Summer in the Arid Zone

The days are heating up, which means that dry, cold, Arizona friction is fading away. I can only hope that the monsoon season kicks in soon. Even though rain certainly wont help with friction, it'll make the summer more bearable and even enjoyable. Climbing in Arizona is possible no matter how hot the forecasted temps are for Phoenix or Tucson. Us Tucsonians have it best I believe, with the 30 minute drive required to reach nearly 9000 feet of elevation, 75 degree weather and the refuge of Mount Lemmon climbing. And during the winter months we can stay at the bottom of the mountain and chase the desert sun; the best of both worlds. Flagstaffers don't have it bad either, with sport crags and boulders of excellent quality sandstone and limestone, and basalt crack climbing as well, all within 30-minute's drive. This summer, between Kelly Canyon and Middle Earth alone, I shall have no shortage of projects.

For most of May and June Team Tuesday has been climbing at the Helmet. Practically grid-bolted with chain-draws, it's not the cleanest of the crags Lemmon has to offer, but the climbing is also of a pretty unusual style for the mountain; steep, horizontal actually, and juggy. A few weeks ago Joe sent No Climb For Old Men, a year-long project and, assuming the grade of 13a, his hardest send(?). Ian Evans is close to making a send also and linked every move to the crux, a large cross pictured below, before falling. (For more on No Climb see Joe's post: Ian on No Climb) Meanwhile, Clayton and I have been working on Demolition Derby, 12a. In sending this route I finally got over, at least partially, my irrational fear of lead falls, and have since been climbing with a lot more confidence. This was my first clean 5.12 lead. Clayton is also making quick progress this season and is poised for a red point attempt next Tuesday.

And finally, one more thing to mention. Southpark and Middle Earth are F*@king amazing! That I had gone over a year, almost two, of climbing on Mt. Lemmon and not spent one day at either of these two crags is absolutely ridiculous. To be honest I'm kind of ashamed. Unfortunately, for now I have only one picture of both of these crags. Many more to come, I assure you.

Photos by Dustin Payne (dp) and Joe Kriedel.

Pumphouse Wash, Oak Creek Canyon

Joe on No Climb For Old Men

Demolition Derby





Ian on No Climb For Old Men

SCS On-Sight Regionals at Rocks and Ropes

Southpark

Delirious 12a, at Middle Earth

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.