[Hide Comment] "FA: George & Joanne Urioste, Bill Hotz, Larry DeAngelo "

There must be an interesting story behind this one - would love to hear more. Oct 8, 2007

[Hide Comment] I did the route yesterday and discovered that somebody has placed a number of bolts. The dust from their placement looks quite new. It appears that someone was rigging the route for rappelling.

Those who are interested in this route should be okay with some real run-outs. Leaders should be comfortable with some decent run-outs on 5.6 terrain and some extremely long run-outs at 5.5.

Be sure to move fast. Though the descent isn't really unusual for Red Rocks, it may feel a bit sporty to those who don't climb newer routes very often. It wouldn't suprise me if there are a few unplanned bivys on this route.

All that said, I really enjoyed the route and would highly recommend it. I will definately be doing it again.

Jason Nov 7, 2007

[Hide Comment] Bolts??!! makes me ill. . . Nov 8, 2007

[Hide Comment] Good little route:)
Remember to step left when starting the sixth pitch this is the best pitch on the route and is the beautiful varnished crack pictured in the new guide book. All the pitches above six are blah. Not worth it unless of course your peak freak. Nov 8, 2007

[Hide Comment] I agree with Larry. The beauty of that whole area is the commitment factor. Nov 8, 2007

[Hide Comment] This route is EXCELLENT. Lotta Balls Wall is totally crowded and loud, and this route is 200 yards away and completely empty and silent (and 3 times longer!). All of climbing pitches are really fun and offer a mixed terrain of cracks, liebacks, face climbing, roofs, and feces on the first belay. Well, after a good rain the feces will be gone and the route will go back to 4 stars. A few 4th/5th class pitches in the middle with limited pro, but very easy. Great protection available overall for the competent leader. The route finding is easy, and we (Bruce Lacroix and Brad Bartick) did the route in 5 hours over 10 pitches. The descent blows. Bring your hiking shoes in a backpack because it is just a bushwhacking mess over steep terrain (at least it was that way for us) to a final 200 foot rappel that ends just right of Romper Room. Enjoy!!! Nov 11, 2007

[Hide Comment] So is this feces human? Nov 12, 2007

[Hide Comment] If there truly are bolts on this climb it is an outrage. Besides it being illegal under the current bolting ban I find it ridiculous. Does every damn route that is fun to climb have to have bolted belays when natural anchors are abundant.

I have stood by pretty silent on this site as Killis and others rant on and on about ethics but this is in a pristine area that remains pretty much boltless besides the romper room and lotta balls area. I guess I should be reserved until I actually see the bolts but if this is true it really pisses me off. Nov 12, 2007

[Hide Comment] We did this route this past friday 11/9. The route was really fun with very easy climbing most of the way. We did notice the pile of poo on the first pitch belay. Other than that the climb was great. Really nice variety throughout with crack, corner, overhang, slab, face. There was only one protection bolt on the whole climb. After pitch 3 there is a belay on a slab/terrace, you have to do about 20 feet of unprotected slab climbing to reach a crack where you can get good gear. The bolt is at the base of this slab section. Not at all necessary, but for those where a 5.8 route is pushing the grade they will be happy that it is there. There was also a bolted station at the end of pitch 6 consisting of two bolts just after you go over an overlap. While this was also not necessary the rock in this section was questionable and I guess they wanted to make sure of a solid belay although the pitch off of this is 4th class so it is highly doubtfull that this belay would take a fall from above. We had 4 people in our group and climbed the route in parties of two with a 70m single for each. I would recommend running the last 5.7 pitch into the 4th class finish to the top with a 70M. I also would not worry about the runnout 5.5 pitchs towards the top of which there are two. On one pitch I had two pieces in about 160 feet, but the climbing was really easy low angle and I am not sure I there was actually any 5.5 on it. It was very similar the the ramp pitches at the top of Epi.

