From the tree a top the main face after the notch rap straight down ~190' to a stance with a pin and a bolt. From there rap ~60'until you can see a nice belay ledge with a pin and a bolt. You have to swing with a bit of effort to reach this as it will be off to your right a ways. We left a link on the fixed pin but it is wise to leave a draw here as the rope was tough to pull. From here rap to a tree covered ledge ~100 (The Living Room). Walk north across the ledge and scramble down to a big spruce and rap straight down 190' to another big tree. One last long rap to the ground from here.
P1-(12A): A stiff warm up especially when its cold. Start right of a little hole/cave beneath a clean slab split by a right leaning seam with fixed pins in it. Climb up on good edges to gain the seam. Crank the tips seam pasting your feet on slippery, bullet granite to a right facing, thin flake. Climb straight up through a break and step left at the top of the flake and over to a small stance with a little tree. Crank some bouldery moves on some rounded knobs and pinches to gain a nice clean left facing corner which ends at a tree belay and a good ledgy stance.
P2-(5.9): Climb up right for a couple easy moves then back left and up pull up over a roof with a wide crack on its right. Pull the roof on jugs with good feet. Work right towards a nice looking finger crack. Climb the crack and pull around a pillar to a grassy ledge. climb up and right on a ramp with loose blocks on it. Avoid the blocks to the right and climb up into an offwidth. Climb up the offwidth and out left over a roof. This puts you back on a good ledge where the second to last rappel anchor is. Scramble back up to the right and into the Living room and belay there if your rope drag is not too bad or belay at the rap anchor tree and do another short pitch to the living room.
P3/4-(11c): Climb up the Raven pillar and the steep handcrack to the top. Stand on the Raven's head and step out right into a shallow dihedral. Climb this to a steep roof. Step left to clip an optional fixed pin and a get a good rest. Step back left and crank out and around the roof to the right onto a slopey ledge. step right again and follow a ramp up and left to a nice ledge. Clip a bolt here and crank some bouldery moves up under a roof to a fixed pin. Follow a right facing corner on thin holds to its end and pull up onto a really nice belay ledge.
P5-(10d): Climb up under the roof and follow it out to its left end where you can turn it into a nice left facing corner. Climb the nice crack up to another roof and turn it up and right to the belay.
P6-(11c): Kevin thought this was the crux. I thought P1 to be harder. this pitch requires some technical foot work. Head up and right on small crimps and small but sticky feet past three bolts and some small gear. Head up into a left facing corner on small features then pull up and right out of it and do a long upward trending right traverse on thin features past 7 fixed pins. Stay on your feet and you'll be happy on this pretty face. From the last pin go pretty much straight up on easier climbing (5.10ish) to the belay at a tree. Watch rope drag on this one.
Protection
Regular sandias rack plus a good selection of small gear including HB's offsets and alien hybrids. The three smallest offset aliens are really useful. 2-60m ropes.
By John Kear From: Albuquerque, NM May 23, 2009 rating: 5.12a
I've done this route twice now. It is very good. Pitches 1 and 4-6 are just about as good as it gets for Sandias climbing. Pitch 1 is the crux for sure and P6 feels a letter grade or two easier. This route is a must do for those climbing at this grade in the Sandias.
I agree with John's assessment, the route is good. The really good pitches make up for the more typical wanderfests on Pitches 2 and 3. If you can do Pitch 1, Pitch 6 is easy.
Adding some chain to the right piton to equalize the first rap anchor would help.
I'd just like to say although I won't be climbing routes this hard in the 'dias any time soon, I find it inspiring that people are putting up lines like this right in our own back yard. Climb on people!!
Nice route! Kudos to the FA party, and thanks for the hard work on it. On the raps: First rap: we rapped off the tree to the belay at the top of P5 (~140ft). On the second rap, we went all the way to the Living Room ledge with no problem. The pull is easy, and you don't have to do the swing over to the intermediate anchor with the link and the difficult pull. We did leave a draw on that anchor since the pin doesn't have a link. Gear: we didn't have offset aliens (just the regular kind) and the protection seemed just fine.
We didn't take the topo, just the a description and so made a couple of bone-headed route finding decisions (well, I did--can't blame my partner). Directly off the middle of the Living Room Ledge we followed a thin dihedral (tips, maybe 11+) to a blue painted bolt and a pin below a roof. I chickened out without trying the roof since I couldn't see any gear. Anyone know what that route is? Is it finished?
Will, do, Jason--looks like it will be hard. Thanks again for the work on the route. It's a super fun outing.
By Kevin Jaramillo From: Burque, NM Jul 17, 2009 rating: 5.11+ PG13
I would have to say that I think the route deserves a grade of 5.11 after recently spending some time on La Vista. There's 5.11 climbing on it, but there are good rests between cruxes. On the first couple outings we started the route from Living Room Ledge with Jason climbing P4 to the bolt. I found the lower 2 pitches later on while Jason was super busy with work, so I rope soloed the first four pitches, but decided Jason would hate me forever so I waited until we could finish the route together. Before the complete ground up FA me and Jason were hit my an intense thunderstorm which we suffered a lighting strike in....still no super human powers to report. The ground up FA went smooth and I red pointed 1,4 and got P6 first try after drilling the bolts. P3 isn't really a pitch and can be linked with a long rope or you simply move the belay to the raven. We did the route ground up but fixed ropes to rappel in while working the route. I am currently working on the route to the right with the blue bolt and hope to finish it soon. I think its going to be 5.12+ or possibly 5.13 ish. I was kinda shocked to see that someone lowered off a really bad sawed off 1/4" pin that didn't take any effort to clean since I had previously started to clean it but decided to leave it for when I returned. YIKES! it's been replaced with a good arrow but the rest of the route is serious because I am placing minimal fixed gear and plan to have it a bit run out since it is steep and clean...so please don't go and place chicken bolts on it cause it could be a great route for those capable of sending with kung fu skills! Good to see people enjoying Raven Steals the Sun though!
By John Kear From: Albuquerque, NM Jul 19, 2009 rating: 5.12a
Kevin, let us know when you finish the new route. It sounds like it could be great fun. It is certainly a striking line. I look forward to trying it when ya'll are done.
By Kevin Jaramillo From: Burque, NM Nov 3, 2009 rating: 5.11+ PG13
Sorry guys I don't make it on here very often and haven't even posted all of my routes...Ha. The route is almost complete. I have been away and now I am recovering from a wicked finger injury from a really sharp knife so the route is on stand by. I will post the topo once it's all completed. I have been working on the project with Brad Ellen. So far It has been super rad and I can't wait to send!
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