: | Marc Beverly |
Page Views: | 3,153 total · 14/month |
Shared By: | Anthony Stout on Mar 8, 2006 |
Admins: | Shirtless Mike, Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown |
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Access Issue: Access Issue for Areas in BLM Taos Field Office Lands
Details
Per the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Taos Field Office's ( blm.gov/office/taos-field-o…) 2012 Taos Resource Management Plan (RMP) ( bit.ly/2Kab3HO), "Installation of new rock climbing routes or hardware will require pre-approval by the BLM." The RMP is the document that guides all the BLM management in a given field office. Climbers are asked to respect this guidance and not install new bolts or fixed hardware on Taos Field Office BLM land without pre-approval from the BLM. NM CRAG ( nmcrag.org/) is currently working with the BLM Taos Field Office to establish specific guidance for new route development in the district and they hope to have a formal process in the near future.
Diablo areas within the BLM Taos Field Office management area are: The Shack, Winter Wall, Solar Cave, Lake Street and Styx.
Diablo areas within the BLM Taos Field Office management area are: The Shack, Winter Wall, Solar Cave, Lake Street and Styx.
Description
Named after Suntoucher guiding services in Albuquerque, NM, this four pitch route is a mixed bag, with a combination of both good and bad rock. Despite the questionable quality of rock on some of these pitches, I did enjoy the route. But, as with many Diablo routes, WEAR YOUR HELMET!. I was not completely thrilled about the first two pitches, however, the third pitch is STELLAR and on beautiful rock, and the crux section (very top of the climb) is on immaculate rock with awesome exposure (formation called The Shield)! I would give this route four stars, but the first two pitches, and the first section of the fourth pitch, bring the star rating down just a little, in my opinion. So 3 stars.
P-1 (5.11a)*: Climb up mediocre rock (appears crumbly but nothing came off! Looks like dragon scales) to a ledge with a belay anchor.
P-2 (5.10a): Climb suspect rock up a right trending ramp (tread lightly here!) up to the next set of anchors. The climbing is actually easier than .10a, but I gave it a higher rating because it feels harder due to the crappy quality of the rock.
P-3 (5.10d)****: This pitch has great moves with nice exposure climbing on great rock! Beautiful sustained climbing. The route can be made easier or more difficult depending on exactly where you climb it (climbing directly up to bolts vs going off to the side a little.)
P-4 (5.11b/c)**: Starts on suspect rock through the first few bolts, and continues up toward The Shield. There are some rather large boulders along this pitch, so watch out! Will climb go a crack to the left of the headwall. Will not move onto the actual headwall until around the second to last bolt on the route, where you will traverse to the right, EXPOSURE! Clip the final bolt and find the hidden hold (hint, high and right), and pull yourself to glory. DO IT, the fall is completely safe! (NOTE: In JM Beverly's book, this route is listed as 5.10 b/c. THIS IS AN ERROR! I contacted him to confirm the rating.)
P-1 (5.11a)*: Climb up mediocre rock (appears crumbly but nothing came off! Looks like dragon scales) to a ledge with a belay anchor.
P-2 (5.10a): Climb suspect rock up a right trending ramp (tread lightly here!) up to the next set of anchors. The climbing is actually easier than .10a, but I gave it a higher rating because it feels harder due to the crappy quality of the rock.
P-3 (5.10d)****: This pitch has great moves with nice exposure climbing on great rock! Beautiful sustained climbing. The route can be made easier or more difficult depending on exactly where you climb it (climbing directly up to bolts vs going off to the side a little.)
P-4 (5.11b/c)**: Starts on suspect rock through the first few bolts, and continues up toward The Shield. There are some rather large boulders along this pitch, so watch out! Will climb go a crack to the left of the headwall. Will not move onto the actual headwall until around the second to last bolt on the route, where you will traverse to the right, EXPOSURE! Clip the final bolt and find the hidden hold (hint, high and right), and pull yourself to glory. DO IT, the fall is completely safe! (NOTE: In JM Beverly's book, this route is listed as 5.10 b/c. THIS IS AN ERROR! I contacted him to confirm the rating.)
Location
At the bottom of the Sun Devil crag, and to the right of the Solar Cave and Sun Devil (the climb).
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