Unknown  5.8- R

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Type:  Trad, 1 pitch, 125 feet Consensus:  5.7+ [details] FA:  ? Submitted By:  Chris Wenker on Jul 7, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (3) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Unknown route (5.8-), Middle Rock, Tres Piedras, N...

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Some rocks in this area are on private property. Property owner requests signed waiver. MORE INFO >>> The remainder are on US Forest Service land. A map detailing the public areas can be obtained from the ranger station en route to the rocks from the village of Tres Piedras. According to Jan Studebaker: "The property line runs from approximately the current east corner by the access gate in a straight line over the top of South Rock to the top middle of the Chicken Heads/Mosaic Wall mount, and from there west down the mount slope to the meadow just south of the Alley climbs. Some of the most popular routes are completely on private property. There are survey markers on the top of South rock (the mysterious aluminum stake stuck in the rock) and on top of the Mosaic rock (most of the time buried in water in a pot hole.)" A new online Tres Piedras Route Guide from LA Mountaineers has been updated with the latest access information, and should be read by all Tres Piedras climbers. Group climb leaders, and Climbing Directors (future or past) should take particular note. From the guide: Access Notes: Tres Piedras climbers should sign the waiver found on this page because the popular South Rock is mostly on private land, as is some of the access to the area. The landowner, requests a waiver, NO fires, no chalk and "please close any gates". In order to nurture greater landowner acceptance of climbers, participants of group climbs are requested to organize quick clean up activities before leaving the area; this should include the climbing area as well as the access roads (trip leaders could supply plastic grocery bags). Small parties should practice "leave no trace" principles. On August 19, 2009 the landowner stated: "Yes I still own the property, and yes I'd still like to have waivers on hand - even or perhaps especially from your organization. Only once in awhile do I have problems with climbers, mostly not picking up after themselves. My biggest gripe is that despite repeated requests, the climbers don't remove protection (edit: colored webbing, shiny hardware) from the climbing routes, which is both lazy and unattractive. Your organization could do me a big favor by doing a group climb and removing the crap that others have left on the various routes so that it is both a pristine part of the landscape, and so that each climber must figure out his own route without relying on the handiwork of others." This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

This interesting climb combines moderate-to-easy runout friction with moderate crack climbing. Start up an unprotected, low-angle friction face that gradually steepens, aiming toward a left-angling, right-facing seam about 40 feet off the ground. Some unprotected ~5.7- moves are necessary before obtaining the seam, which you can then load up with gear. Proceed straight up the heady bulge above the seam, which then leads to another runout low-angle friction face. The big horizontal seam at the base of the headwall provides your next placements, about 40 feet above the first seam (maybe getting close to groundfall here?, but it's easy climbing). Traverse slightly right to a crack system up the bulging headwall, where fun moves take you to the top.

If the second is interested in a diversion during their climb, they can climb up to the first seam, clean the gear, and then drop back down and traverse right about 20 feet to a greenish knobby waterstreak that makes for an interesting ~5.11 toprope. The leader should put a long runner on the pieces at the base of the headwall ahead of time, to minimize the pendulum if the second is planning on exploring this option.

This route is not previously described in any available guide, but has definitely been climbed before. Any FA info out there?

Location 

The start lies about 100 feet to the right of the Albuquerque Route, not quite all the way to the harder bolted climbs at the far right side of Middle Rock that are described by Jackson and Foley.

Descend by a 3rd/4th class walk-off to the east. At first, drop a little off the northern edge of the ridgeline, then down the ridgetop, past a noteworthy krummholz spruce with a truncated top. Drop off the righthand (southern) face of the ridge a little past the stunted spruce, down a dubious water streak, aiming for a massive dead tree trunk that leans against the rock wall across the valley.

Protection 

Standard TP trad rack, with a good supply of finger-sized cams.
It's runout below the first protectable seam (definite groundfall), and then again above that seam (maybe groundfall?). The first seam itself takes smallish finger-sized cams and small nuts, and actually protects fairly well, so load it up! Lots of finger to hand-sized cracks are available to protect in the headwall. Belay off a gear anchor at the top, with lots of placement opportunities.