Match Game, 5.8PG, 5 Pitches

Overview/Approach

Match Game is not a must do route by any means.  There is nothing extraordinary about it.  However it is a good pairing with the much more popular route, What’s My Line.  The first pitch is the most interesting, offering a twin crack experience in a chimney.  A short bit of OW leads to the twin cracks which offer fun climbing at the grade.  It is best to combine the first two pitches as the 2^nd pitch is mostly a walk with one 5^th class move at the end to set up for the 3^rd pitch.  The 3^rd pitch climbs a fun wide crack at the grade and then traverses right over sandy slab (PG) and eventually heads up the broad arete leading to the west most summit shoulder of Cochise Dome.  The 4^th/5^th pitch combo is the most sustained pitch of the route.  It has been retro bolted as of 2024 and takes the line directly up to the summit shoulder versus traversing right through meandering cracks.  The edges are a bit chossy on the final 100’ and might be more 5.9 than 5.8, but it is bolted well enough.  This long combined pitch makes for a sustained face climb at the grade.

Approach from the east or west as you would for What’s My Line on Cochise Dome.  Match Game is directly to the west of What’s My Line.  The approach is up a vegetated boulder field at the very west end and was slightly cairned as of 2024.  Some descend the other routes on Cochise Dome via this same path, thus why it is slightly cairned.  When you rap, you will come right back to your packs.  The last 40’ of the approach is a scramble to the base of the wall just to the right of the chimney that is pitch one. 

Route Description

1^st/2^nd Pitches- 215’-5.8/ Scramble up the easy wide crack.  As it narrows, it turns to 5.8 fun, sort of a twin crack situation in the chimney with a finger sized intermittent crack on the right and a wide crack on the left.  Mantling up to the slab rib in between is the crux.  Enjoyable climbing for 100’ up to a fixed rap anchor on the right wall.  Continue straight ahead hiking the corridor to a dead end.  Make one 5^th class move up and left to the base of a heavily featured #3-#4 crack.

3^rd Pitch- 100’-5.8PG/ Climb the crack to its top.  Right before a notch, traverse out right to a chossy seam (PG).  Climb up the seam and gain a chossy low angled arete through three bolts to a fixed rap anchor with a comfortable belay.

4^th/5^th Pitches- 140’-5.8/ This is the headiest lead of the route.  Continue up the arete traversing right to gain intermittent cracks and then back left through a bolt near the arete.  Continue past a fixed rap.  Then climb the dirty face (crux of the climb) through well spaced bolts.  Both The Price is Right and Match Game feature final pitches at 5.7PG, one with a single bolt and one with two bolts.  The route I climbed had approximately five bolts.  This final pitch does not match either of these routes FA final pitch descriptions.  My guess is that this is a relativly new bolted direct variation.  The edges were chossy and fresh in 2024.  The climbing is engaging for the grade by Cochie standards.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

Make two short raps of the 4^th and 5^th pitches.  Then rap east down to a ledge with a fixed rap.  Rap south down to a tree and enter the long corridor of the 2^nd pitch.  Walk in the corridor back south to a fixed rap on the east wall.  Make one final (5^th) rap back to the base of the route. 

Essential Gear

Single to #4.  The local guide calls for doubles to #4 but that is overkill.  Bring a small set of wires or offset cams and plenty of slings to easily combine pitches.  60m rope.  Route gets sun all day.