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Bad Moon Rising

5.11a, Sport, 90 ft (27 m),  Avg: 3.5 from 150 votes
FA: Jerry Messinger 1989
Oregon > Central Oregon > Smith Rock > (q) Mesa Verde Wall
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Description

Exciting route!
Start out with some wicked crimping down low (short people will probably hate this). Follow bolts up the small knobs on the face to the roof and crank through it to the anchor.

Location

Right of the arete of Moons of Pluto. Look for the roof at the top of the pitch.

Protection

draws

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Working hard on bad moon rising.
[Hide Photo] Working hard on bad moon rising.
Cool climb
[Hide Photo] Cool climb

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Andy Laakmann
Bend, OR
  5.11a
[Hide Comment] I only followed this, but the climbing is awesome. Crimpy at the bottom. Increasingly difficult knob pulling in the middle. And a big ol' roof at the end! Definitely a spicy lead above the last bolt... An excellent climb, and much longer than it looks - a 60m just makes the rap. May 13, 2007
1Eric Rhicard
Tucson
 
[Hide Comment] The initial moves off the stacked rocks get your fingers prepared for the better climbing above. Edges, knobs and a roof move how cool is that. Jun 15, 2008
[Hide Comment] Great route, but sort of weirdly bolted at the top... usually, most any place you get to a roof, you clip over the top of the roof so you have a clean fall if you blow it. This one, the clip is under the roof, not too far from the previous clip. I could have easily clipped higher.

But I did the move, lunged to the big jug over the lip, and all was well. I was a bit spooked... but I still liked it. If anyone reading this ever messed up that roof move, I'd be curious if that was a clean fall. Post up... Jul 5, 2013
Chris Sepic
Bend, OR
[Hide Comment] @richard I've fallen probably > 10 times at that roof. It's a perfectly clean fall, just a bit nerve-wracking. You've got 10 bolts clipped below you so it's a super soft catch. Aug 6, 2013
[Hide Comment] Maybe it's just 'first move' vs '10 bolts of getting into the zone' bias, but I honestly don't get the guide's marking the ceiling as harder than the start.

Onsight I'd agree the roof is the crux, because you can't *help* but look at the start before you go. But knowing what to do helps a bunch at the ceiling, nothing will make those two awful feet you start on not suck. Jul 19, 2015
Mateo San Pedro
OR
  5.11a
[Hide Comment] My 2 cents: The start was pretty easy. I excel at crimps but the starting crimps are pretty incut and you are going for a even bigger and more incut holds above. Just smear your feet! I didn't think the start was that bad. Move for move, fresh or not, the roof has harder moves and is the crux.

The bolting is fine. If you fell clipping the chains, ok, having the bolt below the roof is not ideal but those are pretty massive holds once you pull around the lip. Glad I got on this while I was back there, even though I didn't want to push my finger recovery too fast! I liked it more than Moons and Zonkers! If you climb the grade (or don't), tie in and get after it! Jun 22, 2016
Ben Murphy-Baum
Victoria, BC
  5.11a/b
[Hide Comment] The nubbins get progressively worse the closer you get to the roof, so I'd say not losing balance or blowing the feet prior to reaching the roof was my crux, just because you start getting pumped out and can no longer hang around thinking about what to do between moves for very long. Great lead, exciting at the top Mar 20, 2017
Quincy aka Tiffany Samson
Seattle, WA
  5.11a
[Hide Comment] First bolt is low, but I still recommend stick clipping as the base is unlevel. I thought pulling through the crimpers up to the 3rd bolt and a couple moves to the 4th were harder physically than the crux. The crux is more of a mental puzzle. (This may just be a factor of sore fingers at the end of a long weekend, as at that point crimping was harder than knob pulling.) Knob pulling in the middle is .10 climbing similar to the other routes on the wall although a little harder from bolts 9-10. From 10th on up it's a bit more technical. Nice rest position under the roof. There isn't a big jug above the roof, just more nubbins. If you fall while trying to crank on the holds above the roof before getting up, it's just a mid-air swing. Above the roof just keep your head on, it's similar knob pulling as mid-route, just more slabby. Sep 17, 2018
Sergey Shelukhin
Seattle, WA
 
[Hide Comment] The start detracts a lot from this route imho. Stick clip as high as you can... I have no idea how shorter people even make the first move off the cheat rock pile, and crimps at bolts 2-3 are very sharp and unpleasant (not the typical knobs). After bolt 3 it's a 5-star line with thin moves and a roof mantle onto knob-jugs. Jan 19, 2021
Ryan Wood
Bend, OR
 
[Hide Comment] Not sure if some key holds have departed but this felt harder than American Nirvana. Jan 16, 2022