Dow Williams - Jun 13, 2016 4:19 pm Date Climbed: May 14, 2016
Tiers of the Setting Sun
With Joe A. Our 2016 bday climb. Soloed up to the upper wall as I did for Celtic Cracks several years earlier. I led the scary ass crux pitch with points of aid (I would not trust any of the gear on this thing) and just kept climbing past the traverse and did 3 FA pitches for a direct finish. Joe did not think it would go, but I thought it looked better than anything else we had climbed and it was! The 2nd pitch I FAed was quite amazing, unique huecoed shallow chimney, turning a significant roof via a welcoming hand jam into a right facing corner. I went all the way to top from here and just had Joe simul climb. The descent was wet in May, not like I remembered, I must have climbed Celtic during a drier time of year. We did several waist deep sections on the slot descent. Long day, but an hour with a stuck rope in between us on that last pitch (Joe had to ascend the rope), an hour finding the start (poorly described), an hour going down the wrong descent gully. Not well described and I came at it from the other side when I did Celtic. Another 30 minutes spacing out further down the descent (even though I had done it before) traversing the wrong ledge. This is as adventurous as Red Rock gets, but no Alpine V like the FAer's give it on MP, maybe a IV compared to other desert ratings. Definitly climb Celtic Cracks before this one, much better route.
Dow Williams - Jun 13, 2016 4:19 pm Date Climbed: May 14, 2016
Tiers of the Setting SunWith Joe A. Our 2016 bday climb. Soloed up to the upper wall as I did for Celtic Cracks several years earlier. I led the scary ass crux pitch with points of aid (I would not trust any of the gear on this thing) and just kept climbing past the traverse and did 3 FA pitches for a direct finish. Joe did not think it would go, but I thought it looked better than anything else we had climbed and it was! The 2nd pitch I FAed was quite amazing, unique huecoed shallow chimney, turning a significant roof via a welcoming hand jam into a right facing corner. I went all the way to top from here and just had Joe simul climb. The descent was wet in May, not like I remembered, I must have climbed Celtic during a drier time of year. We did several waist deep sections on the slot descent. Long day, but an hour with a stuck rope in between us on that last pitch (Joe had to ascend the rope), an hour finding the start (poorly described), an hour going down the wrong descent gully. Not well described and I came at it from the other side when I did Celtic. Another 30 minutes spacing out further down the descent (even though I had done it before) traversing the wrong ledge. This is as adventurous as Red Rock gets, but no Alpine V like the FAer's give it on MP, maybe a IV compared to other desert ratings. Definitly climb Celtic Cracks before this one, much better route.