PRINT: Rock Climb South Face Right, Taos Area

South Face Right

5.9-, Trad, 80 ft (24 m),

Avg: 3 from 21 votes
FA: Rich Strang and Luke Laeser, Fall 1996
New Mexico > Taos Area > Tres Piedras > S Rock

Access Issue: Some rocks in this area are on private property. Seasonal Raptor Nesting. Details

The remainder are on US Forest Service land. A map detailing the public areas can be obtained from the ranger station en route to the rocks from the village of Tres Piedras.
According to Jan Studebaker: "The property line mountainproject.com/v/new_m… runs from approximately the current east corner by the access gate in a straight line over the top of South Rock to the top middle of the Chicken Heads/Mosaic Wall mount, and from there west down the mount slope to the meadow just south of the Alley climbs. Some of the most popular routes are completely on private property. There are survey markers on the top of South rock (the mysterious aluminum stake stuck in the rock) and on top of the Mosaic rock (most of the time buried in water in a pot hole.)"

An online Tres Piedras Route Guide lamountaineers.org/Tres_Pie… from LA Mountaineers has been updated with the latest access information, and should be read by all Tres Piedras climbers. Group climb leaders, and Climbing Directors (future or past) should take particular note.

The landowner requests NO fires, no trash, no chalk and "please close any gates". Basically, be a good steward of the land.

In order to nurture greater landowner acceptance of climbers, participants of group climbs are requested to organize quick clean up activities before leaving the area; this should include the climbing area as well as the access roads (trip leaders could supply plastic grocery bags). Small parties should practice "leave no trace" principles.

Seasonal Raptor Nesting:
This climbing area is shared with raptors that nest on the cliffs. Help us maintain access and please avoid climbing near active nests/ledges that raptors are using. If a raptor is disturbed during nesting season it may exhibit aggressive defensive behaviors like vocalizing or dive-bombing. If you witness this behavior, retreat from your climb immediately and find a location on a different formation or a different part of the wall far enough away from the raptors that they are no longer noticeably agitated. If they remain agitated, then please leave the area immediately.
Raptor awareness is especially important during nesting season from mid-February to late May but needs to be considered through the end of August. Please report disturbed and/or nesting raptors to the Carson National Forest the appropriate district office (see below) and share relevant information here on MP. Human-raptor encounters can have negative impacts for the birds and climbers in the area. The Cason NF wants to maintain climbing access while protecting raptor reproduction and relies on climbers to recreate responsibly and share information in order to avoid the need for formal raptor closures.

Questa Ranger District
(575) 586-0520
Camino Real (Comales Canyon) Ranger District
(575) 587-2255
Tres Piedras Ranger District
(575) 758-8678
El Rito Ranger District
(575) 581-4554

Description

This climb, the rightmost of the 3 bolted routes on South Rock, is another overlooked climb at Tres Piedras. It's well-protected, on good rock, with fun climbing. It's an excellent choice for someone breaking into the 5.9 grade at TP.

Start just to the left of the Eagle's Nest crack.
Cruise up fun face climbing on good rock with good horizontal holds, you pass through some overlaps. The crux is pulling through a bulge up high and protected by a bolt. As with many climbs at TP, move left or right a few feet as it feels appropriate so as to find the easiest passage.

Location

This is the right of the 3 bolted lines on the south face of South Rock. This climb begins just left of the obvious crack climb Eagle's Nest.

This is Unknown climb #6 in Taos Rock.

A common anchor for the 3 bolted climbs is reached by this route, and a single rope rappel gets you down.

Protection

4 bolts protect most of this route, but you'll likely place a couple pieces of gear (probably on the smaller side things, from TCUs up to #1 camalot).

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Right most bolt line on the wall directly underneath the anchor.

Andrew running up the route on top rope.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Laeserguns
Lost Almost, NM

FA by Rich Strang and Luke Laeser, Fall 1996. We never named theses three routes. We also didn’t place the anchor on the right one. Nov 24, 2021

William Penner
The 505

I added the anchor in the early 2000s, Luke. I love doing these routes as a package warmup—great job putting them up!

William Nov 26, 2021