Quintessential 5.10 TP climbing with the crux moves above your gear and other heady sections too, legend has it this climb has seen at least one big fall by someone coming off up high on the route.
Face climb up to right-angling crack (pro). A high step move gains the first bolt, then well-protected 5.9 to the 2nd bolt. Airy 5.10 face moves straight up to a right angling seam (no pro there) then you'll reach a left-angling crack (small nuts, and a fixed nut). This crack ends at an interesting bulge with gear below you. After this bulge you reach easier ground. From here, various options: (1) escape left toward the big chicken heads (and Fried Chickens)-- easiest (5.8), but obviously wimping out; (2) go straight up staying with the rightmost giant chickenheads and knobs (5.9, shown this way in Taos Rock guide) and continue up through progressively easier ground to set a belay; (3) Recommended way. Find the bolt up and a little to the right; go to this, clip it, and hand traverse right (5.10 airy) to reach the 2-bolt anchor above Serpentine Crack. [A longtime TP climber was adamant that the 2-bolt anchor was for Better Red Than Dead so maybe this is the proper line?] (4) it may be possible to go straight up from that bolt looks like thin face 5.10 or harder.
Probably the longest route at Tres Piedras. Sustained interesting climbing the whole way (but the fact that the line becomes vague up high detracts a little).
Location
Climb ascends the face between the Serpentine Crack and the Chicken Heads face. A few routes are in this area. As you move left from Serpentine Crack, the first bolted climb you come to is Serpent Face, the 2nd one is Better Red Than Dead (above a right angling crack). Descend by walking off to the east.
Protection
1 set nuts (micros helpful) and 1 set cams. More runners than usual because of long length and to sling chickenheads. 2 bolts on route (and 1 bolt up high maybe on route).
A fun route with good rock. 2 or 3 stars of 4, certainly not better than that. The bolt referenced as a variation in the description is actually the 4th bolt on Serpent Face, the 5.10c route to the right.
I climbed both Serpentine Face and Better Red Than Dead with my wife a few years ago. Better Red has a more heads up feel (my wife backed off at the second bolt)and Serpent was harder climbing. Classic pair! I though that these two route are quite possibly the best price for the grade at TP. Probably needs an up-grade on the fixed pro. A must do for the area.
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