Tornado Alley  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Lat, Long:  32.2363, -104.7574 Map Page Views:  4,316. Good page?    Administrators:  Aaron Hobson, Jason Halladay, Anthony Stout, LeeAB, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Monomaniac on Jan 22, 2008 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event

Climbing is currently allowed in Last Chance Canyon. Continued access is everyones responsibility. MORE INFO >>> The Lincoln National Forest Service continues its ban on bolting new routes (or, by permission only). However, climbing is currently allowed in all areas of Last Chance Canyon. 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

Overview of Tornado Alley. Perspective is from ne...

Description 

Tornado Alley is an excellent crag with a large variety of difficulties and styles. The wall offers a number of great lines in the 12+ and above range on steep swells, as well as a few technical slabs, and even one of the canyon's few crack routes.

The wall faces East, so receives morning sun and evening shade. The crag is in the relatively secluded upper half of the canyon, so this can be a good place to go to avoid crowds.

From Disturbing the Peace's comment below:

Routes from Climbers left to right.

(01) Vortex (5.12c?) - Starts left of the overhanging arete
(02) Texas Twister (5.12a) - Climbs the overhanging right leaning arete
(03) Revenge of the Little Fingers (5.10b) - The warmup
(04) Terror in the Trailerpark (5.10d) - Harder than it looks
(05) Gustnado (5.11a) - The best of the easy climbs
(06) Spidergrind (5.12a) - Hard and thin pronounced crux
(07) Unknown (5.12a)
(08) Flying Cows (5.12b)
(09) Fujimata (5.12a) - Another good warmup for the harder lines, feel good grade.
(10) Unknown (5.12c) - The first really steep line, fun endurance climbing. -This route is the one missing from the photo topos and throws the numbers off past this.-
(11) Rolling Thunder (5.13a) - Moderate climbing except for the crux...
(12) Never Saw It Coming (5.12d) - More fun endurance oriented climbing
(13) Goodbye Double Wide (5.13a) - Might have some loose blocks??
(14) Swept Away (5.12a) - The crag classic!
(15) It Sounded Like a Train (5.10c) - Another potential warmup

Getting There 

If you are in the canyon, head up canyon past the Solstice Cave, then over undulating terrain as the canyon bends to the south. After several hundred yards the cliff will appear on the right (west) wall of the canyon. Some easy bushwhacking may be required to reach the cliff base.

From the parking lot, head down the main approach trail in a NNW-erly direction. After 5 minutes, the Violence Wall approach spur splits off to the right. COntinue another few minutes, and another spur trail branches off to the left (west). Follow this spur towards the sunporch. Near the canyon bottom, several short, easy downclimbs are required. Once in the canyon bottom, cross the canyon and follow your nose to the wall.

The Classics

Featured Route For Tornado Alley

Swept Away 5.12b  NM : New Mexico, other Southern ... : ... : Tornado Alley

This is a four star endurance fest, while there are really no hard moves, the pump builds for the wild finish.Start up easy steep ground to even steeper ground. Rest whenever possible (when you're not pulling a roof) and stay psyched for the crux finish, for me it was a wild dyno for what I hoped was a good hold next to the anchors. While the individual move was probably no harder than V1, you're incredibly pumped at this point....[more]   Browse More Classics in NM

Photos of Tornado Alley Slideshow

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Left side of Tornado Alley	Center sector of Tornado Alley	Right end of Tornado Alley
The Alley is Flooded. Heavy rains turn the Swept ...