While the climbing was fun an easy, we did the whole thing in about 4 hours, the decent was long, arduous, not always clear and not always totally safe. Our path involved two rappels along with a good deal of what was probably easy 5th class down climbing. I'm pretty sure we went the right way as both raps were a sling stations. I would definitely reccomend this route to anyone competant and 5.7 or 5.8, but leave pleny of time for the walkoff as you do not want to be doing it in the dark. We climbed really fast as we started the climb at 11:30, but with an earlier start anyone should be fine. Nov 15, 2007

[Hide Comment] A fun route. The bolts are not necessary, hope someone removes them.
scavenged 3 chocks, hee, hee, hee, hee. Nov 15, 2007

[Hide Comment] I finally climbed this fantastic route. Definitely a new classic! Many great pitches up interesting features. The last 2-3 pitches were a bit funky but a small price to pay for the first 6 pitches of sweetness.

We found 4 bolts on the route as listed below:

• 1 bolt on the slab just above the 3rd pitch anchor

• 1 bolt at a belay stance on the right side of the slab at the 4th pitch belay. It was linked to a "fixed" nut (can you say booty).

• 2 bolt anchor with chain at the 6th pitch belay just after moving around the left side of the roof below.

The first bolt we encountered on the 4th pitch seemed like it was placed as a protection bolt but wasn't really in a great place for that either. This tricky section can be avoided by moving far right and then traversing back left up about 25ft. All of the other bolts were next to perfect, solid cracks(no exaggeration). Jan 29, 2008

[Hide Comment] Just curious, if you found the bolts so offensive why did you clip them? Jan 30, 2008

[Hide Comment] I did not personally clip any of them but my partner is probably less of a purist. I am also not so stuck up to force her to not use them if she felt like it.

Ultimately though, I am saddened that on this vast wall many routes have went up without a single bolt and then someone who wasn't on the FA and did not consult the FAists went up and decided to add bolts in somewhat questionable places.

Another wild place has been tamed by the least common denominator. Jan 30, 2008

[Hide Comment] I agree with you Karsten. Just had to ask the question. Feb 14, 2008

[Hide Comment] Even a woman who is pure in heart
and says her prayers by night
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.

Those convenience bolts will make sinners of us all.

And here was a climb that was fast on its way to becoming well-traveled, without any bolts and with a less-than-convenient descent. What will they do next, start adding more bolts to "Cat in the Hat?" Feb 15, 2008

[Hide Comment] A must do route in First Creek Canyon.

Thanks for putting this one up Larry, Jorge, and Joanne, and Bill!

What a happy climb! Apr 16, 2008

[Hide Comment] We found 2-bolt belay stations at the top of pitches 3, 5 and 6. At this point it may be possible to rap the route with double ropes from the top of 6 but this has not been verified.

Personally, I don't believe the bolts are necessary and I feel that the standard descent is safe, scenic and quick. Furthermore, if the FA team puts up a route without bolts, I don't think that anyone should come in behind with a bolt gun without permission.

And by the way, I don't believe the bolter did a real good job. Apr 16, 2008

[Hide Comment] The bolts on this route reck the the feel of the climb. The last couple pitches are garbge, that being said well worth it to top out. Thnx to Karstens description on the decsent, getting down in the dark was easy. Oct 13, 2008

[Hide Comment] We climbed this route on Oct 20, 2008, and had a really good time. After scoping out the approach (we thought) and the descent by climbing "Lady Luck" the day before, we found the scramble to the rappel route straight forward. However, getting to the first pitch was not. We roped up way below the start of the route. The big flake is kind of hard to see from below.

Pitch 1 had the hardest moves. Pitch 2 was great. Pitch 3 a little short but not really run-out if you have some small gear. We did use the bolts on top of P3 (lazy). The start of P4 is run-out alright but super easy and long and fun. Then, we screwed up. The belay after P4 was obvious but rather than traversing far enough right (and back onto the main face) for P5, we had our eyes set on the beautiful corner crack ahead of us and started climbing on "Comeback Corner". I figured it out too late. But the next pitch (6) brought us back around to the top of P6 of "Hot Flash". Clearly, we'll have to return for the money pitch of Hot Flash (#6) and climb the start of CC. The next two pitches were lame. But the last two up the "mossy corner" were great even though the rock looked awful. There were great holds and some exciting exposure.

