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Hand of Sceiron

5.10+ PG13, Trad, 350 ft (106 m), 3 pitches,  Avg: 2 from 2 votes
FA: Scott Martin, Bruce Edwards, 1987
Arizona > Northern Arizona > Sedona Area > Sedona > Marg's Draw > Camel's Head Area

Description

Hand of Sceiron climbs a sweet left leaning crack/chimney system that is obvious from uptown Sedona. Has a more obscure, old school feeling. The rock quality varies, but is mostly good.
Originally, the first pitch involved some aid right before the belay, but now there is a variation to pitch 1 that goes free.
The original pitch 1 climbs a wide low angle crack to a seam and belays just left of a roof 5.7 A1.
We started to the left of the original in a crack and traversed right under stepped roofs to a crack in the limestone and a boulder problem above a bolt to the belay ledge, 5.10+, 140 feet.
The second pitch starts with sweet fingers, then angles left and becomes a shallow chimney then a hand and offwidth crack, 5.10, 170 feet.
Pitch three climbs up and left, until you can unrope and walk left, 5.9, 60 feet.

Location

Hand of Sceiron is on the NW side of Camel's Head. It is obvious from uptown Sedona as a left trending crack system. Approach as for Slingshot Rock to the Snoopy/Slingshot saddle then go slightly down and left under Tequila Sunrise along the Western toe of Camel's Head, and follow the base of the wall up to find the route. 

To get down, from the top walk East and you can climb the mini summit of Lucy then rap bolted stations to the South down Red Lung with a single 70m. Alternatively you can pass South through the notch and summit the Camels Head and rap down Frosted Flakes with two ropes from bolted rap stations. Both options require hiking back to the N side, to get back to the base, but it only takes a few minutes.

Protection

Standard trad rack with nuts, double TCU's and cams to #4. Free variation pitch 1 has a protection bolt at the crux, tested on the lead! Traversing under the roofs has widely spaced pro. No bolts at the belays. The original pitch 1 has an anchor with old webbing visible from the ground.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Red is the free variation, Green is the original. There are slings visible at the top of the original first pitch.
[Hide Photo] Red is the free variation, Green is the original. There are slings visible at the top of the original first pitch.