All Locations > New Mexico > Albuquerque Area > Sandia Mountain… > La Cueva Canyon… > Windward Wall

Blender Head

Name: Blender Head
Rating: 2.4

5.8 YDS 5b French 16 Ewbanks VI- UIAA 15 ZA HVS 4c British

Routes in Windward Wall

L › R R › L A › Z

	Blender Head T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Good Clean Fun S 5.11- 6c 22 VIII- 22 E3 5c
	Learn to Swim T,TR 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a PG13
	Lee Side, The T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Leftist Tendoncies T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a R
	Storm Warning T 5.11c/d 7a 24 VIII 25 E4 6a
	Windward Passage, The T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a

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Type:	Trad, 175 ft (53 m), 2 pitches
GPS:	35.20393, -106.44943
FA:	John Kear, Greg Newmark, Dave Benyak 8/13/95
Page Views:	1,125 total · 5/month
Shared By:	Bill Lawry on Jun 7, 2009
Admins:	Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: SANDIA CREST CLOSURE ALERT - Beginning APRIL 30, 2026, 140 acres at the top of the Sandia Mountains is under a closure order. Details

Beginning APRIL 30, 2026, 140 acres at the top of the Sandia Mountains will be under a closure order so the Forest Service can complete two different projects. The first project is an extensive "fuel reduction project" and the second is the demolition/remodeling of the whole upper parking lot and crest house. The Crest Road and all parking areas above the 10k parking lot will be closed in addition to the 140 acres of forest that will be under going the fuel reduction work. The closure will be enforced from April 30, 2026, at 6 a.m. through January 15, 2027, at 6 a.m., unless rescinded. You can find the official area closure order 03-03-05-26-02 on the forest website, where it describes the parking areas and trails that the agency will close at: fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/alerts. For more information visit fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/news… or contact the Sandia Ranger District Office at 505-281-3304.

Description

See Sandia Rock by Mick Schein (2003, Sharp end Publishing) for a good description.

Schein's guide indicates to belay P2 near a tree. We set a belay lower at about 30 meters from the start, just right of the short chimney (semi-hanging belay). From that lower belay one can head up about 10 feet, get in some pro, and traverse left to the finger crack. If the belay is set this way, I'd give the second pitch a "great" rating, and first pitch is "okay" to "good" and needs pruning as of June 2009.

Location

Starts about 50 feet up and left of Good Clean Fun on an ample ledge with two alder trees (June 2009): one young and short, one around five inches in diameter and broken off at the trunk.

Protection

Standard rack up to 4 inches.

Blender Head can be climbed as one long pitch or two separate pitches. If climbing as one pitch, there is a fixed anchor at the top and you'll want to consider bringing more protection and judiciously extending to mitigate rope drag. If climbing as two pitches, you'll build a gear anchor at the top of the first pitch and have a fixed anchor at the top of the second pitch. A double rope rappel from this fixed anchor will get you to the ground or rappel Storm Warning or Good Clean Fun with two single rope rappels.