For me, this was just the right mix of easier and harder climbing with some route finding and an adventurous descent. If you know any similar routes of this grade and length, let me know. Nov 6, 2008

[Hide Comment] Climbed Nov 2. Pretty easy approach for RR. It was my first time on the slabs. P 1-6 are very good. The last pitches add character and take you to the top of a small tower. I think there has been enough comments on the bolts. Wander down the brushy ledge to the first creek rappels. The decent was done with two big horns who skipped all rappels. Nov 9, 2008

[Hide Comment] Rapping the route from pitch 6 is not a good idea. Going over the roof cuts ropes ! The anchors should never have been added. Oct 20, 2009

[Hide Comment] Good climb, but most of the pitches are severly over-rated in the Handren guide. Here is my take:
P1 - 110' 5.8 (the only 5.8 move on the whole climb; maybe 5 feet worth)
P2 - 140' 5.7 (best pitch on the climb, IMO; start may be 5.8 if you are short; roof is easy and well-protected)
P3 -60' 5.6 (traverse left is unprotected, but 5.5; roof is maybe 5.4 and protectable with small gear)
P4 - 190' 5.6 Step left from bolt belay and up to crack/corner; climb to great ledge on left (below comeback corner)
P5 - 120' 5.5 Step back right to great crack splitting varnished face; lots of features. Either set a hanging belay or step right to bolt belay
P6 - 140' 5.6 Continue up great crack; about 20' below roof traverse left on good holds to crack that bypasses roof
P7- 90' 5.0 Scramble up easy rock (loose & friable - the only bad rock on the route) to big, rock-strewn ledge. Belay off tree about 15' back from edge.
P8 - 150' 5.3 Avoid mossy corner by stepping onto red arete to the right. Easy & fun. (We simulclimbed pitches 8 & 9, so belay is unknown, but should be easy to find one and to set up)
P9 - 100' 5.4 Continue up easy arete until rock steepens; I set a near-hanging belay on a crack on right side of arete about 40' below the roof.
P10 - 80' 5.7- Climb through bad-looking section of rock (turns out its solid, but lichen covered); I avoided the roof by climbing the arete just to its right. Creative pro makes this well protected. Up to belay niche in corner.
P11 - 100' 5.0 Continue up corner/crack to ledge at top.

Great climb, just easier than advertised. Good fun, solid rock, and very well protected at the cruxes (and most of the way really); with a quick and easy descent (if you know what you are doing) Mar 22, 2010

[Hide Comment] Yes, easier than advertised. P1 has 5 feet worth of 5.8. P2 & P3 each have 5 feet worth of 5.7. The rest is cruiser 5.1-5.6.
The bolts are completely unneccessary and stupid. Stupid, stupid bolters. Bad.
Also, it's amazing to see bighorn scat on the ledge at the top of P7; how do they get there? Apr 20, 2010

[Hide Comment] Awesome route. Oct 13, 2010

[Hide Comment] Loved this climb. We did the alternate descent described in the Handren guidebook that connects with the Lotta Balls descent and it was very straightforward. Just descend the ramp to the lowest point and look for some cairns leading down a gully to a steep offwidth. Two 30m rappels and some very brief class 3 leads to the Lotta Balls descent. This descent offers the advantage of gaining progress out the canyon as you descend. Nov 1, 2010

[Hide Comment] Fun route. Climbed it in 8 pitches with a 70m rope.

Pitch 5 -From the top of pitch 4, climb 70m up the awesome crack and set up a hanging belay 30' below the roof.
Pitch 6 - Go left to pull the roof and continue up past the bolted station to the rock strewn ledge at the base of the red slab.
Pitch 7 - Climb the the red slab, then after the slab turn back white belay at the higher of two scrub oaks. A #2 supplements the scrub oak.
Pitch 8 - Continue up the slab, then follow the cracks to the top. You will need to simul about 40 feet of 4th/easy 5th to make this happen.

Also, the red slab pitch is pretty much a solo. You get a piece at about 40' and another at 90'. The gear gets better after that. If you're not comfortable doing that, from the base of the red slab move out left and climb the last two pitches of Comeback Corner. Then 4th class it back right to the last pitch of Hot Flash. Apr 25, 2011

[Hide Comment] Combined the 2nd and 3rd pitches, sort of, by avoiding the left traverse of the roof and going thru the channel on the right. With a 60m rope, I had barely enough slack to make it to a pair of spinning hangers at the start of the slab.
On the 6th pitch, I again went right instead of left at the roof and tried to stretch the rope as much as possible but wasn't able to reach the end of the 7th pitch.
Took a wrong turn above by following the left column's arete instead of the right and eventually ended under a large roof surrounded by a lot of broken rock. I think this might be how comeback corner ends(?). That added an extra pitch of easy traversing. Jun 9, 2011

[Hide Comment] I'm glad Sqwirll alluded to the scene going on with the climbing past the last bolted station, and I hope my experience helps out those who had to muddle through all the comments to come out with an unclear picture.

