B Cubed  5.10b

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Type:  Trad, 6 pitches, 750 feet, Grade III Consensus:  5.10b [details] FA:  Jeff Mayhew, Chuck Lipinski, and Matt Cauthorn Season:  Winter Submitted By:  Mark and Stacy Egan on Feb 20, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (3) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: B Cubed Route

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There is no public access road provided by the BLM to the Coyote Mountains Wilderness Area. MORE INFO >>> There is no public access road provided by the BLM to the Coyote Mountains Wilderness Area. This wilderness is surrounded by state, reservation, and private land. Permission to drive on an access road through the King Anvil Ranch property is granted by the owner during the months of September through February (access closed March through August). This access road also crosses Arizona State Trust Land. The owner of the King Anvil Ranch and the Arizona Game Fish have provided a sign in station for you to register your visit. Please sign in and sign out at the station. Furthermore the Arizona land managers require that you obtain a recreation permit to drive across Arizona State Trust Land. The application for this permit ($15/year) can be found at: www.land.state.az.us/programs/natural/rec_permit.pdf This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment Access is via PRIVATE land and may be CLOSED! MORE INFO >>> The access for Mendoza Canyon is via the good graces of the owner of the King Anvil Ranch you pass through to get to the canyon. Update from Jeff Mayhew: 3-20-10 Mendoza Canyon access will still be open through King's Anvil Ranch from September 1 through March 1, as usual. The ranch owner, John King, is considering allowing foot access again at the original parking area, (see Approach Map,) from Sept. 1 through Dec. 1. After that he may re-post the No Trespassing sign, but may still allow foot access through the alternate parking area at the north end of the canyon's mouth, (see map.) Legally set traps are throughout the area so the suggestion is to leave the dogs at home. Regardless of this information, please obey all posted signs in the area. Access is still hanging by a thread! After talking to Game and Fish, State Land Dept., and BLM it is clear that Mr. King has every right to block access at any time... and he is ready to at the drop of a hat. Fortunately, there are only about 15 of us that even go out there, so we mainly have to worry about the random rabble-rousers, (now there's a good name for a climb!) Thanks for all the support and feel free to contact me. Jeff Mayhew (user JMayhew on this site) Update from Jeff Mayhew 10-18-10 As of 10/2010 the access along the dirt road leading from the "original parking" at the small corral (see approach map) is still signed "No Trespassing." Please respect that! The "alternate parking" shown on the map still allows foot access along an old, faint road. This eventually connects to the main dirt road before the pond, but Mr. King had said last spring that access was permitted at that point, as long as people respected the private property. Be sure to remember that fork--it can be tricky to see when you're hiking out tired... and possibly in the dark! There is still an old, hand written note in the sign-in box stating access to Mendoza is closed. This was in there before Mr. King gave "us" permission to access via this alternate roadway. Update from Charles Vernon (12.6.10): We ran into John King's daughter herding cows yesterday, on the way into the canyon. 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 with dogs, without more, could be enough to cause them to rethink access. So please, do not bring dogs to Mendoza! This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

B Cubed (Broken Bit Blues) is an enjoyable backcountry climb which consists of six long pitches up the Elephant Dome. The rock quality is good at the 5.10 cruxes but rotten in many places along the way. As you climb, tread cautiously on the grass-covered ledges as the climbing shoes can skate. The first ascenders have added more bolts to the route since the "Backcountry Rockclimbing in Southern Arizona" by Bob Kerry was published making it a safer ascent. All belay stations have two bolts (most are button heads) except for the top of pitch 6 which has one bolt and a sling over a dinner plate.

Pitch 1: 5.6. This pitch contains about 140 feet of slab climbing up between the two stains. Three bolts are the protection for this pitch. The first bolt is visible from the start of the climb up about 25 feet and slightly left. There are lots of small features for purchase but be cautious as you may detach some of them. Climb up to the ledge with the two bolt anchor.

