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Summit Crags - Getting High In Tucson

It's Labor Day weekend. School is back in session. The days aren't quite as long, and there is even talk of Halloween. These things all mean one thing - the coming end of summer. For many of us in Tucson the oppressive heat of the Sonoran Desert has overstayed its welcome. Some people like Clayton have been doomed by a summer of near-sends, and welcome the cooler weather, which seems to ever so slightly lessen the pull of gravity on grasping fingertips. For me, I can't say I'm not looking forward to fall, but I am certainly going to miss one thing about summer - the Summit Crags of Mt. Lemmon. Looming near the 9157 foot summit of Mt. Lemmon, and very visible from the east side of Tucson 7000 feet below, the Summit Crags area is the summer getaway for Tucson climbers.

I've ranted and raved about the Orifice Wall enough, both on this blog and in real life, so I'm going to gloss over that gem and share some of the other jewels found on top of our home crag. And while I have barely begun to scratch the surface of Summit Crag climbing, here are a few highlights and photos.

Rappel Rock

The west face of Rappel Rock:

I have not climbed here, but it looks and sounds incredible. Mostly long traditional lines (including some old school scarefests), Rap Rock is about 450 feet tall, with spectacular views and a variety of climbing styles - slabs, cracks, chickenhead slinging, and even steep aid on the overhanging east side. About 50 climbs here in all.

The Ravens

A series of spires standing almost shoulder to shoulder, The Ravens host Tucson's longest sport pitches, up to 145 for a single pitch. Tall, vertical and full of crystalline knobs, The Ravens offer both sport and trad climbing, and a few routes have multiple pitches. If you are so inclined you can even climb the chimneys between each Raven - I have never been so inclined. There are about 50 climbs on The Ravens.

Murray Wall

Between the Ravens and the Fortress lies the Murray Wall, a nice little sport wall with a handful of harder routes on the west face, and a few easier ones on the east face. A popular place to warm up for the Orifice Wall, the main face of the Murray Wall has climbs ranging from 11a to 12b.

Clayton styling Murray Freestone (11b):

Matt flashing Forever in Bluejeans (12a):

Matt attempting Afterburner (12b):

The Fortress

The Fortress is the home of the Orifice Wall, but the rest of the formation is a destination unto itself. Here you can find the longest sport climbs in Tucson - 450 feet of glorious bolt clippin' - and a handful of long, classic trad routes. I've only done two of the long routes on the wall, the ultra-classic Steel Crazy, a 4 pitch 5.9 sport climb, and Inner Passage, a 3-pitch no-star trad line that I climbed in tennis shoes in the rain. Ugh. That climb did have one unique redeeming quality - a bizarre, cave-like tunnel that you climbed through about 150 feet up. There are about 40 climbs of great rock and eye-popping views on the Fortress, plus another 10 or so at the Orifice Wall.

John on Steel Crazy:

Looking down on pitch 2:

Looking down the tunnel on Inner Passage:

The exit of the tunnel:

South Park

For me this is the most visually striking wall on the mountain, and also home to the best rock on the mountain. Unfortunately it isn't as steep and exciting as the Orifice - this is the crag I had planned on climbing at all summer until I discovered the Orifice. A wall of blocky orange granite -vertical to slightly overhanging - the rock has a polished texture to it, and unlike most of Lemmon granite, doesn't shred your hands. The routes are long, sustained and gymnastic. A hard approach (even by Tucson standards), but you are rewarded with incredible climbing and great views of the valley to the north. You can even see Biosphere 2 from here.

The Steep

Accessed from the Marshall Gulch trailhead, The Steep is a plug of knobby granite with a bunch of tough sport climbs, 5.10- to 12+. The approach is one of the prettiest hikes I've done on the mountain, and the climbing is just as good. More info from a previous post here.

Reef of Rocks

One of the most committing and serious climbing areas on the mountain, Reef of Rocks is a traditional stronghold on a lycra-lovin' mountain. Climbs here can reach 300 feet tall, but require excellent gear placement and route finding skills. 2 of the 4 Mt. Lemmon climbing fatalities have occured at the Reef. I haven't climbed here yet, but have heard the routes are spectacular. 50+ routes can be found here.

The Summit Crags are some of the best rock in Tucson, and I'll go out on a limb and say it must be one of the best summer cragging areas in the country. Fall and winter will soon be here, bringing the perfect weather that draws so many snowbirds to Southern Arizona. But while they are loving the crisp and sunny winter days, I'll be daydreaming of unbearable heat, scorching sidewalks, and parched throats. Those will be the signs that it is time again - Summit Crag season.

THE HELMET

As long as I've been a climber, I've drooled and stared at pictures of big roofs and steep, steep overhangs. There is something daunting, and almost forbidden, about hanging upside down and climbing using only your fingertips, toes and heels. I've been fortunate to climb lots of incredible roofs while bouldering, but still dreamed about the BIG roofs you see pictures of in magazines and videos. Suspended upside down forty feet above the earth, move after move of completely horizontal climbing. About two months ago I got my first taste of one of Tucson's BIG roofs, at a crag called The Helmet.

