PRINT: Rock Climb Airy Scary, Taos Area

Airy Scary

5.11a PG13, Trad, 130 ft (39 m),

Avg: 3 from 2 votes
FA: Bruce Holthouse, late 1970s
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

The name says it all. (Although it originally had no name.)

Start below a small triangular roof, pull up to a solid-looking 1/4" bolt. Face climb up to a roof (pro in crack) and traverse right on solid flakes, or take a more direct line with scarcer pro, to a roof below a piton. Turn the roof which is surprisingly easy and protects well with a nut. From the piton to the next bolt up and right is the technical but well-protected crux with off-balance moves (AIRY!). Up from here past a 2nd piton leads to a series of knobs that lead to a deadend up and right, and the realization that what you need to do is leave the good knobs and take off on a slab traverse to the left with hands on a down-slanting "rail" about 10-15' above the pin (5.10R, SCARY!). My guess is you're looking at 30' fall if you came off on this section. Don't do that. Join the finish of Zig Zag Man through big plates/chickenheads to the top. Build a belay where convenient. Scramble right to get to the rappel anchors.

Excellent fun climbing, with intriguing moves at the cruxes and interesting route finding, but in my opinion a little bit scarier than most other climbs at the 5.11- grade at TP.

Location

Airy Scary is near the left side of the south face of South Rock. You can pick out the first bolt above a triangular roof near the ground.

Descent: 1 rappel from the top down the south side, near Eagle's Nest, with a single 60m rope.

Protection

Cams to 2", nuts. You pass 2 bolts and 2 pitons on the way.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Mike Stewart low on the route c. 2000

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Mike Howard

FA: Bruce Holthouse, ?

I bet Bruce thinks you're mad climbing above that old mank. Those 1/4"ers and pins were as good as they were ever going to be on that day he placed 'em around thirty years ago. You hang big sack long time.

"Airy Scary"...not his name for it he reminded me, he never named those routes. But he laughed hard and full when I read it to him..."that's good", he chortled. I could see the clarity of the first ascent in that pin sized pupil through his squinted eyes. I knew he meant that crux move was all that when he sent it more than thirty years ago. That is what this is all about. The unknown of a ground up first ascent and that sliver of success now, forever vanquished in the grade we read in advance in a guide. The moot-point. 11-, PG13. Risky, but do-able. No one knew then. The man's still got moxie at 60. May 27, 2008

George Perkins
The Dungeon, NM

5.11a PG13

Thanks, Mike, I really appreciate you sharing this story. It's fun to hear when someone like Bruce is happy when a fitting new name gets put on one of his climbs. This was among the best climbs I've done at TP, had me glowing for the next week. It's too scary to be truly classic. Too bad I can't touch Bruce's harder routes.

[I feel a little guilty for reducing the next person's adventure.. but I figure people who want that don't visit websites designed to share beta.]

Fixed gear description:
1st- 1/4" bolt. Looks in good shape about 20' up. Protects 5.10- climbing, no harder than Better Red Than Dead. If you're falling here, it's best if you stop now instead of going higher.

2nd- angle piton in horizontal just below technical crux (11-). This appears bomber as of May '08, and I tested it when I fell on it when my foothold broke (removing the last piece of loose rock on this climb). If you fall on this crux, it's not a big deal. It's about 8' farther to the next big bolt.

3rd- big bolt. Just after technical crux. This is not a 1970s original. To whoever replaced the original with this one, THANKS! This one will keep you from hitting anything if you fall anywhere above this.

4th- crappy upward-driven knifeblade piton. "Protects" the psychological crux. You need to make 5.10+ slab moves about 10 or 15' above this, and I wasn't confident that it will hold a fall (but I couldn't pull it out by hand). I don't think there are any other options for gear on this section. You're looking at about 20 to 30' fall (if it holds), and 10-15' more if it doesn't, but the bolt below it is big. I looked at this slab for a long time before going for it.

Both my partner and I fell once at the 5.11- crux, but got the slab at the top without coming off. We usually fall on TP 5.11a. May 27, 2008