Type: Trad, 300 ft (91 m), 3 pitches
FA: Mark Leonard, Mike Darrah '87
Page Views: 4,683 total · 23/month
Shared By: Bill Lawry on May 7, 2007
Admins: Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown

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Description Suggest change

The old Louck's guide shows Surf Naked as a 3 pitch climb. Monomaniac posted pitch 1 in May 2007, including some nice annotated photos. And in June 2011, pitches 2 & 3 were also posted. And there are a variety of ways to fill out the rest of the day after climbing this route.

P1, 5.6 or 5.7: Start at a black water streak on a vertical face that is about 7 feet tall - part of a kind of right-facing dihedral. There is an alternate start up and to the right. Trend left to where the black water streak comes down the huge slab just to climber's right of Revenge. Head up, passing a bolt and eventually climbing into a large left-facing dihedral.

Pitch can ends at the tunnel which is the end of Revenge's P2, making this about a 150 feet.

P2, 5.5 or 5.6: Continue up above the tunnel and then trend left on easier climbing through dirt, vegetation, and hollow-sounding blocks of rock. Set the belay above a small deciduous tree - the last of the vegetation for now. This is about 60 feet past Revenge's tunnel.

P3, 5.7, 90 feet.  Excellent rock with possible dirt footholds near the end. Continue up and left following a small left-angling crack that later opens to hand sized. When that crack effectively ends, head straight up near a more-vertical and thinner crack and wander up on increasingly runout terrain; this last section has vegetation running on your right and felt spice-y to me; maybe a nut tool could be used to dig out one more small placement below the finishing moves. The pitch ends at a very ample belay ledge in a kind of large slot. Sometimes there are rap slings on a huge block on the right, which makes me nervous; no slings as of Feb 2018.

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

OPTION 1: The old Louck's guide shows 4th class leftward scramble to a rap anchor that may need fresh slings as of 9/2021.  Rap 165 feet followed by 3rd class downclimb to the tree at the top of Revenge of the Elderly's P1. From there, Loucks shows a second 100 foot rap to the ground. I have never tried this.

OPTION 2: Down climb to climber's right about 15 feet over jumbled blocks and vegetation. Then traverse climbers right on a slab to a small intermittent crack the trends up and right; good medium-small nut at top of crack just before a crux-y move. Continue over and join P4 of Revenge of the Elderly just before the now obvious rap-anchors for that route; 5.7 moves gets one to the anchors.

OPTION 3: Climb Surfs Up, 5.8R - did you bring a stick clip?  From the belay at the end of P3 (nice nut or hex is slot) attack the arete. First of two modern bolts is about 20 feet up the arete. Much higher, find jugs several moves above the second bolt. Then move left to the face to climb up to a ledge.

Alternately, hike / scramble / bushwhack right of the arete to lead up about 10 feet left of the huge dihedral to TR Surfs Up - worth the effort.

At one time the belay at the top of Surfs Up was a set of slings around a root and a piton. As of 9/2021, a cordalette and bomber nut have been added. One can rap the route back to the top of Surf Naked. Or, Alam also points out, "... we have also climbed an additional 2 pitches ... but never found anything worth writing home about, but if you are into Sandia adventure...."

Protection Suggest change

Gear to 3".

Photos

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