BETA PHOTO: Green dome from the approach trail doesn't look li...
Description
Green Dome aka Kryptor is a nice chunk of schist out on Camino Cielo. The rock is dense, but highly fractured, and you're likely to pull off a few souvenirs if you climb there. With that said, Green Dome has a great collection of medium to hard sport routes and is rarely crowded (probably due to the length of the drive). The wall doesn't get much sun, so its prime for spring and fall, and warm winter days.
Good bolts/anchors and most of the routes are PG.
Getting There
Drive up Gibraltar road past Gibraltar rock, and take a right at Camino Cielo. After the pavement ends, go another mile and you should see a small outcrop down below the road about 800 yards away. The sign saying "trail" means you've driven too far.
The approach is about 10 minutes and could use some clearing back.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Green Dome:
The texture and friction of the rock at the Green Dome is very different then the sandstone in the surrounding area. It takes a little getting used to.
Many of routes start off strong but as you approach the top of the crag the rock becomes more fragmented. The resulting climbs tend to be loose and relatively uninteresting near the top, hence the tendency to be PG between the last bolt and the anchors.
Steve Edwards touts this as an undiscovered gym. I would advise passing on it unless you just want to tick off a new area. It isn't bad climbing, but it isn't great - and SB has some great climbing.
By andy patterson Administrator From: Santa Barbara, CA Dec 8, 2008
I couldn't disagree less with Kristin.
While there are some decidedly un-memorable routes here in the easier grades, once you enter the 5.12 realm, the climbing improves dramatically. Monsters in the Maze (5.12b) is truly one of the best lines I've ever been on in Santa Barbara. While I haven't climbed on the other 12's and 13's yet (emphasis on YET), they look spectacularly technical and fun.
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