Mt Lemmon - the gift that keeps on giving. After waiting almost a full year to check out the Orifice Wall on the Fortress, I've been lucky enough to get out there three times in the last two weeks, and I'll probably be out there tomorrow. The Orifice Wall is hands down THE place on Mt. Lemmon for hard, steep sport climbing. The Fortress (and the other surrounding formations, collectively known as the Summit Crags) has a short climbing season, dictated by an altitude of 8500 feet and a seasonal peregrine falcon nesting closure from April - July 1st. A gorgeous and fern-lined trail leads you past an astronomical observatory, a fire lookout tower, a natural spring, and finally to the rock formations. You pass Rappel Rock, The Ravens and the Murray Wall on your way to the Fortress, each making you question why you are walking past them when the climbing there looks so so good. Then you see it - the Orifice Wall.
Starting in an alcove about 100 feet above the ground, the wall overhangs by an average of 45 degrees, and is very heavily featured. To access the cliff you traverse in from the side, harnessing up and clipping yourself into a safety cable that leads you to the base of the climbs.
There are currently about ten routes here, with potential for a handful more, ranging in difficulty from 12a to about 13a/b. One of the jewels is a 12b called Hard Day at the Orifice, which takes it's name from a gaping hole 25 feet up that you can climb all the way into and rest. Leaving the orifice you are faced with a bouldery crux section followed by 40 more feet of overhanging climbing before you stem out to a chimney and take a much needed rest before some easier climbing and clipping the chains. Hard Day is the best sport climb I have ever redpointed, and any ascent of this climb is rewarded with a King Swing.
It is hard to get pictures that capture the Orifice Wall well, but here are some that show the unique stone, cool features and some of the wild moves involved in climbing these routes.
Warming up on 12a:
Hard Day at the Orifice:
Nice King Swing. :)
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