[Hide Comment] Keith and I made an attempt to go Trippin' on the Transylavnia highway today. We bailed after partially climbing the chimney on P3.

A couple comments:

1. Approach - pretty straightforward. You should be able to see the climb the whole way on the approach. It's the big chimney system on the north face in the middle of the south spire. Look for the chossy ramp.
2. P1 - I'd say 5.9. But, it was very sandy, a bit chossy and a bit loose. It protects well, but really needs some cleaning before it's a good pitch. Maybe it will be 5.8 when it's clean? The first bolt is not very visible. We need to get Derek to paint them a neon color! You'll need small to medium sized trad gear to get to the 5 bolts.
3. P2 - 5.9+. At least it felt that way to me. It's loose and quite sandy. Needs more cleaning/traffic before it gets good. I think this will be a great pitch when it's cleaned up. Bring your off-width skills.
4. P3 - I bailed after about 30' of chossy, chimney climbing. I ended up downclimbing but was glad I had doubles in #4s, a #5, and a #6. I can't say what you'll need above. To make this a bit more accessible, it would be nice to have a couple bolts in the chimney. At least where it takes really wide gear and/or where it's loose/dirty. Would like to get some input from Derek and others to see what they think of the chimney.
5. Rap - I had my 65M rope. I rapped from the top of P2 and easily made the ground. A 60M will get you there no problem - BUT - you need to swing to the right and not rap the route. Maybe tie knots in the end of the rope if you're worried about it.

I do think this will be a good (not great?) climb once it gets a bit more cleaning and traffic. And maybe some bolts in the chimney? From what we climbed (just the 2.25 pitches), I'd give it 1 star for climbing and 5 stars for adventure! Not every Sedona climb is "sanitized for your protection".

Derek, thanks for all your effort putting up another climb for us.

john Nov 17, 2019

[Hide Comment] I found this entire climb to be quite enjoyable! Don’t let Mr Knight scare you away from the chimney, for it is quite moderate and takes good gear in the back! Plus it brings you to a remarkable cavern that shouldn’t be missed! Pitch 5 has some loose rock but can be easily bypassed with a good head and some stemmy moves. Entirely well thought out and a great endeavor for the summer!! Feb 20, 2020

[Hide Comment] 6 pitches of moderate climbing just a few minutes hike from the heart of the Village of Oak Creek?? How could you pass this up! Good climbing and good gear to the summit of South Castle Tower. The route is almost always shady May 8, 2020

[Hide Comment] Here’s a few notes for those trying to get trippy in Transylvania
1. P1 (*) 5.8+ Id say this pitch goes at 5.8, a very doable mostly bolted pitch. A little chossy.
2. P2 (**) 5.8+/P3 (***) 5.9+ Pitch two is a short awesome little off width. You can find placements for 3-5# deep in the crack. If you linking two and three, lowering at the top of two and back cleaning is essential. Pitch two feels like 5.8+, and you can stem you way through it easily. Pitch three is the money pitch! I thought it was easily 5.9, maybe I’m not experienced enough in chimneys? All you have to do thrutch your way up and be re-born! I won’t spoil to the top section, but it kinda felt like a caving expedition. Doable for a 5.9 leader but easily the most physical pitch on the route and a little dirty. A forsure classic once it cleans up!
4. P4 (*) 5.7 /P5 (**) 5.9- Pitch four is a very chill 5.7 traverse. Extend some of your pieces to link with pitch five. However you really need to save your 4# for pitch five. You could place two 4#’s for the second half of pitch five, but bumping you cam works as well. Pitch five is another great section with thoughtful movement and good gear. Very chossy in the last third, tread very lightly and don’t trust the grey rock! Echoing the sentiment of many others, linking 4-5 will keep your belayer out of death block alley at the top of P5. Sure this qualifies as an adventure climb, but the ten foot section of loose rock is legitimately upsetting. Especially since that section of looks so deceptively bomber. Move cautiously.
5. P6 (**) 5.9 Leave your off-width skills at the anchors and start crimping. This is the most dynamic pitch on the route. Jam, layback, and crimp you’re way on the best rock to the summit. The 5.9 crux was just one or two moves protected by two bolts. If the grade of the route going into the climb was concerning, don’t let it bother you. Your on the best rock of the route with bolts staring you in the face. The rest of the pitch is cruiser 5.7 jug hauling. One note, over the ledge after the two bolts you’ll see the rap anchors straight above you. Taking the obvious “crack” under the rap anchor may be alluring. But the finger/hand crack ten feet to your right is the intended line.

