Tahquitz The Trough Difficulty?

Hello everyone,

I've been climbing off and on for over 20 years.  I took about 10 years off from trad climbing but I've been out a few times recently.  Just for reference to my experience - I used to climb multipitch in New Hampshire (Whitehorse and Cathedral) and New York (The Gunks).   My multipitch experience in CA is limited to a few multipitch routes in JT and some sport multipitch at Texas Canyon.

I'm thinking The Trough might be a nice mellow multipitch route to get back into the sport.  If you've climbed it, can you reply with your honest opinion on the difficulty and do you think my plan is a good one or should I consider something else?

Thanks!!

It's the mellow-ist at Tah but a conga line.

I wonder if Finger Trip might be more what you’re looking for? The Trough is fine but awkwardish, Finger Trip is just so classic. Both will be busy though.

Super duper mellow. However, very busy. I'd avoid that place entirely on weekends so you don't risk climbing under someone who may knock loose rock down. IF you MUST go on a weekend, get a dark start at the parking lot so you can be first on it. 

Not Hobo Greg wrote:

You and I climbed it with no other party on route, must have been a weekday.

As Tradiban said it’s probably the mellowest route at tahquitz, really fun.

We climbed it on a Sunday afternoon and got VERY lucky to be one of the only 3 parties at the entire place! Guess a late start works, too. Good times.

Wendy Laakmannwrote:

I wonder if Finger Trip might be more what you’re looking for? The Trough is fine but awkwardish, Finger Trip is just so classic. Both will be busy though.

Yeah I've considered that route as well.  I've read that routefinding can be an issue though...care to chime in on that?

Also I will absolutely be going on a weekday.  I don't do outdoorsy shit on weekends in SoCal.  

Thanks for the replies everyone. 

Fingertrip is a whole different level of difficulty than the Trough. I don't understand why anybody would mention them in the same breath (unless they really meant Fingertip Traverse?). The Trough was the original YDS standard for 5.0, while Fingertrip was the original standard for 5.7. The only reason they don't differ by 7 in modern grades is that inflation has compressed the bottom half of the YDS class 5 so much (because nobody wants to say they climb 5.0 today).

Re Fingertrip, Jeff M wrote: 

Yeah I've considered that route as well.  I've read that routefinding can be an issue though...care to chime in on that?

Once you identify and get to the arch you're underclinging, routefinding is pretty straightforward. People do sometimes misidentify the start and go up The Slab, 5.8. The pro on the initial pitches takes a little work to find.

Current guidebook grades at Tahquitz and Joshua Tree are roughly comparable, except for a few older and less popular climbs at Tahquitz/Suicide (which doesn't include the Trough). Since you've climbed at J Tree, just look at the YDS grades in a guidebook, and you'll know what to expect. For instance, the climbing on the Trough is similar in difficulty to the climbs at Joshua Tree at Trashcan Rock that have similar YDS grades in the standard modern guidebooks.

The Trough is an opportunity to learn about the area and figure out the friction descent. But it's very short, so you're not getting a long day of climbing in. Your drive-to-climb ratio will not be that great.

I like the Fingertip Traverse better than the Trough.  Many times, it is less crowded than the other nearby climbs, until you get to Pine Tree ledge of course. I think it is a pretty damn cool climb.  It comes in at around 5.4ish... 

x15x15wrote:

I like the Fingertip Traverse better than the Trough.  Many times, it is less crowded than the other nearby climbs, until you get to Pine Tree ledge of course. I think it is a pretty damn cool climb.  It comes in at around 5.4ish... 

What do you like better about it?  I've read some reports that The Trough has a lot of awkward squeeze chimney type shit.  Perhaps FT Traverse has less of that and more interesting moves?

+1 on The Trough being a great climb! One spicy part moving right towards the Pine Tree belay but other than that very mellow and fun (even that part was awesome)!

Jeff Jwrote:

What do you like better about it?  I've read some reports that The Trough has a lot of awkward squeeze chimney type shit.  Perhaps FT Traverse has less of that and more interesting moves?

Just the name, "The Trough", paints a picture of it's quality. Yes, FT is the better climb.

Fingertip Traverse is pretty classic. There's a reason that, before WW II, the So Cal rock climbing section of the Sierra Club used to do trips to Tahquitz where everybody would climb it over and over. Although MP lists both the Trough and FT as 5.4, that's pretty misleading. There is a definite difference in difficulty.

