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Los Pollos Hermanos II

5.10b, Trad, 230 ft (70 m), 2 pitches,  Avg: 2.7 from 6 votes
FA: James Wright & Chris Wright, Winter 2013/14
Oregon > Central Oregon > Smith Rock > (m) Smith Rock… > (4) Vulture Ridge
Warning Access Issue: 2023 Seasonal Raptor Nesting Closures DetailsDrop down

Description

Though it'll probably never be a classic, for the right climber it's a pretty fun outing. The route is marred by 20' of bad rock to start, but the bolts are close enough that if you've climbed enough Smith or Utah desert choss I don't think you'll mind. The rest of the climb is worth it if you're up for it - sunny rock, quality climbing, and a great position far away from the throngs below might make it a fun distraction for a solid chossineer looking to get away for the day.

P1 (5.10b): Climb past a crumbling corner to gain an overlap below a clean red face. Pull onto the face and forget the choss below as you head up through knobs and edges to a wild overhanging prow of huecos. Surmount the prow and continue up a clean slab to a two-bolt anchor. (~38m, 14 bolts, optional gear)

P2 (5.7): Step left off the anchor and pull into the water groove which takes you to the ridge. (30m, bolts & gear)

You can rap to the ground from here with a 70m rope, or you can go for an adventure and continue up the ridge via 3rd to low 5th class climbing to the plateau above Vulture Gully. From there you can top out Smith Summit's towers via the west face routes, or walk off via the trail past Cod Rock.

Location

Approach per the Watts guide to Vulture Ridge. Hike the gully to the top and look for a line of bolts on your left.

Protection

Bolts and a few gear placements. P1 will likely be all bolts for anyone up for the route, although there are a few spots you could supplement with a piece. P2 is a mix of bolts and a few placements. A single rack to 2" should be adequate. 70m rope required if you intend to rap.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The line.
[Hide Photo] The line.
View from the ridge.
[Hide Photo] View from the ridge.
JWW on the upper slab of P1.
[Hide Photo] JWW on the upper slab of P1.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

J-Wright
Salt Lake City, UT
 
[Hide Comment] So far we've had one Chris and two James' up the thing. I wonder if/when it'll see another name show up... Mar 24, 2014
Johnny MacKinnon
Hyde Park, VT
[Hide Comment] A fearful romp up some perched choss leads to 20 meters of excellent movement and inspiring position. Well down gentlemen. Climbed with Bill in May of 2014. Jun 9, 2014
BendB
Bend, OR
  5.10b/c
[Hide Comment] Shout-out to Chris and his bro for putting this route. As someone who loves adventure climbs, I had a lot of fun on this route. It's long and pretty much totally sustained to the anchor. Once you get out of the lower choss there are some really fun hero moves that involve contorting yourself out of the huecos and onto the overhang. I found the crux to be around the 6th bolt where you have to get over a bulge with no-feet and thin hands. I broke off a huge hold at the beginning and several foot-holds crumbled underneath me near the crux. You are 100% guaranteed to never see another living soul around this route so keep this route in mind when you inevitably hit one of those crowded days. Apr 29, 2018
Michael May
Redmond
  5.10+ PG13
[Hide Comment] Did the Smith rock Group Traverse via this route instead of the 5.6x Vulture gully. Not a bad route and in my opinion I'd call it 10+ and change the 20' of bad rock at the start to 40'. Sep 16, 2018