The Red Wall ... considering how many problems there are, you might expect that the Red Wall Boulder would be bigger than it is. Nevertheless, there's tons of history here and lots of problems have been contrived in a small space. The best story involves Bob Williams, Steve Wunsch, epoxy and the soapdish hold on Pat Ament's notoriously frustrating problem known as Right Side. All but solid double-digit boulderers can spend dozens of days sussing out all the Red Wall problems' subtleties. Where: Head up Flagstaff Road. 1.6 miles past The Armstrong Bridge (located at the hard right hand turn at the bottom of the mountain), park at the Crown Rock Parking Area on the left or the dirt lot 75 yards further up the road on the right. Hike 2 minutes up the trail on the north side of Flagstaff Road. Stay right at the first split, pass the Pebble Wall and North Rocks on your left and you're looking at it.
RED WALL PROPER
1. Left Side V4 sds ... FA: Pat Ament, 1967
Begin from a sds on the very far left with your RH in the obvious pocket. Climb straight up the short face utiilizing mostly pebbles and a small pocket.
2. Griffith Problem V4 ... FA: Christian Griffith, 1970's
From a stand start on small holds, establish on the face, then possibly use the small but obvious shallow pocket up high for your RH on your way to the top.
From a stand start on small holds, establish on the face, then possibly use the small but obvious shallow pocket up high for your RH on your way to the top.
3. Griffith Direct V5/6 sds ... FA: Unknown
Begin from a sds direcly below #2 with your LH in the pocket. A high and powerful right heel-hook is the key to getting up into the starting holds for #2.
4. L->R Red Wall Traverse V8/9 sds ... FA: Peter Beal, 2002
Begin from a sds direcly below #2 with your LH in the pocket. A high and powerful right heel-hook is the key to getting up into the starting holds for #2.
4. L->R Red Wall Traverse V8/9 sds ... FA: Peter Beal, 2002
From the same start as #3, with your LH in the 3-finger pocket, traverse right until you can go RH to the crimp immediately below the soapdish and LH into the soapdish and finish up #14.
5. Center Left V5 ... FA: Unknown
From the incut flakes, utilize a heel hook in the pod to get your RH into the 3-finger pocket. Turn the heel to a toe, stand up on it, match left foot to hand and go up and catch the crystal pinch with your LH before the topout. This problem was originally done starting RH in the pocket. Erosion makes this all but impossible today unless you're tall or standing on multiple pads.
6. Standard Route V4/5 ... FA: Bob Culp, late 1950's / Low Start: David Breashears, mid 1970’s
With your LH on the incut edges and RH in the left side of the pod, stand up tall and quickly sink your LH in the 3-finger pocket. Get your feet up and make a long RH move to the potato chip before topping out. This problem was originally done starting LH in the pocket. Erosion makes this all but impossible today unless you're tall or standing on multiple pads.
7. Red Wall Direct V7 ... FA: Christian Griffith or Skip Guerin, 1980's
Start matched any way you want in the large pod. Go up hard and fast to snatch the 3-finger edge with your right hand. Now do a long move up and left to the potato chip and then the top.
8. Varney Direct V6 ... FA: Eric Varney, 1968
Start with your RH in the soapdish or on the crimper just below it, pull on and go LH to the 3-finger edge. Now get your RH into the shallow 2-finger divot above it so you can slide left to the potato chip and the top.
9. R->L Red Wall Traverse V7 ... FA: Unknown
Start matched on the starting flake for #10. Traverse left across the rail into and up #3.
10. Moffat Direct V8 ... FA: Jerry Moffat, 1982
With both hands on the flake just down and right of the large pod in the center of the wall, do a long move up to the soapdish or the crimp just below it and finish via #8. Most people will tell you the pod is off for your LH as an intermediate.
11. Beal Direct V8 ... FA: Peter Beal, 2002
Begin from a sds with #10. Go right hand to the crimp just below the soapdish and then get your left hand in the soapdish. Now do #14. Most people will tell you the pod is off for your LH as an intermediate.
12. Crossover V6 ... FA: Christian Griffith or Skip Guerin, 1980's
Start with your LH in the soapdish (or the thin crimper immediately below it) and your RH in the 2-finger divot. From here, do a wild crossover move with your RH all the way to the 3-finger edge. Now do the long move up and left to the potato chip and the top. Looks improbable until your right foot stays where it needs to be for the first move.