The lower part of the route is interesting, mostly well protected rock climbing that transitions from solid white rock to solid pink, white, and black varnish. The climbing here is fun, keeps you paying attention, and is generally very worth doing. The bolts put in on this lower section are stud bolts that aren't of the highest quality, and they are in at least one instance placed in a questionably aesthetic/ethical spot (next to crack, see silly photo #2 above.) That said, there are not bolts for rapping where there is a tree that suffices (I'd rather rap off bolts than an anorexic scrub, personally), and the station above the steep roof pull is pretty mandory to keep rope drag reasonable and not tack on a 25' horizontal traverse to the top of an already winding pitch. The pro bolts above this are not what most folks would call "too close", and I found the lead to be interesting and engaging climbing, with a line that required a couple of bolts to connect to the next crack system, the other alternative being a long pitch up a sandy gully that had nothing appealing about it at all. The beautiful corners and cracks above are the entire reason for climbing this wall, and would maintain an X rating without the bolts, period. I like X-rated routes fine (and videos, for that matter), but there isn't any reason to have body belays on white rock shallow ledges in this day and age of technology and advancement other than conceit.

The top 500' of the route then tackles a runout slab that IS essentially a solo-I got three pieces of gear in on the first 230' pitch (read:full 70m stretch), and three pieces on the last pitch, same length. The rock is not nearly as good on this upper section, the line is kind of uninspiring (avoiding the plentiful gear AND the pretty black/red corner for soloing up a sandy red rotten face is a bonehead move for the leader on that pitch from the FA party, that variation is highly reccommended if topping out so you get SOME enjoyment out of the last 2 pitches..), and the descent is decently long if you top out, walk/scramble way over, rap/downclimb 1000' to the base of Rising Moons, and still have to walk back ten minutes to grab your packs, rather than just doing the good climbing, rapping, and moving on with your life.

For those who are not attempting the upper Labrynth Wall, who do not hate bolts like the KKK hates people that eat fried chicken, and who are not fans of doing almost 500' of worthless sand-slabbin' to "top out" on a big ledge to then see tons more 'a them Evil Bolts in a big, brushy gully that is a bit of a drain to descend from a summitless "summit", I reccommend bringing some old slings and a few biners with you to back up any missing or sun-bleached stations, and rapping from the last bolted station (just after the very, very black face, at the not-great stance) to save yourself the trouble. Non-bolt haters might take the extra time saved after enjoying ONLY the ENJOYABLE part of the route to head over to Lotta Balls Wall, climb a great Joe Herbst-Randal Grandstaff route (those evil, evil bolters) by the same name, and do a shorter, easier rap down a brushy gully having done two good routes in a day, as opposed to one that's mostly good, and a long, pain-in-the-ass descent.

That's my 2 cents but I personally think what the route needs is MORE bolts, not less. A couple more anchors up there and a few pro bolts on the last pitches, and at least you'd be climbing safer garbage to get to the "top." Nov 6, 2011

[Hide Comment] Nice rant Killis. At least the scowler looks smoking hot, eh? Nov 6, 2011

[Hide Comment] [Quote=killis]"The pro bolts above this are not what most folks would call "too close", and I found the lead to be interesting and engaging climbing, with a line that required a couple of bolts to connect to the next crack system, the other alternative being a long pitch up a sandy gully that had nothing appealing about it at all. The beautiful corners and cracks above are the entire reason for climbing this wall, and would maintain an X rating without the bolts, period. I like X-rated routes fine (and videos, for that matter), but there isn't any reason to have body belays on white rock shallow ledges in this day and age of technology and advancement other than conceit." [/quote]

Clearly we were on different routes as this one needs no bolts. They should be removed per the FA wishes noted up thread. EXCEPT! I will add - thanks for the rap bolts in that gully! It was only a matter of time till some poor tired soul tripped in the 3rd/4th class stuff and rolled to his/her death. Apr 5, 2012

[Hide Comment] Did the route on 4/17/12.

