A climber moving into the corner on Horseman, one ...
Description
This is probably the best single pitch of 5.5 at the Trapps. The climbing so steep, you can't believe you are on a 5.5! The start is to the left of Uberfall and to the right of Nosedive, at a crack system with a tall skinny tree about 15' up.
P1: Start in the obvious crack system leading to the large right-facing dihedral that starts 25' off the ground. Clip a fixed pin at the roof, and continue up the fun dihedral. At the tiered roof above, traverse left around the nose to a small ledge. (Optional belay here).
Continue up the crack and face to the top of the cliff. A real gem...
Rap with two ropes (one 60m -may- get you close to the ground, but the last 40' of the rappel are free-hanging. You do the math!). Also, consider that the carriage road is at its busiest point here, with dogs and babies and cyclists galore, right where your ropes will land when you toss them. Walking down by the Uberfall Descent is likely the best option.
This is a great route, with what seems like a lot of exposure on the traverse left to the arete, above the large roof. You can establish a somewhat hanging belay at the arete, at the end of the traverse, if your second will need a lot of encouragement on the traverse. This is the "optional belay" that is referred to in the route description. I once enountered a very large black snake in the horizontal crack that you use for your hands as you do the traverse. I shouted "Shoo! Shoo!" at the snake, until it retreated far enough into the crack that I could (very, very quickly) traverse past it. My partner on that day, Bryan MacDonald, who has a serious snake phobia, was horrified. Folks who come from afar to climb at the Gunks should be alert for unusual wildlife encounters at the crag.
Very busy, but worth it if you can get on it. The traverse is one of the easiest parts of the route in terms of climbing difficulty in my opinion, but it can be intimidating. If you use your slings properly, you'll have no troubles with rope drag doing this in one pitch.
Given how busy the carraige road is, I'd recommend using the Uberfall descent rather than throwing rap ropes.
By Joe M From: Rapid City, SD Sep 2, 2007 rating: 5.6
I really did not enjoy this route at all. There just wasn't anything great about it, except for the 1 foot approach from the carriage trail.
Try to find one route in SE Arizona that is that cool. You can't. It is climbs like that that make the Gunks so fun. Steep enough to feel like real climbing. More than one pitch. Nice air and it is so easy even a total beginner can succeed. I love this route.
This was the first trad lead i ever did. What a blast, The Gunks are full of awesome rock features like this. 5.5 or 5.10 the quality of this route is great. i'll never forget this climb.
Just revisting some gunks routes since i've moved away from the northeast. this was one of the BEST ROUTES EVER! me and a buddy from work i had just met drove down to the gunks for our very first trad leads. he borrowed some gear from his dad, i bought a new set of stoppers and tricams. perfect fall sky. i started up the face and slung a root ... cool, natural pro. got to the corner and smiled and internal giggled the entire way to the traverse. put maybe a hand sized cam in and wet my pants trying to get around the arete. was so shaken at this point i built a belay right over the drop off, huge ass roof ... yeah biiiatch! my buddy gets up and leads up the golden, sunlit face as you clear the shade from the trees. then, still giddy, rap off into space as we clear the huge roof. unforgettable. one 60m, piecemeal rack to hand size, new friends, virgin adventure. awesome.
The climbing is really great and the gear is good, but the noise from the road can be a major bummer for this climb and the others at the Uberfall. So much so that communication will be a problem if you run both pitches together.
This is a great climb, best done in a single pitch. The first pitch is getting a bit polished in places, but, it's still great. P2 is just pure climbing pleasure.
Watch out for "guides" spraying "beta" in your ear as they tail you or your second up P1. Awesome otherwise. My first Gunks climb. The traverse is ... airy. My partner yelled, "It's only 5.5!"
By smithygreg From: Portland,OR Oct 12, 2009 rating: 5.5
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