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Suggested Page Improvements to Triassic Sands


John Hegyes
Sep 26, 2017
Hi George, I climbed with you once on a Flatiron free solo day. I hope this message finds you well!

Sorry to bug you but I think the pitch description for Triassic Sands is in error. On p3 the description states:

"...face climbing past a pointy detached flake (Caution! Do not touch!) and ending at another 2 bolt belay..."

The pointy detached flake is definitely at the beginning of the 4th pitch. This is clearly shown in several pictures of this route.

I was hoping that this page could be edited to reflect this improvement. Thanks, George, I really appreciate all the contributions you have made to this website.

John Hegyes
john@moonbluff.com

Jesse Scarborough
Jan 4, 2022
Description Suggestion

A classic crack climb! Many parties rap after the 2nd or 3rd pitch but the 4th pitch is great also and the descent is relatively quick and simple. From the parking lot, follow the road and then trail into Black Velvet Canyon. Soon the main NE wall of Whiskey peak will be prominent to your left, and this route is 150' right of the offwidth Ixtalan, which is the most obvious crack visible from below.


P1: Climb a left facing corner to a big ledge (5.7, 50'). This pitch could conceivably be combined with the next, but rope drag might be an issue.

P2 (crux): From the left side of the ledge climb the excellent finger crack (aliens work well to protect) over a roof (crux) then continue with 50' of 5.9 hand crack to a bolted belay (this is why you brought all those #2 Camalots). (5.10, 120'). Be sure to save some strength for the hand crack!

P3: A long pitch continues up a steep wall via (mostly thin) cracks and face and ending at another 2 bolt belay (5.8, 160'). This pitch looks harder than 5.8 from below, and is excellent.

P4: Follow a right facing corner past a pointy detached flake (Caution! Do not touch!) to another nice ledge (with a recently installed 2-bolt anchor) (5.10-, 105').

Top Out: 

A few hundred feet of 5.6 or below to the top but recommended to break it into smaller chunks to help with communication, especially in windy conditions. There is not an obvious route. You'll (hopefully) end up on a flat section. Look for the "saddle" descent, forward and left. There's some easy downclimbing but you're about 500 feet from an obvious path with cairns. Then just follow the Epinephrine descent back to the car. 


Descent: From the summit head east, back towards the parking lot. Scramble down the rightmost of three gullies, and then countour back down to the base of the cliff. Alternatively, two 150' raps will take you from the top of pitch 3 to the ground.


There is an entire chapter about this route in [[Red Rock Odyssey]]http://www.verexpress.com/


R J
Feb 29, 2024
First Ascent: Joe Herbst, Larry Hamilton 5/1972 FFA: Augie Klein, Tom Kaufman, Randal Grandstaff, Chris Robbins, Joe Herbst 1979

Mitchell McAuslan
May 26, 2024
Description Suggestion

A classic crack climb! Many parties rap after the 2nd or 3rd pitch but the 4th pitch is great also and the descent is relatively quick and simple. From the parking lot, follow the road and then trail into Black Velvet Canyon. Take the trail down right into the wash and follow it along the red cliff band parallel to whiskey peak.Soon the main NE wall of Whiskey peak will be prominent to your left, and this route is 150' right of the offwidth Ixtalan, which is the most obvious crack visible from below.


P1: Climb a left facing corner to a big ledge (5.7, 50'). This pitch could conceivably be combined with the next, but rope drag might be an issue.

P2 (crux): From the left side of the ledge climb the excellent finger crack (aliens work well to protect) over a roof (crux) then continue with 50' of 5.9 hand crack to a bolted belay (this is why you brought all those #2 Camalots). (5.10, 120'). Be sure to save some strength for the hand crack!

P3: A long pitch continues up a steep wall via (mostly thin) cracks and face and ending at another 2 bolt belay (5.8, 160'). This pitch looks harder than 5.8 from below, and is excellent.

P4: Follow a right facing corner past a pointy detached flake (Caution! Do not touch!) to another nice ledge (with a recently installed 2-bolt anchor) (5.10-, 105').

Top Out: 

A few hundred feet of 5.6 or below to the top but recommended to break it into smaller chunks to help with communication, especially in windy conditions. There is not an obvious route. You'll (hopefully) end up on a flat section. Look for the "saddle" descent, forward and left. There's some easy downclimbing but you're about 500 feet from an obvious path with cairns. Then just follow the Epinephrine descent back to the car. 


Descent: From the summit head east, back towards the parking lot. Scramble down the rightmost of three gullies, and then countour back down to the base of the cliff. Alternatively, two 150' raps will take you from the top of pitch 3 to the ground.


There is an entire chapter about this route in [[Red Rock Odyssey]]http://www.verexpress.com/


Benjamin Chapman
Feb 6, 2025
Description Suggestion

A classic crack climb! Many parties rap after the 2nd or 3rd pitch, but the 4th pitch is great also and the descent is relatively quick and simple.

P1: Climb a left facing corner to a big ledge (5.7, 50'). This pitch could conceivably be combined with the next, but rope drag might be an issue.

P2 (crux): From the left side of the ledge climb the excellent finger crack (aliens work well to protect) over a roof (crux), then continue with 50' of 5.9 hand crack to a bolted belay (this is why you brought all those #2 Camalots). (5.10, 120'). Be sure to save some strength for the hand crack!

P3: A long pitch continues up a steep wall via (mostly thin) cracks and face and ending at another 2 bolt belay (5.8, 160'). This pitch looks harder than 5.8 from below, and is excellent.

P4: Follow a right facing corner past a pointy detached flake (Caution! Do not touch!) to another nice ledge (with a recently installed 2-bolt anchor) (5.10-, 105').

Top Out: 

A few hundred feet of 5.6 or less to the top, but recommended to break it into smaller chunks to help with communication, especially in windy conditions. There is not an obvious route. You'll (hopefully) end up on a flat section. Look for the "saddle" descent, forward and left. There's some easy downclimbing, but you're about 500 feet from an obvious path with cairns. Then, just follow the Epinephrine descent back to the car. 

Descent: From the summit head east, back towards the parking lot. Scramble down the rightmost of three gullies, then countour back down to the base of the cliff. Alternatively, two 150' raps will take you from the top of pitch 3 to the ground.

There is an entire chapter about this route in [[Red Rock Odyssey]]http://www.verexpress.com/

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