There are a total of 6 bolts - all at anchors at top 3rd, 5th, and 6th pitches. The one's at top of the 3rd p. are totally mandatory. The others are debatable but welcome.

This is NOT a route for a new 5.8 leader. I found the route finding a little challenging and the runout at the start of the 4th p. serious. Though this runout section is basically 5.6 (who knows maybe its 5.5 or 5.7?) - if one falls before getting gear in, the result would be a nearly (b/c of the slide) factor-2 fall on the anchor (of which the 2 bolts that constitute this anchor are not perfect). One bolt b/w the anchor and the crack is needed.

Also, the descent was nothing like the description in the new Handren (sp?) guidebook. Rapping the slab gully that starts about 400' down from the topout was not entirely straightforward...there are 4 nicely bolted rap stations (none from trees): 1st at the top, 2nd ~110ft down on R, 3rd on left wall >200ft down, and fourth below pine tree > 300 feet down slab - we added a few intermediary one's. It would be challenging to descend this gully in the dark. Beware that some downclimbing / intermediate stations are needed.

Overall, this was a great RRs adventure with excellent climbing and position. However, don't treat the ascent/descent of this route like other RRs trade routes. Apr 18, 2012

[Hide Comment] FWI: Maybe I missed it, but didn't see specific descent beta outlined above and the Handren Guide's beta is not fully accurate for the option that doesn't merge back w/Lotta Ball's descent. As is stated in the guidebook, descend the gully to the east 300-400 vert until an obvious rap anchor on the left below a large pine tree. Make single rope rappels until you're above a large low-angle slab-complex/amphitheater. Two double ropes into this will get you to the bottom of the amphitheater and then you make straight-forward double rope raps to the ground. Nov 8, 2013

[Hide Comment] We did the descent link-up to the normal descent from Lotta Balls Wall. I do NOT recommend it as one slip rapping the offwidth / chimney could find you wedged in there. On the other hand, if you like adventure rapping then this may be the way for you.

Approach via the wash/stream bed. That way you have a better view of when one might start scrambling up. We came by way of the Lotta Ball approach, traversing across the base of Romper Room, and it was a little hard to be sure where to head up to Hot Flash - we made one false start/scramble burning about an hour - plus it gets a little technical towards the end of the traverse which slows things down and can be avoided.

No doubt, ALL of the bolts should be chopped. They are unnecessary and ruin the nature of the route; they are really out of sync with the stance belays higher up. May 17, 2014

[Hide Comment] look at @kurthicks descent beta in the comments section for "First Creek Slabs". Accurate and concise Nov 4, 2014

[Hide Comment] Climbed this very fun route today with Dan D. Such a good time. Although much of the higher rock is heavily covered in moss and lichen (which makes the climbing very awesome, visually), this doesn't really detract from the experience. Where else but Red Rock can you find over a thousand feet of cruiser, quality climbing? The sun was hot in the morning, but most of the climb was fairly comfortable, due to a breeze and shade. We started climbing at 10, and were finished at 4, and were just casually climbing.

We climbed the route in 7 pitches with a 70m rope, using intermediate belays. The money pitches definitely followed the long, central crack. The last half of the crack, specifically was the most fun, and probably had the highest quality of rock on the route. Descended the gulley in 6 raps and some down-climbing/scrambling. I'm certain that the entire rap descent could be carefully down-climbed. There is a stagnant pool of water at the bottom of the last rap, that our rope conveniently landed in.

Oh, and we clipped ZERO bolts on the way up! (although, we did use a couple of the bolted rap stations). Sep 2, 2015

[Hide Comment] Note the wind forecast (which was off today in terms of direction and magnitude for the morning) and adjust. A mild breeze at the trailhead turned into major gusts at the base of the route. We opted for Classic Crack of Calico instead. Jan 30, 2016

[Hide Comment] Excellent route with unexpectedly solid rock the whole way. The runouts keep it fun for those wanting more than a 5.8 cruise. Feb 17, 2016

[Hide Comment] This route is rad! Agree that the bolts should be removed! Mar 27, 2016

[Hide Comment] Climbed this route yesterday and had a lot of fun BUT I absent-mindedly left my anchor cordalette and smart belay at the top (on a tree in the gully after the final 4th class pitch). If someone finds them and is willing to mail them to me I'll pay for the shipping and be eternally grateful! Or I'll be back in Red Rock in about two weeks. Send me an email at jkenderes@gmail.com. Thanks!

