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Routes in Lotta Balls Wall
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Freaker's Ball T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c R |
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Dodgeball T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Kick in the Balls T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b |
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Eran’s Magic T 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b |
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Cougar Boy T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b |
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Beer Run T 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b |
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Power to Waste T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Trihardral 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Lost Marbles T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a X |
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Lotta Balls T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Lotta Brews T 5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b |
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Bruja's Brew T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Voodoo Doll T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Black Magic T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Borderline T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c R |
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| Type: | Trad, 700 ft (212 m), 6 pitches |
| FA: | Michael King, John Liles, Larry DeAngelo |
| Page Views: | 14,184 total · 68/month |
| Shared By: | Larry DeAngelo on Apr 7, 2008 |
| Admins: | Luke EF, Larry DeAngelo, Justin Johnsen |
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Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
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).
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 surprisingly good route that goes up a subtle line on the buttress to the left of Kick in the Balls. Because it starts at the base of the buttress, it is longer: about six pitches. The key feature is an aesthetic, left-facing, curvy corner with an alarmingly perched block halfway up.
Start at an easy slab directly below this corner, and climb to a good ledge with a large bush on it. You could probably bypass this pitch with scrambling around to the left, but the climbing here provides a pleasant warmup. Pitch 2 goes up the clean corner above. Use care when passing the perched block. We were all too timid to touch it, so it might be more secure than it looks; however, the costs of being wrong about this are likely to be extreme. Above the block, continue up the corner on perfect hand jams, and belay at a semi-hanging stance when the crack ends (small, finger-size cams). Pitch 3 continues up the improbable face with surprisingly adequate protection in intermittent cracks (more finger-size cams and wires).
Pitch 4 follows easier cracks to a smooth, flared chimney. An odd exit move to the right allows you to avoid the ominous convergence at the top of the chimney. Continue up the water-polished rock to a belay alcove just right of a not-quite-thriving bush. The next pitch starts by climbing back into the crack and going up the smooth, left-arching chimney above the bush. When the arch ends, climb the long, right-facing dihedral, which begins as a hand crack but soon widens to offwidth size. If you have wisely retained a large cam, this upper crack can even be protected. The sixth pitch starts with a few fifth-class moves, but the climbing quickly becomes easier as the angle leans back and the rock becomes more broken. Another hundred or two feet of fourth class take you to the top of the buttress. This is also the spot where Kick in the Balls tops out.
Descent: The obvious descent is to rappel into the gully immediately west of the buttress. Two or three rappels (they can be done with one 60-meter rope) bring you to easy ground. This is a gully you will have visited as part of the approach if you have climbed Kick in the Balls. Scramble down for 50 or so yards until you can exit to skier's left (west), and downclimb easy rock to the notch at the top of the Lotta Balls Wall. Be aware that the last moves to the notch are a traverse straight west on frictiony ledges and NOT down the steep dropoff.
I vaguely recall having once descended to the east from the top of buttress, but my mostly suppressed memories seem to center on a frighteningly loose chimney that I have minimal interest in re-engaging. If you go that way, it becomes more civilized once you reach the wide slabby area. This is descended with some downclimbing and a rappel or two.
Start at an easy slab directly below this corner, and climb to a good ledge with a large bush on it. You could probably bypass this pitch with scrambling around to the left, but the climbing here provides a pleasant warmup. Pitch 2 goes up the clean corner above. Use care when passing the perched block. We were all too timid to touch it, so it might be more secure than it looks; however, the costs of being wrong about this are likely to be extreme. Above the block, continue up the corner on perfect hand jams, and belay at a semi-hanging stance when the crack ends (small, finger-size cams). Pitch 3 continues up the improbable face with surprisingly adequate protection in intermittent cracks (more finger-size cams and wires).
Pitch 4 follows easier cracks to a smooth, flared chimney. An odd exit move to the right allows you to avoid the ominous convergence at the top of the chimney. Continue up the water-polished rock to a belay alcove just right of a not-quite-thriving bush. The next pitch starts by climbing back into the crack and going up the smooth, left-arching chimney above the bush. When the arch ends, climb the long, right-facing dihedral, which begins as a hand crack but soon widens to offwidth size. If you have wisely retained a large cam, this upper crack can even be protected. The sixth pitch starts with a few fifth-class moves, but the climbing quickly becomes easier as the angle leans back and the rock becomes more broken. Another hundred or two feet of fourth class take you to the top of the buttress. This is also the spot where Kick in the Balls tops out.
Descent: The obvious descent is to rappel into the gully immediately west of the buttress. Two or three rappels (they can be done with one 60-meter rope) bring you to easy ground. This is a gully you will have visited as part of the approach if you have climbed Kick in the Balls. Scramble down for 50 or so yards until you can exit to skier's left (west), and downclimb easy rock to the notch at the top of the Lotta Balls Wall. Be aware that the last moves to the notch are a traverse straight west on frictiony ledges and NOT down the steep dropoff.
I vaguely recall having once descended to the east from the top of buttress, but my mostly suppressed memories seem to center on a frighteningly loose chimney that I have minimal interest in re-engaging. If you go that way, it becomes more civilized once you reach the wide slabby area. This is descended with some downclimbing and a rappel or two.
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