Across the road and [uphill] from the parking lot for the [Monkey Traverse] area. Follow a trail northeast to a large boulder with many pebbles, [Red Wall] is up and northeast past two smaller bolcks. It is a dead vertical wall with pockets, undercut, a tree on the right and 12 feet tall.
A classic line that is rated V3 in all the guidebooks but feels at least V4 to me, oh well, ratings smatings. Start on the center left of the wall on some jugs. Throw a heel in an obvious jug and move with the right hand up and into a shallow three finger pocket, mantle onto your left foot and pinch two dicey pebbles to reach the top....[more]
Does anyone know the history of the line on the left-most side of Red Wall? It's the sit-start one that starts with left hand in the deep pocket and right-hand on the crimp (you can see these in the above photo).Alternatively, you can add a traverse start from the crimps below the heel-hook jug of Center Left.I think this is a great line but have seen very few people do it.
what I can tell you Michael is that there are a couple of vertical sit-down-start problems on the left side of Red Wall.
the furthest left starts with your right hand in the shallow pocket and left hand on an edge, pimp straight up on pebbles, crimps and a shallow divot or two. I refer to this as Left Side V4. FWIW, I remember Benningfield mentioning a V4 on the left side of Red Wall (although I'm not sure he called it Left Side) and Pat Ament also mentions a line he did over there in 1967 in one or more of his guides, but I doubt he did a sds in 1967.
the other problem (AND THE ONE YOU ARE APPARENTLY REFERRING TO) begins from a sds with your left hand in the pocket, right hand on an obvious crimp. start feet low then probably heel hook up and right on the high-but-really-good edge (this is THE KEY for me). move both hands up from that position a couple of times and you've got it. I've been told this is a CG problem, although I've yet to get more specifics from CG on it. I believe its about V5/6 (assuming Varney Direct is V6 not V5).
oh, the obscurity of Flagstaff Mountain. enjoy. flame on.
Another way to use the pocket that Michael refers to (on the lower left side of the Red Wall) is via the Red Wall Traverse (I think that's the name). This starts towards the right side of the wall and works left on the lower jugs to a stab to the left pocket (crux). Top out from there. Probably around V7.
There is also an unreal left to right traverse beginning on the far left and traversing right all the way into ... Right Side. Getting into Right Side via the traverse is VERY difficult. Peter Beal indicated to me this traverse was in the neighborhood V9/10, but I suspect it might be even harder (no offense Peter), as Right Side is very hard to get into from any holds other than the starting holds.
For a more reasonable? challenge, traverse right into Moffet Direct (the direct start for Varney Direct). This IS more like V9 or 10. Whatever, have fun with these variations to the obvious lines.
Red Wall
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