Polychrome Dome, 5.3-5.12

Overview/Approach

Cholla and Polychrome Domes are located in the high reaches of the eastern Stronghold, below the Rockfellow group.  These two domes are separated by a gully and are easily climbed together regarding objectives.  Both domes feature south facing walls making them a good winter destination as long as the two approach trail options are not buried by heavy snow and melting ice (it happens).  Even in those conditions, the In the Shadows Trail option is not that difficult to navigate.

Polychrome features one of the largest set of multi pitch easy climbs in the Stronghold.  Likewise, Cholla Dome features a ton of easy moderate slab multi pitch or long single pitch climbs.   When you use the In the Shadows Trail, you come to Polychrome Dome first.  The set of highly recommended (by the local guide) easy face and slab climbs are the first climbs you come to at the west end, featuring Practically Perfect, 5.4 (three stars in the guide), a secure solo for the appropriate soloist.  Descending downhill from there and bushwhacking left to reach the gully separating the two domes, gives you access to two decent moderates at Polychrome’s east end:  Low Spark of High Healed Boys, 5.10-** and Into the Mystic, 5.8+**.  They share the same start. Into the Mystic is a varied route with two different cruxes stout for the grade, a slab pull/traverse on its 1st pitch and a short stem/OW move through a hole on its 2nd pitch.  Cholla Dome is to the east of the gully and offers a handful of fun 5.8 slab climbs right out of the gully.

You can approach from either of two trails that take off south from the main trail on the east side of the Stronghold that follows the drainage up to the Rockfellow Group and Cochise Dome.  Both trails veer off south way before you reach the creek above the waterfall rock drainage.  The preferred approach, if focused on these two domes is the Into the Shadows Trail.  It is the highest of the two.  You find it easily, as it starts at where you normally cross, on the main trail, a crevassed rock drainage under a significant tree.  Look over your left shoulder and hike east a few meters to locate the trail.  Follow it up and at a cairned split up the hill, stay left.  Turning right leads to Maybe and Likely Domes.  Continue up well cairned (2024) switchbacks.  You eventually arrive above the domes which are located below and to the east, but you cannot see them.  The trail leads you to a col where you are starring directly at Polychrome’s aesthetic SW face.  To reach the gully in between the domes, descend a climber’s trail down and pick a bushwhack line north to reach it.  Making the base of this gully allows access to the largest group of moderates on both domes.  To reach Mystic and High Heeled Boys, scramble west up onto a ledge at the southeastern base of Polychrome.  They share the same start and both start in the wide and traverse out left early on their 1st pitches.

Route Descriptions, Routes Listed Left to Right as Approaching from the West

Original Route- 5.5/

Ramblin’ Man- 5.6/

Midnight Rider- 5.4/

Practically Perfect, 5.4, 2 Pitches**/ A fun and relatively secure solo at the grade.  Start up the bolted line at the far right of the true southwest face of Cholla (the first face you come to from Into the Shadows Trail).  At times, you are almost climbing the arete on the right side of this face.  If leading this pitch, the local guide references PG and gear but this route is well bolted as of 2024.  Start up a short right facing corner that leads to seams up near the right side arete.  Follow the seams up to a short slab that leads to a shared rap anchor atop the SW summit. Rap the western most line in two raps with a single 60m rope or use the central rap line with a 70m rope in two raps.  Route receives sun most all day in winter.  Dow

Crack Hour- 5.3/

Into Thin Hair- 5.7PG/

Badge on a Monkey- 5.3/

Emperor of Delusion- 5.3/ Shares a start with Badge on a Monkey but soon exits up and right to a chicken head laced buttress and continues up into a large weakness that is easy and relatively secure as a solo to the top, trending left near the top and boulder hopping back west to the true SW summit where you can rap Ramblin’ Man in two single 60m rope raps.  The backside rap off the SW summit has been disabled as of 2024.  Dow

40,000 Headman, 5.6PG, 2 Pitches*/ A relatively secure solo for someone soloing at this grade.  You can reach the route by back tracking west from the gully that separates Polychrome and Cholla, along the base of the south wall.  It involves a short stint of severe bushwhacking.  Scramble up to a decent sized ledge below a plated wall.  Climb the plated wall up to the fixed anchor atop the first pitch of Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Continue up and left to the obvious lone chickenhead.  This is the most exposed solo climbing on this route. Then continue to the top traversing left through jumbled boulders and scrambling to the top of the southwest summit of Polychrome.  The local guide references a back side rap there, but the hangers have been removed in lieu of a single 60m two rap option on the southwest face, rapping a bolted route named Rambling Man.  Route receives sun most all day in winter.  Dow

Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, 5.10-, 3 Pitches/

Into the Mystic, 5.8+, 3 Pitches**/ Good Girl is the best moderate on either Polychrome or Cholla, but Into the Mystic is worth climbing for sure. Two short cruxes on the route, one slab and one stem, that are more 5.9 than 5.8. Dow

You Got This- 5.8PG/

Saturdays with Shirley, 5.10+, 2 Pitches/

Little Bear Cub, 5.11, 3 Pitches/

Another Brick in the Wall, 5.10, 2 Pitches/

Bad Little Waitress- 5.12/