This area is popular because it has a host of moderates. To locate the Panty Wall look for a varnished wall with a large pine tree in front of it. All the routes on the Panty Wall are split between three separate walls. The first four climbs are on the separate formation uphill and left of the pine tree. The next routes are on the wall behind the pine tree and continue out the ramp to the right. The next three routes are on a blocky wall just past the last route.
[Reprinted with permission from Jed Botsford, Climbing Ranger - RRCNCA].
Getting There
To get to the Panty Wall, follow the trail down to the rock outcropping and then turn left (west) and follow the trial down across the wash and up a hill. When you reach the top of the hill continue to follow the trail until you can drop into the wash and climb the slickrock slabs up to the wall.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Panty Wall:
All the holds are obvious, due to the excessive chalk. First three bolts are all .12 moves. Start on a ledge; you can go either straight up to the first bolt, which is more difficult, or move right off the deck up to a ledge of good holds and travers to the first bolt. After the fourth bolt, the pressure eases up considerably (maybe .7 or .8), with longer distances between bolts....[more]Browse More Classics in NV
This wall is nice, and has a lot of moderate well protected lines. It's a nice place for a novice sport leader to do some 8's, which is probably why it is so crowded. Still, it is worth a visit and if you can hit it on a weekday or moderate weather day there might not be a line for one of the more obscure lines there... The harder lines are not typically crowded, but don't expect to be alone.
The climbs were great for beginning lead climbers. Although they were all pretty similar in structure, they were fun to do. I went shortly before and after the Rendezvous and it wasn't too packed, but there were enough people to where the rests between climbs got a little long. All of the routes definitely are well protected
By Mike Morley Administrator From: Oakland, CA Dec 31, 2006
A great place to knock out a lot of pitches. Pretty easy to log a dozen routes in a half day. A good choice in winter months.
Mike - yes, I concur that the tree is no longer standing. Climbers should *not* look for the tree when trying to find the route.
Tyson - you rock for posting the GPS coordinates and Google map. I wish we had these for all routes in Red Rock (many of these areas are difficult to locate).
As for Panty Wall itself, call me paranoid, but I decided to abort my climbs. The routes do look good, but I absolutely refuse to climb an area where my belayer is at risk of slipping or falling ... with no option of anchoring in. The ramp is downward and outward sloping, and made of slick sandstone. If you take a wrong step, you can easily fall off of the ramp and into a 15-20 foot crevace below (or up to 30' if you climb the right-most routes). There are no bolts in which to clip your belayer, and there is NOWHERE to place a cam, nut, sling, etc., at the base of the routes. Basically, your belayer's anchor point becomes the first bolt on the route, which can be between 8-12 feet off of the deck.
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