13. Ooze Pig V7/8 ... FA: Christian Griffith or Skip Guerin, 1980's
A slight variation to #14. Start with your LH in the soapdish (or the thin crimper immediately below it) and your RH in the 2-finger divot and fire up and into a shallow 2-finger pocket just left of the bad pinch. From there, go again with your RH just a couple inches up to a bad shallow 3-finger pocket before topping out. Both of these shallow pockets are hard to see, but are just left of the bad pinch and deep pocket at the top of #14.
14. Right Side V5 ... FA: Pat Ament, 1967
Start with your LH in the soapdish (or the thin crimper immediately below it) and your RH in the 2-finger divot. Smoothly flow up RH to the distant bad pinch and go again to get into the deep pocket above it to top out.
15. Far Right Side V4 ... FA: Unknown
Begin next to the tree with your RH on the high 4-finger edge 7 feet up. Move left to the finishing holds on #14, grab the top and pull over.
16. Far Right Side Low V6/7 ... FA: Unknown
Adds only one move, but an interesting one. Start with your RH on the low 4-finger edge at chest height and move it to the high 4-finger edge, finishing up #15.
17. Far Right Side Traverse V8 sds ... FA: Unknown
Begin from a sds a few steps down to the right past the tree. Traverse up and left to finish via #15, with a couple tough moves getting your RH onto the high 4-finger crimp. Variation #1 - Just Another Traverse V10: From the same start, traverse left to the high 4-finger edge, but instead of topping out, slide left to the soapdish and crimp, drop down to the rail and traverse left until you can finish up #3.
18. Far Far Right Side VB sds ... FA: Unknown
Begin from a sds a few steps down to the right past the tree. Ascend good edges and cobbles to the top.
RED WALL'S BACKSIDE
19. East Overhang Left V2 ... FA: Pat Ament, 1967
On the left side of the back side of the Red Wall, above a railroad tie, start using slopers at the lip, heel-hook and pull over onto the slab.
20. Sleeper V7 sds ... FA: Will LeMaire, 2001
Begin from a sds with both hands on the obvious low shelf. Get to the sloping lip via an intermediate crimp and pull over as per #19.
On the left side of the back side of the Red Wall, above a railroad tie, start using slopers at the lip, heel-hook and pull over onto the slab.
20. Sleeper V7 sds ... FA: Will LeMaire, 2001
Begin from a sds with both hands on the obvious low shelf. Get to the sloping lip via an intermediate crimp and pull over as per #19.
21. East Overhang Right V3 ... FA: Pat Ament, 1967
Begin at the obvious protruding pebble and pull the bulge more or less straight up.
22. Guy’s Overhang V7 sds ... FA: Ted Lanzano, 2006
Begin from a low sds just down and left from the protruding cobble. From underclings, do an improbable-looking LH crossover move to the protruding cobble, then top out via #21.
23. Cobble Campus V? ... FA: Unknown
Begin at the obvious protruding pebble and pull the bulge more or less straight up.
22. Guy’s Overhang V7 sds ... FA: Ted Lanzano, 2006
Begin from a low sds just down and left from the protruding cobble. From underclings, do an improbable-looking LH crossover move to the protruding cobble, then top out via #21.
23. Cobble Campus V? ... FA: Unknown
Four feet right of #21, pull on utilizing funky cobbles and surf left via a couple campusy moves into #21 and top out.
5 comments:
FYI - Sacha Halenda did the fa of Sleeper on the back on the Red Wall.
Smith
Thanks for the input Dan.
My understanding is that Sasha showed it to Will and Will sent it shortly before Sasha.
Will's done that to ALL of us.
I stand corrected. I talk to Sacha about it last night and he set me straight.
You are right, Sacha showed Will an he did it (which is the danger of showing Will any problem) then Sacha did it. I obviously have too much confidence in Sacha's Climbing.
Ted's "Juat Another traverse." v9/10
"This one traverses the entire span of the Red Wall, from the far right to the far left, avoiding the lip holds. Begin about 6 feet to the right of the tree (just before the wall turns the corner) by matching on the obvious smooth horizontal hold. The business starts right away and continues until the low flakes in the middle of the wall. Then you can get a needed rest before the final stab move to the left pocket and top out. Depending on your beta, the whole thing is around 20 moves, plus a few more for the top out."
leave it to ted! nice!
you know, ted, "trolling for mank" and "out of bedlam" are still awaiting second ascents...
can't wait to see if chuffer ever posts my full description of trolling... [but hey, i just used the historical eliminate beta]
worth the effort? they're at least less painful than over yourself, but perhaps super lame? who cares.
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