PRINT: Rock Climb The Gobbler, Red Rocks

The Gobbler

5.10-, Trad, 200 ft (61 m), 3 pitches,

Avg: 3.1 from 175 votes
FA: J&J Urioste, B Bradley, M Ward, 7/'80
Nevada > Southern Nevada > Red Rocks > (16) Black Velv… > Black Velvet Wall

Access Issue: Red Rock RAIN AND WET ROCK: The sandstone is fragile and is very easily damaged when wet. Details

Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm, the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN RED ROCKS during or after rain. A good rule of thumb is that if the ground near your climb is at all damp (and not powdery dry sand), then do not climb. There are many alternatives (limestone, granite, basalt, and plastic) nearby.

HUMAN WASTE Human waste is one of the major issues plaguing Red Rocks. The Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council and the AAC provides free "wag bags" in several locations (Black Velvet, First Pullout, Kraft Mtn/Bouldering, The Gallery, and The Black Corridor). These bags are designed so that you can pack your waste out - consider bringing one to be part of your kit (just like your rope and shoes and lunch) no matter where you go. Once used, please dispose of them properly (do not throw them in the toilets at the parking area).

Description

This is a fun and interesting climb that is more often used as an approach pitch to Fiddler On The Roof or Dream of Wild Turkeys than it is climbed for its own merit, but I thought it was a fun route deserving of it's own attention.

To locate this route, start at the base of the shared start of 'Prince Of Darkness' & 'Dream Of Wild Turkeys'. Walk to the right 40' and look up a line of two bolts in light-colored rock.

P1: (5.9, 100') Climb up and past these two bolts, then go sharply right for some distance until below another 2 bolts, and ultimately below a hanging, white, acute dihedral/chimney, overhead. Climb up past those bolts to a good ledge at the bottom of the chimney/dihedral.

P2: (5.10a, 70') Climb up into the right-leaning corner and slot, making your way up slowly on trad gear and passing one bolt on the way to a ledge at the top. I remember placing a thin nut or two somewhere on this pitch. Belay at the ledge on a fixed anchor, or clip it and continue on P3. This is also the departing point for Fiddler on the Roof, which climbs out on the face to the right, above the huge roof now just at your right.

P3: (5.9, 60') Climb up the steep face on big holds to the fixed anchors as for the 3rd pitch of Dream of Wild Turkeys.

To descend, rap to the anchor on P2, then do a long double-rope rap to the ground from there. 60M ropes may be necessary for this descent, but I am not sure. This will prevent the rock from 'gobbling' your rope on the way down and is also one of the most exposed raps you may ever do, under the belly of Fiddler On the Roof.

Protection

A standard light rack from small to 3" + some draws for the bolts.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Crux of Pitch 2 on the Gobbler.

Pitch 2 of The Gobbler.

Pitch 3 up to DoWT belay

Jason making the crux look easy.

Wyatt on the Gobbler. This was hiw first multi-pitch day and we did 9 pitches to the top of DOWT!

John Hegyes on the second pitch of The Gobbler.

2nd Pitch. Fun moves!

Chad just entering the crux on Pitch 2

Moving into the chimney atop pitch 1

Very cool climbing on Pitch 1 of the Gobbler. Nate Erickson. 5/30/11.

Great climbing on steep terrain on the third pitch.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

david goldstein

Good variety, P2 is a nice change of pace from the typical Black Velvet slab crimping. I've done this climb twice and both times found P2's crux move desperate -- much harder than the 5.9 guidebook rating; a purple (0) Alien size piece comes in handy at this spot (just above the bolt). Also watch out for the rope getting stuck in the finger sized slot after the P2 crux -- I had to rap down from the belay to free it. Mar 11, 2004

Max Schon

5.10a

Dito on the rope getting stuck in the groove on pitch 2. I'd been warned about it, so I managed to keep it out, but it could easily get stuck. I watched a guy have to downclimb the slot to free his rope. It didn't look bad, but still not any fun. Mar 16, 2004

John Vawter

Rope stuck on pitch 2? Check. I belayed on the ledge at the base of the 5.9 face, cutting pitch 2 in half, and lowered/downclimbed to free the rope. We continued up pitch 4 of DWT: the crack. This is a rope graveyard, many strands of aging rope in the back, and we nearly lost ours. If you want to continue, best advice is not to rap the crack. Keep going (do pitch 5 of DWT) and use the rap route well left of the crack. May 30, 2004

Eric and Lucie
Boulder, CO

Just climbed the route yesterday. We had done the first 2 pitches a few years ago and really enjoyed them: lots of variety! About the third pitch: I thought there is no way that pitch is 5.9. We've climbed extensively on this wall (POD twice, YBR twice, DOWT twice) and this pitch has one move which I think is at least as hard as anything on POD for example: around the next to last bolt (I think), all the positive crimps disappear and you have to do this really thin, slabby move... I'd say about 10b/c. I wonder if flakes may have broken off: there were several white patches in that section. Anybody knows?Great route in any case. Highly recommended. Oct 26, 2004

Guy H.
Fort Collins CO

I was gobbled twice on this one. I had to rap and free the rope the first time, and my partner had to ascend the rope the second time. Is there any good beta on plugging the finger crack? I was thinking a pink tricam in the crack might prevent the rope from getting stuck.