The Helmet is a small dome of granite emerging from the hillside just a few miles up the highway from Windy Point. On its west side, a huge notch has been eroded away, creating a 25 foot roof, and leaving the dome looking a bit like a motorcycle helmet. There are 6 routes on this part of the crag (plus a bolted open project), plus about 10 others on the non-steep side. A small crag for sure, but a unique little jewel for Tucson sport climbers. An added bonus has been that it stays completely shaded until about 2 o'clock during the summer, so you can get a good session with good temps before the sun starts creeping up on you. And by 2 o'clock, I'm usually exhausted from climbing here, so it works out well.

I've been to the Helmet four times now, and each time I've worked on some jaw-dropping routes. On the right hand side of the wall is Demolition Derby (12a), which overhangs about 20 feet in only 45 feet of climbing. All of the holds on DemoDerby are good (minus the crux sidepull/undercling), but this route is action-packed and so much fun. To the left of this is The Crossing (12b), which starts with 25 feet of easy slab leading into 25 feet of dead-horizontal roof climbing, finishing in an oh-so-tricky headwall. Next is the open project, then Dwarf Toss (12+), which I haven't tried yet. The next climb left is El Torito, another tough 12a. Not as quality as Demoliton Derby, but it has some fantastic moves up high, including a balancy and commiting move where you rock over and pretty much just fall into a huge jug. The best part of El Torito is that it leads you to the "Chain Gang" extension.

The "Chain Gang" extension is an upside-down traverse of the lip of the Helmets roof that you can access from either El Torito or Dwarf Toss. Both visually striking and very intimidating, the climbing on the "Chain Gang" is some of the best and hardest climbing I've ever done. From the moment you start the Chain Gang until you slap over the lip and pull the final headwall, your body is completely horizontal for about 30 feet. The holds are pretty good until the last crux section, and the movement is incredible. There are three big cross-throughs, with the final one being so far it seems such an improbable move. If someone set a move like this in a gym, I would scoff that it's a "gym-move", because obviously there are no horizontal cross-throughs that huge anywhere outside. But there they are, daring you try. This one will be on the Project List for a while, but is an inspiring route I will definitely keep coming back and working.

I have yet to get a picture that captures the place well, so I have stolen a picture from the website of John Baker, one of the leading developers of his area and many others on the mountain. Here is his topo of the climbs (the "Chain Gang" is the light blue/green line cutting across the lip):

And my photo of the "Chain Gang".The draws you see way under the roof are for Dwarf Toss. You can see the faint line of chain draws hanging from the lip of the cave:

Last but not least, here is a video of Clayton's noble effort on Demolition Derby. He's been on the route a few times now, and is getting better and better each time. It will go for him soon, hopefully we'll be able to get photos or video of the send. But for now, here is CLAYTON ON DEMOLITION DERBY.

A Year In The Old Pueblo Pt. 2

Looking at all those photos also got me thinking about all the stellar climbing opportunites here in Tucson, and many of my favorite climbs of the past year. So I thought I would list some of my favorites at various grades, both for Tucsonians looking for some stuff to check out, and maybe help get our out-of-town friends psyched to get out here and climb with us. It'd be really cool if others want to list their fave's as well, either as a post (C and dp) or maybe in the comments if you've got some memorable Tucson climbs you'd like to mention.

Here's my list of must-do's (sticking to climbs that I have actually redpointed):

5.8

In Lightning, The Druid

Valentine's Day Arete, Milagrosa Canyon

Puppy Chow, Lost Hawk

5.9

The Golden Egg, Goosehead

Chihuahua Power, Lost Hawk

Clip, Clip Here, Munckinland

R-4, Rupley Towers

5.10

Talk of the Nation, Troll Wall

Bunkweed, The Steep

Two Birds Too Stoned, The Steep

Community Service, Milagrosa

5.11

Arizona Flyways, Anduriel Tower

The Breeze, Middle Earth

Steve's Arete, Hunchback Pinnacle

Stealin', Milagrosa

Armed Robbery, Jailhouse

5.12

The Wizard, Milagrosa

Solar Power, Milagrosa

Demolition Derby, The Helmet

I was thinking of listing my projects for the next year, but that list is WAY too long. Needless to say, there is lots to be done, and I maybe I'll update this next year with some new classics to rave about (hopefully I'll be able to add some 13's to the list...).

Anybody else have favorites???

THE STEEP

Tuesday had gotten off to a shaky start. Dustin and Clayton decided they weren't going to be able to climb today. They claimed they had "finals" and "job applications". I think they need a lesson in what it means to be a team.

With the temperatures supposed to be nearing 100 degrees in Tucson, Tyler, Austin and I decided to head to The Steep. A relatively new crag at about 8000 ft, this is one of the better summer sport climbing areas on the mountain. The Steep is a huge thumb of rock sitting just south of the Aspen Loop Trail, a beautiful and popular hiking trail in the summer months. You approach past a nice little stream and through a jungle of young aspen trees that have sprouted up since the devastating forest fire that hit the mountain in 2003. The climbing is all mostly slightly overhanging or very overhanging (as the name of the crag suggests) on positive quartzy holds that rip your fingers to shreds. Climb on.

