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Monkey Face
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Select Route:
Astro Monkey 
Backbone, The 
East Face 
Monkey Off My Back 
Monkey Space 
North Face, The 
Northwest Passage (Aid) 
Pioneer Route 
Rising Expectations 
Spank the Monkey 
West Face (Aid) 
West Face Variation 
West Face Variation Direct 

Monkey Face 


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Administrators: Peter Franzen, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: Karsten on Jan 27, 2006

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My brother and I on the summit. Photo taken from ...

Description 

This prominent tower is one the best known features at Smith rock. It's asthetic beauty is enhanced by the historical ascents and world famous routes on its clean faces. Monkey face still holds some of the hardest climbs in the world as well as a plethora of classic trad and sport lines. It's most famous route, Just Do It 5.14c is still a testpiece route for aspiring hardmen/women.

Other popular pastimes include making the tyrolean traverse from the main buttress to the monkey's mouth. This airy span is also often used for a spectacular high line walk.


Getting There 

To approach you can take the hiking trail in either direction once you cross the bridge. Heading north provides a steeper but shorter approach. The seldom taken southward, scenic approach is much further but has less elevation gain and takes you all the way around the formation. Many approach by hiking past the main dihedrals, doing the scramble over asterik pass, and continuing on climbing trails heading north.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Monkey Face:
West Face (Aid)   Easy 5th C1     Trad, Aid, 3 pitches, 400 feet, Grade II   
Pioneer Route   5.7 C0     Trad, Sport, Aid, 3 pitches, 250 feet, Grade III   
West Face Variation Direct   5.8     Trad, 2 pitches   
West Face Variation   5.8 C0     Trad, Aid, 5 pitches, 300 feet, Grade III   
Monkey Off My Back   5.8+     Sport, 1 pitch   
Monkey Space   5.11b     Sport, 2 pitches, 100 feet, Grade III   
Astro Monkey   5.11d     Trad, 6 pitches   
The North Face   5.12a     Trad, 3 pitches, 400 feet, Grade III   
Spank the Monkey   5.12a PG13     Sport, 1 pitch, 85 feet   
The Backbone   5.13a     Sport, 4 pitches, 400 feet, Grade II   
Browse More Classics in Monkey Face

Featured Route For Monkey Face
Robert Hecker on pitch one of West Face Variation

West Face Variation 5.8 C0  OR : Smith Rock : Monkey Face
This variation on the Pioneer route provides the finest moderate route to the Monkey's Summit. It adds several great pitches and about another 100ft of climbing to the standard route.Pitch 1: Begin on the right side of the west face of Monkey Face. Begin in a short section of flaring chimney or just to the right of this chimney on a small crack on the face. Move up these harder opening moves onto easier cracks. Continue up through a dihedral with a few bolts and a few mini roofs to a stance ...[more]   Browse More Classics in OR


Photos of Monkey Face Slideshow Add Photo
Profile of the Monkey Face at 7:00 am on a summer day from the base of "No Pain, No Gain" on the NW Face of the Smith Rock Group. <br />

Profile of the Monkey Face at 7:00 am on a summer ...

monkey face topo

BETA PHOTO: monkey face topo

Rapping off the monkey

Rapping off the monkey

You can see tyrolean traverse set up from the Monkey Face the main cliff here. An outdoor school of some sort had a large group here in the mouth making it slow going to do the last pitch.

You can see tyrolean traverse set up from the Monk...

Someone making the traverse from the Monkey Face to the main land.

Someone making the traverse from the Monkey Face t...

One of many timid students making the leap of faith.

One of many timid students making the leap of fait...

Monkey Face

Monkey Face

Leading up the bolt ladder on Monkey Face.

Leading up the bolt ladder on Monkey Face.

The Monkey Face Highline on 11/24/07

The Monkey Face Highline on 11/24/07

Monkey Face Pinnacle, Smith Rocks.

Monkey Face Pinnacle, Smith Rocks.

Monkey Face

Monkey Face

Point of no return.

Point of no return.

Me slacklining the monkey line.

Me slacklining the monkey line.

The monkey line before taping it off.

The monkey line before taping it off.

Jesse walking the line. He sent the monkey line on his fourth try. Nice job friend.

Jesse walking the line. He sent the monkey line on...

Monkey line slacklining.

Monkey line slacklining.

Rapping off the Monkey after doing the West Face to Pioneer

Rapping off the Monkey after doing the West Face t...

Rappel off the monkey face

Rappel off the monkey face

The Monkey.

The Monkey.


Comments on Monkey Face Add Comment
Show which comments —
By Hank the Tank
From: Golden, CO
May 17, 2007

Anybody know if BASE jumping the Monkey Face is legal in this park? How tall is it exactly as well? Would be great fun on rest days.

By rpc
May 18, 2007

Tallest aspect is the west face (river face) of the formation. I'd estimate that side to be in the low end of 300 foot range.

By Monomaniac
Administrator
From: Morrison, CO
May 22, 2007

The picnic lunch wall is much taller, but i don't know if its steep enough. Morning glory is a good 400 feet, plus prbably another 200 to the river? MG would definately be steep enough.

I bet the w face of the monkey is more like 400'. The north face route, which starts a full pitch above the ground, is a rope stretching 60m just to the west face cave. probably another 50 feet or more to the summit from there?

By rpc
May 22, 2007

Based on West Face aid line, P1 is probably about 120 feet. P2 all the way to the cave is less than 60 meters - say 190 feet. P3 to summit is (I would agree with you) probably no more than 50 feet. It seemed as though the floor of the west side cave protruded out a bit - I'd worry about clipping it on the way down. But then again, what do I know.

By corvegas
From: the depths of oregon
Aug 13, 2007

PLW not steep enough? ever been up bubbas in bondage?

By Peter Franzen
Administrator
From: Phoenix, AZ
May 6, 2009

For what it's worth:

The jumpers I that I was with said it was ~370ft from the exit to the ground. There's a great ledge on the west side of the summit to get a good running jump off of.