Tooth or Consequences

Tooth or Consequences takes an obvious, but little-known line up a major arete that divides Jet Stream Wall and Challenger Wall. The route has an alpine feels as it follows varied terrain, while climbing through short well-protected cruxes on mostly high-quality rock. The final pitch summits the unique tooth feature capping the route. Fun, varied climbing to a cool summit in an off-the-beaten-path area of the park.

P1: Balancy moves pull around the roof on the left. Trend right through lower angle crack systems to the base of a small roof in the varnished wall. Move up into the red rock flare/pod and belay at a fixed anchor. 5.10. 35m.

P2: Follow the crack through soft red rock onto a varnished face of plates. Awesome climbing on bullet rock leads to a big rocky ledge. Belay at a fixed anchor. 5.8. 35m.

Move the belay 100' to the base of a white rock arete.

P3: Climb the left-side of the arete through intermittent cracks and edges to a fixed belay at a stance below a varnished face. Loose rock. 5.8. 35m.

P4: Broken cracks lead to the base of a varnished face. Thin edges and dimples meander through varnished slab. Fixed belay in a scoop below a mini-roof. Delicate movement on great rock. 5.10-. 35m.

P5: Move left off the belay and climb up to the base of a vegetated corner system. Choose your own adventure through the low-angle corners and shrubbery. 5.8. 35m.

There are three fixed stations on the ledge system at the top of P5. The rightmost is equipped with rings - this is the rap station you will use on the descent. The middle station is located on the left side of a large white block - use this to bring up your partner. The leftmost station is located on a small ledge below the middle belay - it is a good place to belay for the next pitch, but would create serious drag. Either move the belay left or belay off the middle station for P6.

P6: Begin up good edges on a short wall left of the belay. Once on the ledge above, move right around a boulder and back left to the base of a finger crack in a white dihedral. Climb up into the crack, clip a bolt on the steep white wall, and pull around the left side of the arete onto a featured face. Follow this face to a stance and a fixed belay. 5.10-. 35m.

P7: Climb up the sea of edges to a slanting ledge below the base of the tooth. Fixed belay. Classic Red Rock face climbing. Beware of a 3'x2'x1' loose block on the arete about halfway through the pitch. The path of least resistance climbs straight through this block, and if released it would likely clean out the belay below. 5.10. 35m.

P8: The Tooth! Pedal up a thin varnished slab to a stance at the base of the arete. A short bouldery crux turns the arete. Fun face climbing leads to a fixed belay on the summit. Keep a sharp eye on the leader through the crux moves - while well-protected, slack in the system could put the leader back on the slab. 5.11. 35m.

The route is located on the west side of Jet Stream Wall, between the main Jet Stream area and the Challenger Wall.

Approach as for the Challenger Wall. Park at Pine Creek Canyon and follow the south fork of Pine Creek around Mescalito. Boulder hop through the drainage until the creek forks - this is just past the Challenger Wall. Cut up and left on a trail that leads past Adventure Punks. Stay low avoiding the Challenger Wall. At this point you should be able to look up and see the tooth. Follow slabs to the base of the route.

The route begins at a right-facing scoop/roof just left of a lone pine tree. Bolts lead up the left side of the roof. This is the start of P1.

Descent:

Rap the route. All pitches are ~35m, which makes for a easy descent with one 70m rope. Some of the raps are rope-stretchers so be mindful of rope ends.

For the rap at the top of P5 (ledge with multiple stations mentioned above) use the right-most station - the only station of the three that is equipped with rap rings.

Single rack to 2.5". Most pitches are equipped with one or more bolts. 12+ draws/slings.

All belays are fixed.