BETA PHOTO: Left crack is Cruising For Bulgar, Rt-facing Dihed...
Description
Sobo is another rare "wilderness setting" within Eldorado canyon. There is a string of summits extending from Rincon to the north/north west, including Cadillac Crag, The Veil, Physical Crag (and Split Block), Diamond Head, and Sobo, which is the most remote and probably the least visited of these. My partner left a pair of sunglasses at the base of a route there in July of 1996. I picked them up in February of 2002. The most recent printed guide listed only 3 routes at Sobo, although there are now at least 6, with potential for a few more, particularly if someone want to do a few hair-raisers. Top-roping at Sobo would be difficult. 3 of the 6 known climbs are stellar crack single-pitches, and would have climbers cued up like Calypso if they were close to the road; they are worthy of a hike in for a day of climbing. Much like the other crags in this summit chain, it does not see much traffic, even on holiday weekends. The setting is a nice, and may be the best place to go if you fear crowds in Eldo.
From the Eldorado Trail, Sobo looks like a large Triangle, just West Diamond Head, and East of the summit cliff-band of South Boulder Peak. Sobo faces predominantly South, and gathers light all day. The climbs are mostly pure crack, such as Good Cleavage, Cruising For Bulgar, and Dreams Of Light, the two moderate routes, Marsupial and Sugar Glider, involve some runout face climbing. All 4 of the 6 known routes on this rock would be or are starred routes in the local guidebooks, but none see much traffic.
Descent: To descend after climbing, scramble and walk left off of the top around a corner to the northwest, and then down to a tree with a red sling. Rap 50' from the sling to the ground and then walk back among the corner to your packs. This is an easy descent and should take about 5 minutes. Some down-climbing could be eliminated with another sling around the uppermost tree.
Getting There
From the Eldorado Canyon Train, starting as for Rincon or Cadilac crag, passing the [Rincon] cut-off. Continue on the trail until you are directly below Diamond Head, then scramble [uphill] over talus to reach the base of Diamond [Head], then traverse West to Sobo. This should take about 60-90 minutes. There are some sections of marked trail (cairns) down from Diamond [Head], but even from the top down, these can be difficult to follow, and you may end up just wandering down the hill. Although there is not much of a trail, the hike is much longer than it is difficult, if you make it a point to avoid any thickets.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Sobo:
SoBo Buttress is now subject to the birdie closure for Shadow Canyon, lasting from February 1st through July 31st. According to a January 2009 city press release: "This year's closure includes climbing areas west of the Shadow Canyon closure for the first time."
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