BETA PHOTO: Tooth Decay turns the left lip of the big roof.
Description
This route provides a more exciting direct start to the longer climbs on the Tooth. It can be done in two pitches or a single long pitch (rope drag may be an issue). The climb starts with some fun laybacking up a grass-choked flake. At the top of the flake are three bolts separting you from an overlapping roof and easier ground. Getting from the 2nd to the 3rd bolt is very delicate and the move from the 3rd bolt to the overlapping roof is the crux. Once the crack is grained there is a two bolt belay once you turn the corner and establish yourself in the wide hands-OW crack. From here keep climbing up the crack until you can break right onto the face (before the next roof overlap) and face climb up to a bushy ledge that is shared with nearly all other routes that ascend beyond.
Location
This climb starts on a low angle slab/ledge on the left hand side of the cliff. there is another line of bolts on the face to the left of this route which is unfinished project in the 5.12 range.
Protection
Small-mid size cams for the initial lay-back and large cams for the crack above. The 2nd bolt is a button-head and rusty. The third bolt is a rusty 1/4 inch, and the belay consists of two rusty 1/4 inch bolts. As always caution is advised when clipping these old bolts.
By Aaron Hobson Administrator From: Las Cruces, NM Mar 7, 2006
I am still breaking into the 5.11 grades and can't say for sure how this climb rates. I can say that the crux move baffled me. At the third bolt I was within a few feet of grabbing the lip, but I just couldn't manage to gain the reach. Eventually I ended up using the draw to do a dynamic lunge for the lip. I know, terrible style, but I was able to reach the anchors at least.
Agreement on the ratings in the Organ Mountains is difficult to find. Many people would probably rate this 5.11.
Regardless, a first trip to the Tooth should go up the first two pitches of Tooth Fairy and decide on Tooth or Consequeces, Tooth Fairy or Tooth Extraction to finish. Descent is three double rope raps down the face.
FA with aid by Lee Davis and Mark Milligan. The climb went up the Tooth Extraction corner, bat hooked some of the now Tooth Fairy pitch and generally got to the now 5th pitch on Tooth Fairy.
Bill Hacket and I decided to try the first ascent of the Tooth and ran into Lee Davis and another climber already on it. So we backed off, cranky and grumbly. At that time there were huge Ponderosa Pines (2' diameter) at the base of the climb; unfortunately, these were killed off by a brush/forest fire in the 1970's that burned off much of the southern part of the Organs. It took Lee a number of tries to work through the route, along with a number of partners.
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