Pitch 2: 5.7. Climb directly above the belay toward a blunt flake, clip a bolt and step on to the flake. Climb up and left to another bolt. Trend up and left through steeper rock and across the water stain. Climb directly up to a final bolt 15 feet below the belay ledge. From here, easier climbing to the belay ledge can be done by traversing left to features, up and back right with hands on the ledge edge below the grass. This pitch has 3 to 5 bolts for protection.

Pitch 3: 5.10b Move right up a left-facing blocky and grassy ramp to two-tiered dihedral. Place protection and lieback up to the bolt. After clipping bolt it is time for the first crux move. Perform the ackward but well-protected transition from the lieback stance to a face-climb stance onto first tier of the dihedral (5.10b). Face climb up past another two bolts to the belay. Protection can be placed between these two bolts.

Pitch 4: 5.9R Stem and lieback up left-facing broken dihedral with plenty of protection opportunities (5.9). Place protection at top of dihedral as this is the last chance you will have before the belay ledge. Climb on large holds toward ledge. Dicey moves onto and across grassy ledge to belay anchor (40 foot fall potential to the rock below, 5.8R). Find protection before committing to climb from below the ledge to the anchors if possible. This may require digging dirt out of the crack at the base of the ledge.

Pitch 5: 5.10a. This is the longest pitch and has 6 bolts and opportunities to place at least 6 more pieces of protection. As you climb, see if you can see the broken drill bit in the rock. Climb up left of anchors to first bolt and continue climbing up on face and flakes with protection possibilities to a short slab below a 1-foot thick arching flake. Clip the bolt and climb up to right side of the flake. Sink some pro in the crack between the wall and flake and under-cling/lieback up arch to another bolt. You have arrived at the crux moves for the pitch. Step onto roof and face climb above the roof past a couple more bolts (5.10a). Difficulty eases slightly as you climb up to the belay anchors at a comfortable ledge.

Pitch 6: 5.9. From the belay anchors traverse right and climb up to a bolt 15 feet above belay. Diagonal up left to better rock with dinner plate features then up to the short left facing dihedral on the roof. Place a small cam or two and pull at right edge of dihedral (5.9). Above the roof the climbing gradually eases off as you climb higher on knobs and dinner plates. Sling dinner plates for protection or work in some Tri-Cams in the groves between plates. Favor the dinner plates as they are better rock. The crystal knobs tend to break off. The belay station consists of one bolt with chain and a slung dinner plate.

From the last belay stance, third class up 50 feet on lower angle rock to the summit register and express your thoughts.

Location 

B Cubed starts on the slab between two water stains on the right side of Elephant dome (see beta photo).

Descent Options:
1. This option only requires three raps on a single rope (two raps if using two ropes) and is the quickest. Walk on the spine of Elephant dome towards Right Dome. You will be descending the gully on the south side between the two domes. As you begin to scramble down you will immediately reach an easy tree down-climb (15 Ft) or you can rappel down the short cliff (bring new webbing). Continue down and trend left away from steeper terrain. About 250 feet above the bottom you will trend back right across the gully to the anchors for the next rappel. All three rap stations have two new bolts with chains. From here there are three single rope rappels or one double rope rappel and one single rope rappel. The middle rap station is hard to see from the top rap station but it is directly down the fall line from the top station and if you can't see it you will probably trip over it. The final rappel station is easy to spot on the edge of a big ledge. This last rappel deposits you about 40 feet from the start of the climb.

2. Rappel the route. This requires two ropes and plenty of webbing as you will be replacing old slings at each anchor.

Protection 

Bolts
Set of small cams, e.g. Metolius TCU 00- 3
Set of medium cams, e.g. Camalot 0.75-3
14 draws for pitch 5 (6 with 2 foot slings)
2 ropes if you rappel route or retreat

Photos of B Cubed Slideshow

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Looking up at the Pitch 1 with climbers at top of ...	Looking up at Pitch 2. Scotty belays Dusty.	Start of Pitch 3. Dusty climbs toward two-tiered d...
View from the base of Pitch 4. Scotty belaying fro...	Pitch 5, the longest pitch.	Looking up at the roof on Pitch 6.
Scotty cruises Pitch 1. Distant climber at top of ...	Looking down from the second belay	Jeff M. on pitch 3 crux