Snake Skin Slab / Tower Climbing
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GPS: |
35.1805, -106.4631 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 705 total · 4/month |
Shared By: | Bill Lawry on Jan 2, 2012 |
Admins: | Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown |
Description
This sunny slab has some enjoyable top-roped climbing (no leads). See second photo in the pdf that is linked on the page for The Ribcage (thanks again, Todd!).
After topping out on the tower (see Getting There), we down-climbed about 15 feet passing a short bush with a cactus nested beneath it. When your feet are on the lip of a modestly large crack (hand sized?) and facing into the rock, there will be a smaller crack about shoulder-level that angles from lower left to upper right. We set our gear anchor from this and rapped down the slab.
Some might want to set directionals while rapping down the slab. I believe these are not needed if your anchor power point is aligned with the apex of the climbs in the pdf.
We didn't drop down to the ground below the very bottom of the slab - it looks a bit hard to get back up. Instead, we put a gear anchor for top-roped belaying while comfortably perched on the lower left corner of the slab. ... or one could belay from above as we did on the way out. When below, just flip the rope to one side or other of the apex depending on direction of climb.
One can get up the slab with decent 5.8 face / slab skills.
If folks want to add MP.com "routes" to this page, feel free. There are 'E' and 'F' shown on the pdf. At the same time, I do not think that is warranted - it is fun to just climb where ever one is inclined up the slab.
After topping out on the tower (see Getting There), we down-climbed about 15 feet passing a short bush with a cactus nested beneath it. When your feet are on the lip of a modestly large crack (hand sized?) and facing into the rock, there will be a smaller crack about shoulder-level that angles from lower left to upper right. We set our gear anchor from this and rapped down the slab.
Some might want to set directionals while rapping down the slab. I believe these are not needed if your anchor power point is aligned with the apex of the climbs in the pdf.
We didn't drop down to the ground below the very bottom of the slab - it looks a bit hard to get back up. Instead, we put a gear anchor for top-roped belaying while comfortably perched on the lower left corner of the slab. ... or one could belay from above as we did on the way out. When below, just flip the rope to one side or other of the apex depending on direction of climb.
One can get up the slab with decent 5.8 face / slab skills.
If folks want to add MP.com "routes" to this page, feel free. There are 'E' and 'F' shown on the pdf. At the same time, I do not think that is warranted - it is fun to just climb where ever one is inclined up the slab.
Getting There
Approach as for Out of Darkness Slabs. At the base of that slab, go right and up a kind of vegetation-choked gully. Climb up the wall that is on the right side at a point where trees/bushes are growing out of the wall. There may be ways up the right-hand wall before this.
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