Welcome to the New Mexico section of Mountain Project!
The contributions that are made to this site are greatly appreciated; this site is made up of an awesome community of users that make the site what it is.
Although there is very little information regarding “rules” for submitting climbing areas and routes to this site, the New Mexico Administers all agree that the following guidelines may be helpful to truly make this site go “Beyond the Guidebook”.
1) Don’t be a jerk (this one states the obvious). 2) Route and area submissions should truly be helpful to those out climbing. Before posting, you should have some first hand experience actually climbing the route. This always results in a much more useful description. 3) Please, please, please… Don’t copy route descriptions directly out of guidebooks, online publications, etc. This is plagiarism! Remember, BEYOND the guidebook! 4) Please use the spell check and make an effort to use correct grammar.
Again, the Mountainproject community truly appreciates the efforts taken to make good route descriptions. If you feel that a route or area description is not up to standard, a brief email to one of the area admins for suggestions on improvement will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to make the New Mexico section of Mountain Project quality! We look forward to seeing you out there!
The Needle about an hour before sunset.
Description
The Needle is a major feature on the west side of the Sandia Mountains near the north end. Aptly known in the past as The Pyramid, The Needle stands just south of The Shield. The Needle is known for some arduous approaches and long routes. Plan your climbs with care.
An avian closure affects nearby areas (e.g., The Shield) from mid-March to mid-August. I am uncertain if portions of The Needle are involved. However, in the past, some approaches to The Needle from the west have at least crossed closed areas. Check with the Sandia District of Cibola National Forest for the latest details.
Getting There
Generally speaking, climbs on the south and east sides are initially approached starting from The Crest, hiking to the saddle at the east side of The Needle, and continuing on approach as needed from there. Climbs on the west side may be approached by hiking up the Movie Trail passing to the south of The Prow and then scrambling to the base of the Needle.
Also, visible from Albuquerque is a partially tree-filled ramp that roughly divides the west face of The Needle into an upper and lower half. This ramp is known as Fifth Avenue and may serve as an exit from the lower routes, as an approach to the upper routes, or as an escape from planned outings spanning the west face.
Longest route in the Sandias. Around 1300 vertical feet of climbing after a brutal 2+ hour approach. Plan for 10-15 hours car to car depending on your speed. Take a machete for your approach. [Pitch-by-pitch descriptions by G.Perkins, climbed it 2 or 3 times, following Sandia Rock as a guide.]P1: Beginning at the very bottom of the ridge, climb easy cracks to reach a good ledge where the arete steepens. You can also get here by climbi...[more]
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