Oct 10, 2016

[Hide Comment] Did this route in early June. It was hot and full sun all day, like zero shade from at least 7:30am till probably at least 4pm or 5pm. Generally, I agree with others' comments about big run-outs on this route (especially on topo pitches 3, 4, 5, 8, 9). This route will likely leave the budding 5.8 leader in need of a change of underwear. We did it in 7 pitches total with some simul-climbing on our 6th pitch. The only bolts we saw were the anchors on topo pitches 3 and 6. We were looking hard for the single bolts next to cracks highlighted in the photos of the scowling girl. Apparently she ate them as the photos suggest (or we suck at seeing/finding bolts). I recommend not leaving anything at the base of the route as the descent takes you a good bit out in the direction you want to go and back-tracking up the final scramble to the base would suck to do again after a pretty long day. We had a single rack with doubles of 0.4 through 3, a #4 wouldn't have gone unused.

Approach: we stayed in the wash/followed the wash trail passing Lotta Balls and Romper Room until even with or slightly past the route. We found a decent trail that headed up toward the steep, bushy gully and final scramble to the base. This trail quickly faded at which point we just scrambled/bushwacked our way to the base. Be aware the actual start of the climb just below the body-sized right-facing flake is up 50 feet of steep 4th/5th class scrambling.

1) Climbing on double 70s we combined the first and 3/4 of the second pitch together, and belayed about 30' below the short roof that marks the top of the second pitch on Larry's topo photo. 200ft. 5.8

2) Our second pitch climbed through both roofs. The left traverse below the second roof and a commensurate right traverse provided rope drag fit for a power-lifter. So I was happy to find the bolted anchors for the top of our pitch two (topo pitch 3) instead of traversing a further 15' right to the crack. That said, those anchors had one ostensibly solid bolt and one spinner with the hanger about 1/4" off the wall. 110ft. 5.8+

3) Traverse left and up 40' with zero pro until you gain the crack in the shallow right facing corner. We followed this up to a decent belay ledge on the left just below Comeback Corner. This is topo pitch 4. Note: the pro is good and ample once the corner is reached, BUT the potential 40' pendulum, factor 2 fall down and off the roof below, and directly onto the anchor should be on your mind. This would be even worse if your anchor was in the crack 15' right of the bolts. We did not see any bolts on the pro-less face between the anchors and the corner/crack to the left. 130ft. 5.6

4) From the anchor we climbed up and right to traverse back into the seam/crack line splitting the red-varnished face above. We saw no bolted anchors anywhere on this face and ended up climbing up until about 40' below the roof and did a hanging belay. Note: from the anchors we got a piece in about 15' up and below the corner, then traversed over to the seam and up on easy ground for 50-60' before the pro started up again. 200ft. 5.7

5) From our hanging belay, we climbed up and left to the roof bypass and found the bolts for the top of topo pitch 6. We continued up topo pitch 7 to the ledge below the nice looking (if mossy and slick) corner that you don't climb. Note: this pitch has some loose rock and a few bushes to negotiate higher up. The top has the first "big" ledge on the route, good for a food break and to collect yourself for the run-out slab above. 160ft. 5.6

6) Run-out slab. We stayed further left than probably was intended, but just tried to make upward progress and get some pro where we could. The first uninspiring piece was about 50' up, then again at 100'. At about 130' the pro starts to get better in quality and quantity but it's still sparse. At about 220' we decided to simul-climb for about 60' until a suitable anchor could be found off to the left above a 30-40ft stretch of uninviting-looking bushy gully. 280ft. 5.6

7) Our last pitch: head straight up to the steep corner and climb through it, or on the face around to the right with pro along the arete. Then continue up easier ground to the top. 140ft. 5.7

