Spider Rock 5.10d
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| Type: | Trad, 9 pitches, 800 feet, Grade V |
| Consensus: | 5.10d [details] |
| FA: | Don Wilson, Jerry Gallwas, Mark Powell, March 30, 1956 |
| Submitted By: | toddgordon on May 6, 2007 |
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Spider Rock.
Photo by Blitzo.
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It is illegal at the present time to climb in Canyon de Chelly or elsewhere on the Navajo Indian Reservation
Closed. MORE INFO >>>
It is presently illigal to climb on the Navajo Indian Reservation. These climbs are listed here for historical purposes only.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.
You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
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Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment
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Description Eric's Desert Rock says that Spider Rock is 9 pitches , but it's been done in 6 pitches. Pitch 1; Thin groove (5.9) to a 5.8 squeeze leads to a traverse right (one bolt) and a 3 bolt anchor. Pitch 2; 5.10 hands and O W (on the right) lead to a 5.10 chimney and a squeeze. Pitch 3; a fixed pin and a fixed chock lead to another chimney (5.9) and the 3 bolts traversing left into a steep finger/hand section to a belay in a cave. Pitch 4; 5.9/5.10 O W and chimney lead to a belay from natural gear up high...past some rap anchors. This chimney/O W pitch has about 8 bolts on it. Pitch 4 ; climb rotten rock to a hole which you crawl through. After the hole section, traverse right to a crack and free climb up more rotten rock (5.10) past a steep section (1 bolt), into a 5.9/5.10 squeeze slot. Belay in a hole from a fixed pin and natural gear. Pitch 5; go left up a 5.10+ O W (crux), past about 6 bolts. Near the top, there is sort of wild traverse to the left, then to the summit;...make sure to protect traverse for the second. The rappells don't always go to the same belays as the ascent. Some are double rope raps;...some are single. Careful not to get ropes stuck. Some of the rap anchors are sort of scary and old looking.
Location About 13 miles into Canyon de Chelly. Approach via rappels from Overlook (dicey anchors and sticker bushes), or hike in on the Bat Trail (past the overlook).
Protection Three sets of Cams, a few chocks (medium), lots of slings and biners, and a few large cams.
Brian Povolny high on Spider Rock.
Photo by Todd G...
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Shadow of Spider Rock. Photo: Todd Gordon
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Brian Povolny on Spider Rock. Photo; Tod...
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Bow down before Spyder Rock Photo; T...
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Spider Rock from South Rim Overlook
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By toddgordon
From: Joshua Tree, California
May 8, 2007
| I climbed this route in Feb. , 1984 with Brian Povolny. This was a big deal for us;....We both lived on the Res., we both climbed alot together, and we both loved climbing. I had been to the Spider Rock overlook so may times just looking and dreaming; We rapped in instead of hiking in; this was a mistake, for the rap anchors weren't all that inspiring, and the overhanging jumar out of the canyon with heavy packs was almost too much for me. The climbing went well;...we fixed one pitch in the dark one evening, slept at the base, and then went to the summit and back the next day. We free climbed all but a few moves. We got the rope stuck on the 2nd to last rappel, and after alot of tugging it came free, and Brian hit his chin on the rock and drew blood. This was one of the highlights of a very long and fun climbing career for me;...nothing quite like it. The climbin aint' all THAT special; alot of chimneys and O Wths...but the whole experiece for us meant alot to us;... |
By toddgordon
From: Joshua Tree, California
May 28, 2007
| On this climb, we found a piton stamped C P..( Chuck Pratt), who did the 2nd, 4th, and 5th ascent of Spider Rock. I had it with my collection of odd junk I've found on climbs, but I donated it to Access and it got raffled off at a fund raiser. (I'm sure it has a good home..) It was one of my prize goodies of old collectable junk. |
By Colin Cox
Jul 7, 2008
| Why are you posting route information if it is illegal to climb there? Maybe your experience should be kept to yourselves so that you wouldn't need to explain your actions to the world. With one hand your spraying, with the other your confessing guilt. Seems kinda strange. |
By toddgordon
From: Joshua Tree, California
Jul 10, 2008
| Colin; You are correct;....it DOES seem kinda strange. Do what you wish with this information;......You found this information strange;.... Maybe some people find my "spraying and confessing guilt" interesting, curious, facinating, or , in the case of guys like Jim Bridwell......possibly useful;... |
By CO_Michael
Aug 7, 2008
| I like stories of climbing. John Long has been a master story teller and book writer for Years. Even had a story turned into a movie, Cliffhanger. Does anyone say "HISTORY"? Gosh, where would climbing be without all that story telling. |
By CO_Michael
Aug 7, 2008
| Thanks Todd for having the ongoing "hostel" all those years. |
By toddgordon
From: Joshua Tree, California
Jan 1, 2009
| The route is on the face that faces away from the overlook....(I guess you would call it the backside....)... |
By Quentin Tutt
From: Window Rock, AZ
Apr 3, 2009
| I'd love to climb this spire, illegal or not. Haha...I guess my only excuse would be I'm Navajo and it's there! Thanks for the recollective story. |
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