Fried Chickens  5.8

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 220 feet Consensus:  5.8 [details] FA:  ?? Submitted By:  Chris Wenker on Sep 2, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (8) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Fried Chicken, 5.8, Mosaic Rock, Tres Piedras, NM.

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Some rocks in this area are on private property. Property owner requests signed waiver. MORE INFO >>> The remainder are on US Forest Service land. A map detailing the public areas can be obtained from the ranger station en route to the rocks from the village of Tres Piedras. According to Jan Studebaker: "The property line runs from approximately the current east corner by the access gate in a straight line over the top of South Rock to the top middle of the Chicken Heads/Mosaic Wall mount, and from there west down the mount slope to the meadow just south of the Alley climbs. Some of the most popular routes are completely on private property. There are survey markers on the top of South rock (the mysterious aluminum stake stuck in the rock) and on top of the Mosaic rock (most of the time buried in water in a pot hole.)" A new online Tres Piedras Route Guide from LA Mountaineers has been updated with the latest access information, and should be read by all Tres Piedras climbers. Group climb leaders, and Climbing Directors (future or past) should take particular note. From the guide: Access Notes: Tres Piedras climbers should sign the waiver found on this page because the popular South Rock is mostly on private land, as is some of the access to the area. The landowner, requests a waiver, NO fires, no chalk and "please close any gates". In order to nurture greater landowner acceptance of climbers, participants of group climbs are requested to organize quick clean up activities before leaving the area; this should include the climbing area as well as the access roads (trip leaders could supply plastic grocery bags). Small parties should practice "leave no trace" principles. On August 19, 2009 the landowner stated: "Yes I still own the property, and yes I'd still like to have waivers on hand - even or perhaps especially from your organization. Only once in awhile do I have problems with climbers, mostly not picking up after themselves. My biggest gripe is that despite repeated requests, the climbers don't remove protection (edit: colored webbing, shiny hardware) from the climbing routes, which is both lazy and unattractive. Your organization could do me a big favor by doing a group climb and removing the crap that others have left on the various routes so that it is both a pristine part of the landscape, and so that each climber must figure out his own route without relying on the handiwork of others." This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

Head up the right-leaning crack, using face and crack holds, to a series of overlaps and plates which Jackson (2006) called a cruxy roof. There's not really a roof here to surmount, nor is there a crux, but there are some very annoyed cliff-dwelling critters in there. Continue straight up through a field of chickenheads and plates. Finish slightly right through a fairly runout frictiony bulge -- some people have finished Chicken Heads this way also.
A 60 m rope will take you to the big grassy belay ledge, with only about 10 feet of rope to spare. From there, it's about another 30 feet of easy Class 4/5 to the actual top, up which I belayed the second climber and then he gave me a body belay from above to finish out. You might actually get to the top with a 70 m rope, dunno. Also, I didn't study it, but you may also be able to traverse right to the anchor at the top of the first pitch of Serpentine Crack if you need to break this climb up.
Described by Jackson (2006:65-66; called it a 5.8) and Foley (2005:78-79; called it a 5.8+R). Also described in the 1991 "Taos Rock III" guide (as a 5.8). In the 1984 "Tao's Rock II" guide, this is probably the same as the Unnamed route #6 (5.8 "just to the east of CHICKEN-SHIT").

Location 

On the south face of Mosaic Rock, about 35 feet to the right of the green-streaked bottom of Chicken Shit. To descend, walk off the top to the east.

Protection 

Standard TP rack, with plenty of smallish nuts and cams. Lots of slings to reduce drag and for slinging 'heads. Save some 3-4" cams for the belay anchor.