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A typical scene on Cholla Wall--top-roping. It's ...
Description
One of the finer routes at The Overlook. A nicely pocketed, steep face route. It is a very popular top-rope and a proud gear lead because of the tricky gear placements in pockets. By longtime, documented agreement by local climbers do not bolt this face route. The route gets its name from a Cholla cactus that used to be at the base of the route that pricked many climbers that came off the rock at the start. The cholla disappeared a few years ago.
Location
The sweet, pocketed face with no bolts! Accessed by the easy scrambling on top of the Lower Buttress
Protection
Small to medium cams (up to #1 camalot) and tri-cams for the pockets. Chain anchor at top.
An Omega Pacific red link cam is a great cam for this route and its flaring pockets. It protects the final, crux 8-10 feet very well compared to the lower cam placements that don't feel super solid. (Of course, if you have tri-cams, those are probably better. I don't have any.)
This would be one of the best sport routes in New Mexico if it were bolted like the line to its right and left. Say, what happened to the cholla anyway?
Sadly, the Cholla met it's demise a few years ago but I don't know how. For a few years before it disappeared, it looked more anemic each time I saw it. My guess is someone got pricked by it one last time, got angry and got rid of it.
As for the notion that it be bolted, that's certainly been mentioned and debated for years . For a long while, I thought it would be nice with bolts for pro but believe it would be "just another 5.10 face sport route" and really not super impressive. I've led it twice on gear and it protects well enough and sure makes for an exciting and proud 5.10 face route with gear for pro.
South/East side
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