- Edit (TBD)
Description
This is a great route for the seasoned Smith Rock mud adventurer. If you've done Abraxas, Freedom, and others and are looking for more, this one is perfect for you. It has some swaths of truly beautiful climbing on great rock, some sections of total garbage, and everything in between. (FWIW most of the worst rock is while you're still climbing on Chimney de Chelly)I'm fairly sure we did the second ascent today over 10 years after the FA, (at the very least, my bail gear on the second pitch from an attempt in ~2013 was still there) so I'm posting the topo here to try and encourage more than 1 repeat per decade. (and because Gabe's topo is beautiful and the world should see it!) Part of what makes this thing cool is having to actually quest up it to get through it. (IMO 'quest' is the most over- and mis-used verb in the modern climbing vernacular, but it feels like an appropriate term here to describe all the groping up blank, slightly friable rock w/zero chalk found on P3) It would be cool to keep future comments here qualitative and not let them dilute the uncertainty and adventure inherent in going ground up on a route with only a hand-drawn topo. (or hand painted in this case)
Location
Shares a start w/Chimney de Chelly
Protection
See topo.
Routes in (q) Mesa Verde Wall
- 17Across the Great Divide5.12Trad