The hardest parts on the Trough are both awkward spots: a squeeze through a chimney in a bulge, and grovel across a little headwall before Pine Tree Ledge. (The latter can be done more elegantly by side-pulling, if you have the confidence.)

The hardest parts of FT are inserting into the layback section (underclinging, with feet on polished rock), traversing a short slab to get to the namesake traverse crack, and the slab section at the end (one bolt).

Ben Crowellwrote:

Fingertip Traverse is pretty classic. There's a reason that, before WW II, the So Cal rock climbing section of the Sierra Club used to do trips to Tahquitz where everybody would climb it over and over. Although MP lists both the Trough and FT as 5.4, that's pretty misleading. There is a definite difference in difficulty.

The hardest parts on the Trough are both awkward spots: a squeeze through a chimney in a bulge, and grovel across a little headwall before Pine Tree Ledge. (The latter can be done more elegantly by side-pulling, if you have the confidence.)

The hardest parts of FT are inserting into the layback section (underclinging, with feet on polished rock), traversing a short slab to get to the namesake traverse crack, and the slab section at the end (one bolt).

Although being a traverse FT can be a scary lead and follow.

Tradibanwrote:

Although being a traverse FT can be a scary lead and follow.

True, but if you want to you can totally sew it up with cams and by slinging the trees, and the first tree is a nice spot to rest and catch your breath. Beginning leaders should definitely be warned to protect the traverse adequately for their follower.

The Trough is fun. It can be a shit show if crowded. Personally, I think Angel's Fright is better, just a bit to the right of the Trough. It's harder, for sure, but very doable. Fingertrip Traverse is a neat climb but lots of possible places to turn the wrong way and be exploring Tahquitz 5.7-5.8. And, also, the actual "Traverse" is pretty scary for some folks. I once led it, leaving lots of pro for my follower, and found him totally pinned and shaky after he crossed that. It feels very exposed and if you aren't used to that kind of climbing it's a hard version of easy. 

Trough is very mellow and not at all exposed feeling. Fingertrip is several steps above in difficulty as far as routefinding and moves (still pretty chill and also a conga line). Fingertip traverse is excellent for the grade and far better than the trough; although, some minor route-finding ability is required and the traverse itself is definitely not for a beginner, but it isn’t necessarily difficult 

Jeff Jwrote:

What do you like better about it?  I've read some reports that The Trough has a lot of awkward squeeze chimney type shit.  Perhaps FT Traverse has less of that and more interesting moves?

Just to clarify, there's no squeeze chimney on the Trough. This is me on the most scenic part, the last pitch, after Pine Tree Ledge. Super easy climbing but nice exposure here.

Andrew Ricewrote:

The Trough is fun. It can be a shit show if crowded. Personally, I think Angel's Fright is better, just a bit to the right of the Trough. It's harder, for sure, but very doable. Fingertrip Traverse is a neat climb but lots of possible places to turn the wrong way and be exploring Tahquitz 5.7-5.8. And, also, the actual "Traverse" is pretty scary for some folks. I once led it, leaving lots of pro for my follower, and found him totally pinned and shaky after he crossed that. It feels very exposed and if you aren't used to that kind of climbing it's a hard version of easy. 

The discussion is about FingerTIP Traverse, not FingerTRIP.

I actually meant to recommend FingerTRIP. Yes, harder than the Trough, but such a classic climb and perhaps a better re-entry into multi-pitch for someone who used to climb back in the day? I admittedly haven’t done it in years, but I remember great climbing and pro and nothing hard or awkward….I’ll defer to those of you in the know about whether it would be too hard for someone who used to climb trad but hasn’t in 10 years.

Wendy Laakmannwrote:

I actually meant to recommend FingerTRIP. Yes, harder than the Trough, but such a classic climb and perhaps a better re-entry into multi-pitch for someone who used to climb back in the day? I admittedly haven’t done it in years, but I remember great climbing and pro and nothing hard or awkward….I’ll defer to those of you in the know about whether it would be too hard for someone who used to climb trad but hasn’t in 10 years.

I should probably mention that my partner will most likely be my wife.  She's a strong climber but has never been on a multipitch route.  

Jeff Jwrote:

I should probably mention that my partner will most likely be my wife.  She's a strong climber but has never been on a multipitch route.  

Route finding on the Finger routes can be frought with marital strife, stick to the Trough to get the lay of the land.