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All Locations > New Mexico > New Mexico, oth… > Rio Arriba Coun… > Brazos Cliffs > Cat Burglar (5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b)
Direct start of Cat Burglar (Great Couloir is on the right). I think the trees at the top of this photograph mark the top of the 1st pitch of the direct start.
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P2 of the Great Couloir start looking up from the belay. We should have scrambled up to the left about 30-50 feet higher and set our belay there so that 50 m ropes would reach a good belay spot. Also, this would have joined the direct route after 2 pitches rather than 3. The upper part of this pitch (above tree on skyline) gets harder and slightly runout.
Main Brazos Cliffs from the approach hike. The Cat Burglar route goes up the steep left-angling ridge in the middle of the picture. The "boxcar" feature is visible about 3/4 of the way to the top. The route goes just to the left of the boxcar.
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scotthsu
Oct 10, 2008
“Direct start of Cat Burglar (Great Couloir is on the right). I think the trees at the top of this photograph mark the top of the 1st pitch of the direct start.”  

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Nearby Photos

Hand-drawn topo of Cat Burglar (5.7) by Norbert Ensslin, a senior member of the Los Alamos Mountaineers.
Ken head out up to the left of the boxcar. His choice for best pitch. As with most of the good pitches there were about three good lines to choose from across the face. But, you couldn't always get back to where you wanted to be at 5.7. So venturing out meant a 5.8 to 5.10 move to get back to where you needed to be. But, the climbing was almost always fun for the grade.
David R. scrambling up to the base of the Great Couloir, where we roped up. The boxcar is just visible high above. Our route went up the right side along the big crack above the highest patch of snow.
One of the upper traverse pitches. You could begin simulclimbing if you landed on these pitches at a belay but for us it did not happen. These traverses are composed of 100 ton blocks to small blocks detached and resting in place. So just remember to bring your plastic buddha, think light thoughts and pray!
Look to the shadows for the route lines. The evening light makes each route line distinctive. Easy street, east of easy and cat burglar can all be found in the shadows. While all the longest lines that head to the top are less than vertical and therefore in the 5.7 range, there is a plethera of vertical lines on this rock (1 to 4 pitch). Since the rock is so full of features and solid there is the possibility that these lines could be really good.
Cleaning end of pitch 3. Darn good pitch. We argued which pitch was the best, which says something.
Pitch 2 from the lower start.
Ken on the smooth quartize 5th class scrabble to the base.
Start of Cat Burglar pitch (P7).
About halfway up the boxcar pitch right below the boxcar roof, which is just out of sight to the right of the photograph.
P3 ending at the tree on the skyline. The tree is the top of P2 of the direct route.
P2 of the Great Couloir start looking up from the belay. We should have scrambled up to the left about 30-50 feet higher and set our belay there so that 50 m ropes would reach a good belay spot. Also, this would have joined the direct route after 2 pitches rather than 3. The upper part of this pitch (above tree on skyline) gets harder and slightly runout.
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