| The Helmet |
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VB...nappin' on the ledge.
Description A fun little crag with some unusual routes. Mt Lemmons's answer to the Frog Prince area at Datil. Easy to see as you drive up the Mt Lemmon Highway. It looks like a helmet sitting up on the slope in front of you as you drive past Col. Birdseye. Morning shade. The crag is west-facing with a vertical face on the left, and a shallow cave on the right. It's a good idea to check the nuts on chain-draw hangers frequently. Let me know if any are loose. Not a big deal in our dry climate, but FWIW this crag is totally stainless steel.
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There is some confusion (my fault) about route naming in the cave: Chain Gang - the name EFR gave to the roof chains. No Climb For Old Men = El Torito start + Chain Gang Freeloader = Dwarf Toss start + Chain Gang
Getting There Park just down-road from the Window. Same as for Middle Earth. I'll post a map. 10 min approach.
The ClassicsMountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Helmet:
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Featured Route For The Helmet
Freeloader 5.13- AZ : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : ... : The Helmet
From near the El Torito anchors you can see a line of letter-boxes, slopers and rails heading straight right out the 20+ foot ceiling to the center of the roof. When I realized it might go I was amazed. This extension was dubbed "Chain Gang" by EFR and that has stuck. If you start on Dwarf Toss and finish on Chain Gang, you have done one long, hard line that is completely independent of El Torito and the other cave routes... Freeloader.Vince came up with the name to underscore the fact that I ... [more] Browse More Classics in AZ
Old dog.....same trick... Snapped by Vince as he ...
| BETA PHOTO: It's pretty easy to get from The Helmet to Middle ...
| BETA PHOTO: The cave routes. There is a line of exploratory h...
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By Joe Kreidel From: Tucson, AZ May 5, 2010
| Although some people complain about the choss, I really like this area. Super steep climbing on mostly good rock, beautiful views and fun exposure. I only wish the cave was much, much bigger with more and longer routes. Big thanks to the developers, as I can only imagine how much effort went into cleaning and bolting these routes! More beta for the approach: Head up the same gully as you take for Middle Earth. Near the top of the ridgeline, look for a trail the heads a little left (Middle Earth trail heads off to the right). Follow the trail to top of ridge, then down to Helmet. |
By jbak May 5, 2010
| Thanks Joe... I'll take credit for expending the most effort and $$$, but Joe Shiefman was the guy who lit the fire under this crag. He had to badger me for like 5 years before I would go up and take a look. Cres and EFR helped a lot too. Cres did a lot of cleaning and Eric did some drilling and provided mental health services. |
By Hendrixson From: Tucson, AZ Jun 5, 2011
| My understanding of the routes from left to right: Vertical Routes ~~~ Adventures of Nad & Huck 9 Brain Bucket 10b/c Ain't My First Rodeo 11a Danny Likes Men 10d Critical Mass 11b Tony's Route 11b/c (Shares first 3 bolts w/ Critical Mass) Mr Clean 10d Cave Routes ~~~ El Torito 12a/b Dwarf Toss 12c Freeloader 13a (Dwarf Toss + Chain Gang Extension) The Crossing 12b Demolition Derby 12a/b |
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