Austin started us off by leading Bunkweed, a fun and varied 10a, and one of only a couple of 10's on the formation - and there are no climbs easier than 5.10, as we would later learn the hard way. Bunkweed starts on an overhanging layback system, then moves through an easy section of jugs, into a cool alcove where you can rest a bit. As you leave the alcove you pull over an overhanging bulge and enter a shallow water groove for about 20 feet, where delicate and balancey moves get you to the anchors. Austin took one good fall trying to get established in the water groove, but otherwise did a great job leading this climb. He just started climbing last fall, and has only started leading in the last month or so, but is learning real fast. And while his climbing is improving steadily, his communication skills need a LOT of work. His falls are usually preceded by him yelling something that sounds like the Tasmanian Devil yelling something in German. "WATCFAAAAATARRRRRRARRRARR". Fortunately the meaning is usually deciphered and he gets a good catch. 

Resting in the alcove:

Tyler followed up next, making easy work of it on toprope. Tyler is also improving quickly, and has made a handful of impressive leads in the last few weeks. I climbed last, and really enjoyed this climb. It is tough for the grade of 10a, but an absolute blast to climb. 

Next up was Two Birds Too Stoned, the other 5.10 at The Steep. This climb starts about 5 degrees less than vertical, for about 30 feet, followed by about 10 feet of vertical climbing before the wall tips back to about 10 degrees overhanging for about 15-20 feet. Following this serious pumpfest, you have the traditional Mt. Lemmon slab/mantel to the summit before clipping the chains. A fantastic route, and again, Austin led it out for us. He took a couple of good falls moving through the overhanging crux, but finally figured out his sequence and nailed it. Tyler crushed it on toprope, and I led it and cleaned it. 

Austin entering the overhang:

From out reading of the routes descriptions, it sounded like if we went downhill and just around the corner, the southeast face of the formation would have a number of routes ranging from 5.7-5.10, but didn't really give much more info. As I finished cleaning and rapping the last route, Tyler and Austin went around the corner to find another moderate climb to work on, while I was starting get my sights set on Cres-sent, a roofy 12c that I had tried and failed on last fall. Figuring the hardest route in the area was a 5.10, Austin picked a nice looking climb and started up. The start was a little tricky for him, but he got through it pretty quickly. About half way up was a cruxy overhanging sequence involving pulling on glossy quartz crystals while trying in vain to get your feet on something. Austin was struggling to get the quickdraw into the bolt, and took a bunch of good falls trying to get it in. After getting the bolt clipped, he fought hard to finish the sequence out, but it still took him a while and many "WAWATCFAAAAATARRRRRRARRRARR"'s. He'd been on the route probably half an hour at this point, and I started to become curious. I've seen him get up numerous 10's pretty quickly, and starting to doubt that this climb was in the 5.7-5.10 range. I ran up the hill to get his iPhone, which had the route info on it, and began to look a little closer. 

Austin going for it:

Notice the quickdraw in his hand:

As is so often the case at areas you aren't too familiar with, we underestimated the route a little bit. After getting oriented to the backside wall, we realized Austin was struggling up an 11c called Fat Bastard. Fighting hard, he took a few more good falls trying to pull through the final bulge, and finally topped out. About ten 8-12 foot whippers and an hour or so later, he clipped the chains with a loud victory scream. This was a mighty effort, and he took the evidence home with his legs scratched, bruised and bloody. He also fell right asleep in the car on the drive home.

The steepness

Tyler gave the route a go, made a good effort, but knowing we needed to start hiking out before too long, decided to come on down and try another day. A little unsure how hard this beast was going to be, I started up. After 15 feet of tricky slab, I entered an overhanging lieback arete. The holds were good, but keeping your feet on was the tricky part. This laybacking section brought me to the cruxy part where Austin struggled. I found some good hands, pasted my feet on some small edges, and got the bolt clipped. I started to pull past this section when my usual weakness struck again - getting horribly pumped and climbing timidly when I am tired. I yelled "Take" and rested a bit. I am a horrible onsighter. 

After resting I reached up and found a huge rest jug that I should have grabbed earlier. I climbed through the next fun section and up into the final bulge. After clipping the final bolt, you move up and then right into an enormous right hand dish/flake feature. From this hold you reach way up to the lip and find something to hold with your left hand that you can use to commit to pulling the lip. As I was searching for a good left hand, I broke the small right foot I was standing on. My right hand was so huge I didn't fall, but it sure sounded like a good excuse for a take, so I rested. Starting again, I found a bomber left hand at the lip, pulled through and manteled it out. This is a fantastic but burly climb, and I'll be back for the redpoint. 

P.S. - For some reason I had no pictures of Tyler on my camera. Sorry dude, we'll pose you up good next time.