Horseshoe Wall Rock Climbing
Elevation: | 6,063 ft |
GPS: |
36.09221, -115.48184 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 38,947 total · 166/month |
Shared By: | phil broscovak on Feb 20, 2004 |
Admins: | Justin Johnsen, Luke EF, Larry DeAngelo, Aaron Mc |
Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm, the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN RED ROCKS during or after rain. A good rule of thumb is that if the ground near your climb is at all damp (and not powdery dry sand), then do not climb. There are many alternatives (limestone, granite, basalt, and plastic) nearby.
HUMAN WASTE Human waste is one of the major issues plaguing Red Rocks. The Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council and the AAC provides free "wag bags" in several locations (Black Velvet, First Pullout, Kraft Mtn/Bouldering, The Gallery, and The Black Corridor). These bags are designed so that you can pack your waste out - consider bringing one to be part of your kit (just like your rope and shoes and lunch) no matter where you go. Once used, please dispose of them properly (do not throw them in the toilets at the parking area).
HUMAN WASTE Human waste is one of the major issues plaguing Red Rocks. The Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council and the AAC provides free "wag bags" in several locations (Black Velvet, First Pullout, Kraft Mtn/Bouldering, The Gallery, and The Black Corridor). These bags are designed so that you can pack your waste out - consider bringing one to be part of your kit (just like your rope and shoes and lunch) no matter where you go. Once used, please dispose of them properly (do not throw them in the toilets at the parking area).
Description
This awesome and under-visited wall is home to several substantial Grade IV trad routes. Spanning the distance between the Fin on the left and Resolution Arete on the right, the Horseshoe Wall towers above the Sherwood Forest in one of the most beautiful expanses of stone at Red Rocks. For the most part the routes are serious and involved, but outstanding all the same.
Historical note by Larry DeAngelo: As the obvious "giant" of escarpment, the east side of Mount Wilson got a lot of attention from the earliest Red Rock pioneers. John Williamson was just a kid when he began exploring the wall with his friends in 1966 and 1967. They wore their tennis shoes, tied in directly with a goldline rope, and carried a small collection of steel carabiners and knifeblade pitons. On their initial attempts, they did not get very far. However, some of the names they coined were the first Red Rock feature names coined by climbers. "Willy's Couloir" was their name (John's friends called him by the nickname "Willy"). "Sherwood Forest" was what they called the huge wooded ledge system halfway up the face. As adventurous thirteen-year-olds, they were fans of Robin Hood.
Williamson's scouting (and persistence) ultimately paid off in 1970, when he and Keith Hogan completed a route to the summit. They navigated up Willy's Couloir, crossed to the right through Sherwood Forest, and climbed the northern headwall to the top. The following year Joe Herbst (who did not know John and Keith, and was unaware of their ascent) soloed directly to the northern edge of Sherwood Forest and continued up the top part of their route.
Joe's solo climb was done on the day before his wedding. The ascent was not as casual as it may sound. Although it took over thirty years until the route found its way into a guidebook (Sentimental Journey IV, 5.9), Joe said that he always considered that climb to be the pivotal moment in Red Rock, because it marked the beginning of "serious climbing."
Historical note by Larry DeAngelo: As the obvious "giant" of escarpment, the east side of Mount Wilson got a lot of attention from the earliest Red Rock pioneers. John Williamson was just a kid when he began exploring the wall with his friends in 1966 and 1967. They wore their tennis shoes, tied in directly with a goldline rope, and carried a small collection of steel carabiners and knifeblade pitons. On their initial attempts, they did not get very far. However, some of the names they coined were the first Red Rock feature names coined by climbers. "Willy's Couloir" was their name (John's friends called him by the nickname "Willy"). "Sherwood Forest" was what they called the huge wooded ledge system halfway up the face. As adventurous thirteen-year-olds, they were fans of Robin Hood.
Williamson's scouting (and persistence) ultimately paid off in 1970, when he and Keith Hogan completed a route to the summit. They navigated up Willy's Couloir, crossed to the right through Sherwood Forest, and climbed the northern headwall to the top. The following year Joe Herbst (who did not know John and Keith, and was unaware of their ascent) soloed directly to the northern edge of Sherwood Forest and continued up the top part of their route.
Joe's solo climb was done on the day before his wedding. The ascent was not as casual as it may sound. Although it took over thirty years until the route found its way into a guidebook (Sentimental Journey IV, 5.9), Joe said that he always considered that climb to be the pivotal moment in Red Rock, because it marked the beginning of "serious climbing."
Classic Climbing Routes at Horseshoe Wall
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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