All Locations > Colorado > Alpine Rock > RMNP - Rock > Otis Peak

The Solar Wall Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map This is our best guess at this area's location.
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Routes in The Solar Wall

L › R R › L A › Z

	Solar Arete T 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b R
	Solar Panel, The T 5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a

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Elevation:	11,000 ft	3,353 m
GPS:	40.2922, -105.6805 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	5,023 total · 22/month
Shared By:	Tony B on Jul 24, 2006
Admins:	Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Closures Details

Seasonal closures Feb. 15-July 31. Per the Denver Post:, the Cathedral Wall and all areas above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond Trail are closed to off-trail travel! Per this RMNP website, "Initial closures now occur in Feb. 15 and April, when raptors return to the region and scout for nesting sites. Areas containing general habitat preferred by raptors are closed during this time. Once raptors have selected nesting spots, the initial closures are lifted or adjusted. The specific areas which raptors choose for nesting sites are closed."

For additional information about raptor closures, please visit the Rocky Mountain National Parks area closures website.

General NPS climbing regulations for RMNP posted here.

Description

The Solar Wall is a very appropriately named buttress on Mount Otis. This south-facing wall gets sun from early morning and into the afternoon, season depending. The relatively short approach (~4 miles) and height of this cliff (~600-800') could have made for a very popular destination in the Alpine rock or RMNP, were the lines on it more distinct and information more readily available. But as it is, the wall is relatively untraveled. It has only 1 published route on it, and one new one as of July 2006. You are unlikely to be climbing below another party on this wall, which is good, as there is some occasional loose rock.

On the whole, the cliff varies in quality from bulletproof golden granite to solid bands of black (Gneiss?) like on Hallet Peak... but there is also some less solid areas of granite, with loose rocks and ledges with fist and head-sized chunks waiting to be pulled off. Be wary. Route finding can be difficult ans the wall is very featured and even where the rock is peerless, runouts still occur, as there are frequently seams, but no cracks.

Still, the wall is worthy of being done, and has more lines to go on it.

Getting There

Approach is up the Andrews Glacier/Andrews Creek fork from the Glacier Gorge parking lot. Follow directions as for the Wham and Zowie Tower, and go just left of Zowie to the main buttress behind it. This is the Sunshine Wall. The two existing climbs start by going up a gully to the left and then up and right onto a ledge to start at the left corner of the main wall. This is maybe 4+ miles long and will take perhaps 1-2 hours with packs on.