This is a fun line to finish the day. Just bring two ropes to rap from the P2 anchors. Oct 29, 2006

David Stowe

I had done plenty of climbing in Black Velvet over the past few years but never got around to getting on the Gobbler. I was very pleasanly supprised by the tremendous overall qualtiy of the the route and great variety that each pitch had to offer. I had heard/read that the first pitch was slick/polished and it looked it from the groud. In fact you really can't see much of the first pitch until you are actually on it. Really fun and interesting moves following the natural features on the pitch and there was nothing slick about it. There was some smearing, but after climbing most of the time in the Gunks, smearing on sandstone is a pleasure and there is plenty of friction. The second pitch offered completely different challenges with great gear. I agree that the crux was the move accross into the chimney. My fingers were also too big to fit into the corner crack below the bolt, so I resorted to pinching small features on the right arete/face to move up and into the chimney. The third pitch was fun vertical wall climbing. I thought this pitch was a little more interesting and of a little better quality than anything on Price of Darkness. Wound of climbing this pitch with a big smile as it was nothing like the runout commiting climbing that a few people had told me about. I agree that the top of the pitch was the crux and is in the 10b/c range.

this is a route I will definitely do again as it is superb and only takes a short time. Nov 15, 2007

susan peplow
Joshua Tree

5.10

Good route to get on while waiting for the lines to clean to the left. Beware of crashing into other parties using the anchor on top of the 3rd pitch which shares with DofWT.

If you the 3rd pitch belay is occupied (extremely likely) consider clipping in a few draws and lowering down to the 2nd pitch belay using a TR scenario for your partner who can clean it when they get there. Perhaps that's a better solution than sharing the ledge with 2 or 3 other people.

1/2 can easily be linked. Crux of the route IMO is getting into the slot. Very tricky.

P3 - typical face climbing on a featured varnished face.

You can rap station to station using a single 70' rope if you prefer to not trail a line. Nov 19, 2007

John Hegyes
Las Vegas, NV

5.10b

The third pitch is not 5.9! May 7, 2008

Andy Laakmann
Bend, OR

5.10-

Linked Gobbler into the Yellow Brick Road and then DoWT. From the ledge atop the Gobbler (top of P3 of DoWT), we did the "reverse traverse" and built an anchor where DoWT and Yellow Brick Road diverge. Anchor was one bomber bolt, bomber small nut, and some other not-so-bomber pieces. Then the two pitches up YBR and then two pitches of DoWT. It was fun and something different, and a nice option when you want to continue up and there is a party in your way on DoWT. Oct 12, 2009

Bruce Lacroix
Las Vegas, NV

5.10a/b

The 3rd pitch felt like 5.10 to me. Maybe some holds have broken off? Jun 5, 2010

Sherri Lewis
Sequim, WA

Excellent moves and rock quality on this one. After the crux move on P2, my partner short-slung a finger-size cam off to the left(in the start of the chimney) which kept her rope from feeding into the gobbler crack as she moved upward.

Also, as you start up P3, be aware that there is an .11d route which branches off to the right after the second bolt. (My topo mistakenly had a line curving to the right for Gobbler and after a move or two in that direction it was clear I was not on a .10a.) Your bolts for Gobbler go pretty much straight up from the belay and straddle a thin crack system. The bolts for the .11d off to the right are painted a darker color than the shiny Gobbler bolts.

From the top of P3, we did a single rope rap(with a 60m) to the top of P2, then a double rope rappel took us over the roof and back to our packs. No issues with stuck ropes stuck in the chimney that way. May 4, 2012

-robin-

5.10-

First two pitches are great, linked with a 70m! Its an excellent long pitch if you have the rope, I quite recommend it. Off the 2 pitch anchor did 18 Year Mcallen instead, head right up the well bolted face, good pitch with a short punchy crux. Oct 21, 2012

Patrick Mulligan
Reno, NV

5.10a

The moves from the crack to the slot on pitch 2 are well protected, but stout. Sep 13, 2013

Arch Richardson
Grand Junction

5.10b/c

Route description is a sandbag and should be updated someday. My take:

P1: Positive but continuous 10a edges after scramble to first bolt. Pendulum falls for leader possible between clips.
P2: Moderate crack leads to a 10a move into an 8+ chimney. Crux is well protected and it is possible to pull thru on gear.
P3: 10b/c smeary crux move near the top of a continuous and exciting 10a face. Well protected with bolts and cams but it is not possible to pull thru on gear. Not "5.9" and there are few "big holds". Oct 31, 2014

Hans El Grandote

Great intro to DOWT, which we took to the top of Black Velvet Peak, taking the additional variation of Yellow Brick Road along the way.

P2 felt tough for the grade to me. My fingers weren't close to fitting in that crack. Great pro, though, and really cool stemming. Beware the rope eating crack... Oct 1, 2019

Mike Climberson
Earth

5.10b

pitch 2 felt more like 9+. Gaining the chimney after the thin fingers crack was awkward (hence the + rating). Pitch 3 is definitely not 5.9, it felt more like 10b. I had no issues with stuck ropes. We brought up 2 ropes, but ended up using only 1 rope for all of the rappels. Leave the second rope on the ground, and be extra careful when pulling your ropes after the 2nd rap Jun 27, 2021

Harris Kashtan

5.10b

Very fun route with a variety of climbing and some exciting moves. First pitch definitely woke me up with some stiff 5.9 traverses and smearing. 2nd pitch went at 10a with good pro; I won't ruin the crux but if you think in 3D, it is a little easier. 3rd pitch felt stiff for 5.9, the steep, thin and sustained nature made it feel more like 5.10a with a 10b crux right before the second to last bolt. Finished after the 3rd pitch and easily rapped the route with a single 70m rope. All anchors are bolted with rap rings. May 12, 2024