See https://www.southernnevadaclimbers.org/wag-bags for more information on the program.
The problem is geometric; its solution requires many techniques. Three amazing pitches grace this outing. Sew it up
P1 the approach pitch. Step up and spiral right around the front of the buttress to gain a crack system in black rock on the right side of the buttress. Continue to the top of the buttress. Rope drag in the flakes may dictate an intermediate belay. If an oak leaf needle problem is preferred, this pitch can be shortened by thrashing up the gulley of choice. ~50 meters, perhaps 5.7.
P2 Up the corner/crack to the first trash compactor roof/chock-stone. Pass this on the left. Belay in the rubble pile above the chock-stone. The rope is sure to jam in cams placed in the roof; if you can keep the cams clear of the rope, the rope will jam in the roof crack itself. ~30 meters, 5.10ish, #4 camalot useful getting past the roof.
P3 Up the corner/crack to the second trash compactor roof/chock-stone. Pass this on the left. Near the top of the chock-stone, place gear and step left past the narrow band of black rock. What the heck are those rappel bolts for? If you belay at these bolts, consider the consequences of a leader fall in the cruxy moves off the belay. Move left of the bolts and up the tricky face and changing corners to a final trash compactor roof/chock-stone. Nuts and the thinnest cams are useful; this section protects better than it looks. Pass the chock-stone on the left to a good belay stance. 5.10ish, ~30 meters
P4 Up the tight, gently overhanging tight-hands crack/corner into the eye of the needle. Dimensional trickery permits needle threading. A short pitch, ~20 meters; the belay at the start of this pitch takes the same gear as the tight hand crack, so extra gear in the black metolius #5 (black) to yellow camalot may be in order. Once the needle is threaded, it is possible to escape due right for ~60 meters of 3rd class crossing Myster Z, then 20 meters 3rd class up and right to a down-climb into a gullymore oak trees and down-climbing. Or.
P5-7 Once the needle is threaded, continue up the wide crack/corner (wider than #4 camalot) which narrows, ramps left, and steps right into another crack/corner system. Near the top of this 2nd crack/corner system, step left into the left facing crack corner system that will become the final pitches of Rose Hips. About three 60 meter pitches will gain 3rd & 4th class slabs. Perhaps 5.7 in a spot or two, but mostly 5.4ish.
Descend by scrambling toward the Brownstone Wall and hiking the trail down Juniper Canyon.
Find the point where a nondescript pink/white/black blob of a buttress descends to the creek bed at the mouth of Juniper Canyonjust left of a monstrous roof. This point is perhaps 30 meters from where the trail enters the creek bed. Rope up up and left of the true toe of the buttress.
Standard rack" to #4 camalot. Consider some micro cams (metolius 00 and 0 can be placed). Add extra hand/thin hand cams for belay at the top of P3 if desired. Dont forget nuts. There is a bolted rap station to oak leaves in the middle of pitch 3.
Cambridge, MA
Three pitches of fun 5.10 climbing with good jams and good protection where it counts. The traverse between roofs on pitch 3 is wild and exposed, with good small protection (nuts and a .1 C4). Pitch 4 is difficult with a pack but well protected - If you have a pack trail it below you.
This route should see more traffic than it does! Nov 27, 2019
Aspen, CO and Davis, CA
Cambridge, MA
We didn't use any nuts, but I enjoyed having BD 0 and 00 micro cams for P3. The micros aren't really essential for safety in my opinion (there's good gear about a body length below and a clean fall line), but they take the edge off a tricky part.
We did the walk off the the right. It was kind of long and unpleasant. I would probably just climb to the top and link into the brownstone wall if I did this again. Nov 12, 2020
Cambridge, MA
Mammoth Lakes, CA
On the road
The 3rd pitch was one of the best I’ve done in a long, long time!
P4, well... I hope you like tight hands. Dec 26, 2020
Tempe
If you want to do the first pitch, rope up right off the true toe of the buttress. If you wanna skip it, walk up to the top of pitch one from the left side of the buttress.
Rack(BD size):
3x (#0.75-1 - this is literally what the first two or three belays take, and cracks, you could even have four #.75 if you want), 2x (#2-3, 0.5), and 1x (#00-0.4, #4) + nuts and lots of long slings (if you plan on simuling, I’d bring 12+ long slings, and as many double length slings as possible.
If I did this again, I’d do the first pitch (the directions lead me to accidentally skip it), and link p2 with the first half of p3, belaying at the bolted anchors. Then you can ether belay in the normal spot at the top of p3, or after you thread the needle at the top of p4. ( lengths of pitches were way overestimated, and easy to join if you are good at extending/placing pieces to control drag) Feb 23, 2021
Salt Lake City, UT
Las Vegas, NV
Vanlife
Definitely wouldn't break up the second, easy chockstone pitch and needle pitch, would be quite awkward to belay at the base of the needle. Belaying from the bolts was chill with the first piece being the anchor bolt. I think that combining both pitches from the top of P2 would not incur too much rope drag. Apr 18, 2023
Cincinnati
(edit: new bolts are not allowed here, as pointed out in another comment)
Also, I was expecting rope management to be tricky based on comments here, but it seemed pretty straightforward. Don't let that possibility keep you off of this thing, just be thoughtful about it. Jan 13, 2025
Cincinnati
Cambridge, MA
Also, the "approach pitch" is superfluous. We started in the alcove at 36.11437, -115.48890 and climbed through to the bolt anchor. The moves off the belay are totally fine. You can do the rest of the needle in a single pitch from there. This climb would definitely be improved by rap anchors there. I doubt even the landed gentry want to besmirch themselves with the filthy pitches above. Apr 27, 2025