Gear: Dereks recommendations are spot on. A single 5# and 6# won’t go unused, but the brave can ditch the 6#.

Rap: We rapped with a 70 meter, so it’s best to use your discretion if you have a 60. Here’s how we did it.
1. Top of P6 to the base of P5
2. Base of P5 to the base of P4
3. Top of P4 to the base of P2
4. Rap to the ground

This climb has all the things I like, big belay ledges, a short approach and protection from the sun. It’s still cleaning up, but it’s choss certainly adds some adventure to the route. Get on it!

Derek, if you keeping putting up routes this fast i’ll be an old man before I send all of them! Great work! Jan 5, 2021

[Hide Comment] Not a bad idea to link pitches 4 & 5 if the leader is feeling up to it. There are a ton of loose blocks in the chimney on pitch 5 and linking the pitches keeps the belayer out of the landing zone.

Otherwise the route wasn't too heinously chossy, felt similar to the rock on oak creek spire. This route is very shady, not committing, and great for chilling out on a hot day Apr 14, 2021

[Hide Comment] First 3 pitches are in the sun in the morning. P4 and up were in the shade around 10am maybe earlier. Still a good summer option temps were over 100 but didn't feel like it. For gear I mostly used 3-#5, nothing smaller then a .75 besides a set of offsets, and an extra 3-#4 would have been nice. Fun adventurous route and the choss is manageable, thanks FA team. Jun 14, 2021

[Hide Comment] Ian Macdonald did a great description! If your wondering about wearing a backpack. It’s totally do able. I lead the third pitch trailing my pack on a sling. Otherwise it stayed on my back the whole time!

Side note about the summit. We noticed that there’s hundreds of thousands of ant carcasses and then witnessed ants carrying dead ants up to the summit. They deposited the carcass and left the area. Never seen anything like it. An ant burial ground? They bring them to the summit for what reason? Anyone have any idea? Aug 16, 2021

[Hide Comment] I echo Ian's description. Wish we would've linked 4 and 5, otherwise 4 is just a traverse with a few 5.7 mantle moves. Plus it keeps the belayer out of death block range should any of the 11 million loose blocks in the top third decide to relieve themselves of duty. Come expecting rock found on heavily trafficked Sedona classics you're gonna have a bad time. Come with an open mind, sense of adventure, and a little stoke and you'll have a blast, as I did. Aug 17, 2021

[Hide Comment] Great route that climbed and protected well. Chimney felt fine and protection was good. There was the worlds biggest spider web with a golf ball sized spider guarding that roof exit haha.

I gave it an extra star for being such a convenient moderate so close to town. Looking forward to coming back for a quick romp. Sep 25, 2021

[Hide Comment] Truly an amazing climb, one of the best multipitches I’ve ever done! Must be in the mindset for a chossy, grovely adventure. My partner and I felt like every pitch (besides the 1st and 4th) were money pitches. No two pitches were the same. As a 4.11 small female, pitch 3 chimney felt like a breeze, but pitch 6 felt very height dependent and tricky. Must be careful of rock fall and choss on every pitch (linking pitch 4 & 5 is a must as stated above), but that adds to the adventure and makes your moves more thoughtful. Bring some stoke and a helmet and you’ll have a great time! Apr 21, 2022

[Hide Comment] Fun climb to a great summit. There was a high around 90 degrees and we were cool in the shade up there. The odd pitches were my favorites with the third being the obvious standout. A lot of variety and adventure all around though. The last pitch crux can be easily avoided by stepping right which is the direction you’re going above anyways (if you’re worried about the grade). With that said, I enjoyed clipping those bolts and crimping my way up the last pitch. Thanks for the fun route Derek & Giselle. Oct 20, 2023

[Hide Comment] Climbed yesterday and didn't take the #5 and 6, and it was honestly fine with 2 #3s and just one #4. The big cams would probably remove any of spice factor, but with some creativity it protects decently without them.
I also made the mistake on P6 to head straight for the rap anchors via a dihedral with very little gear, rather than following the mentioned finger crack about 15 feet to the right. If you like being protected I recommend the finger crack, although the dihedral was pretty fun.
I think I agree with Iain that P2 and P3 are 5.9, at least for someone like me who isn't all that well versed in wide and very wide cracks.
Highly recommend the route for anyone in the market for a very unique adventure! Apr 22, 2024