Descent: Double ropes required for bolted rap stations. Walk to the wall in the back of the top-out area and head down skier's right along the base of the wall for ~400ft until a low point is reached with a large 2' diameter pine tree in front of a right-facing off-width crack in red-colored rock. Rap the gully below the tree. We found 5 sets of bolted rap anchors, some with proper hardware such as quick links, others with cord tied directly to the hangers. There were no intermediate tat stations (except on the last rap) so you better have doubles or you'll be improvising and leaving gear behind. Some rappels required some scrambling and searching around on easy ground to find. The last rap station is situated directly above a rope-eater crack that snagged our rope's knot on every attempted pull. We eventually climbed the rope to the intermediate tat-around-tree station about half-way up and 30-40ft left. From here the rope pulled cleanly and dropped into the fetid water tank below. Sigh. Scramble/hike down following cairns to the First Creek wash trail. Jun 9, 2019

[Hide Comment] Fun route. We did the "comeback corner" pitch because it looked fun and it was! . We also climbed the mossy corner which was not really mossy it was a fun pitch! and looked way better then the boring romp up the easy arete...
The first creek descent was easy with a 70M rope and took about an hour from the summit to the base of the raps. We dropped our packs at the end of the raps and racked up here then traversed over to the start of the climb so we didn't have to back track to get our stuff. Apr 16, 2020

[Hide Comment] 4 stars climb with the last few pitches taking it down to a 3 star for me. Would do again and thoroughly enjoyed. Nov 18, 2021

[Hide Comment] Unbelievably fun climb and probably the best I've done in First Creek. Agree that if you are not comfortable with long runouts, do not hop on this climb, but if you are then this climb is an absolute blast. There are bolted anchors at the top of pitch 3 and pitch 6 and we used both of them. One note for pitch 4 is that if you climb straight off the bolted anchor, there is some solid friction slab you have to climb that is really blank for about 10-15 feet before you get any decent features. This felt a good bit harder than 5.6 to me and if you are not comfortable with pure friction climbing it might have you spooked, though I think to make it easier you can diagonal right for a bit to get some better features and then move back left over to the corner. There's no gear either option so just take what ever option feels comfortable for you.

With an 80m rope you can do this climb in 8 pitches. We pitched out pitches 1-4, linked 5&6 (80m makes it to the bolted anchor above the overhang with about 10 feet to spare), pitched 7 real quick since it's just a scramble to a big ledge, and then climbed from there to the summit in two long pitches with just enough rope to spare for both. This is a really great way to do the climb that moves super fast and a single 80m works great for the rapell descent.

Also even if you link pitches like we did, there is no need for more than a single rack. We brought a single rack to a 4, a full set of stoppers, and 13 alpine draws and we had no issues with gear. Also we did not think the 4 was necessary at all. The only spot on the climb I think you need it at all is in a wide section on pitch 1 after the layback, but the climbing is not bad there at all and there is other small gear you can place. Past that, we only used it a few times where we could fit it and it was just to get it off the harness since we brought it up. Microcams were quite handy though. We placed C3's far more often than the 4 and we were quite happy to have them. Apr 17, 2022

[Hide Comment] Really outstanding climb.

The "scramble up to a good, brushy ledge" involves what is probably a 5.5-ish offwidth chimney thing. It's short and secure, no need to rope up or take off packs for most people, I just wish it had been mentioned for route finding purposes.

Wasn't sure what to make of the conflicting comments about the runouts. I'm probably a 5.8-ish Red Rock trad multi leader and I took some of the runouts and had a blast on them, but was also really glad I didn't have to lead the really fucked up ones. Now, to be clear, I think the chance of me (or just about anyone) falling on those runouts is near zero, but I would have needed my head screwed on real tight for them.

So I guess my advice to a 5.8 leader would be to just go for them if you're willing to be really fucking scared. If you're at least a 5.10- leader I reckon they'd be much more chill. This is a truly great route though and it's worth getting scared over to climb it if you don't have someone to take the fucked up runouts for you. Apr 11, 2023

[Hide Comment] The runouts are there, but yes the climbing is easier at the runouts. FWIW I am glad that I brought the #4. I wanted to describe the descent a little better-
I used a single 70 meter rope which worked very well.
Descend the ramp to the low point with the large pine tree and look for your first rap station.
Rap 1 to another rap station (2).
A little downclimb between raps 2 and 3 and then another little downclimb between raps 3 and 4 and then again more downclimbing between raps 4 and 5. Just keep your eyes out for these rap stations and as long as it's not night time you'll do fine.
Then you will rap 5 and rap 6 and be done. Oct 20, 2024