Ever wonder about the wicked arete featured in the poster at Desert Rock Sports? The Shuffle is it.
Begin 100' right of the start of Epinephrine.
P1, P2, P3: As for Texas Hold 'Em. Scramble 50' up and left across 5.0 ledges just left of a huge, yellow, hanging left-facing dihedral high above. Optional Belay on a large ledge (you can traverse this ledge to Epinephrine) with lots of bushes, otherwise: scramble left through the bushes to a small left-facing corner, up this and then traverse back right across a slab to a higher, small, left-facing corner/arete. Up this, passing a bolt, and continue more easily to a great belay ledge with bolted anchor. 130' to this point and a good place to stop and belay. From here, continue up the slab above, then diagonal rightwards across the slab (#2 or #3 Camalots in horizontals, and higher a thread) until reaching the previously mentioned huge, hanging left-facing dihedral just above a tree. Climb this to near its top where there is a bolt up and left and another one up and right (the righthand one is situated above a shelf. Either way goes, but the righthand variation is both easier and more direct. Belay just above at a good ledge with a bolted anchor. 260' to this point. Continue up the left-facing corner right of the belay to a huge, bushy terrace. Cut right through the bushes and belay on gear below a water-polished groove/crack feature at the right end of the terrace. 400' to this point and most of the climbing on these pitches checks in at 5.8.
P4 (5.10, 80'): Climb up the water-polished groove, but where Texas Hold 'Em moves left, continue up and right. Eventually this path dead-ends at a roof; step left to a mini-arete and follow a seam up to a bolted anchor beneath the business.
P5 (5.13a, 80'): Climb the amazing arete via some thin and possibly reachy moves, keeping mostly to the left side of the arete to a small rooflet and stance. Gather yourself and move right around the arete to the radically overhanging side and bust a few powerful moves before grabbing the brick and swinging back left. Continue through a v-slot to an airy belay perch. 8 bolts and an optional #2 Camalot protect, but an attentive belay is essential as falls from high on the crux could land you on the ominous slabby wall behind you. Fantastic climbing.
Two options for here - excellent, difficult climbing up the original line, or step right to the incredible Golden Desert pitch:
P6 Original (5.11c. 90'): Climb the obvious left facing corner until you're standing on a decent ledge/stance in the corner looking up at the crack slamming shut a couple of feet above you. Place some gear here with slings, then reach high and right to jugs around the arete/out right of the corner. Climb straight up this groove with no gear, but on generally positive holds until you merge back with the main crack system 20' higher. Follow a finger crack up to a hanging flake to gain the anchor ledge. 5.11c, 90'.
P7 Original (5.13a/b, 75'): Layback and squeeze up the thin splitter seam on the face using the arete for balance. Cut hard left to a hand rail at about 30 feet, then follow an easier fingers to thin hands flake to the anchor below the final pitch of Tri Tip. Bring many 0.0, 0.1, and 0.2 pieces.
P6 Golden Desert Variation (5.12a PG13, 150'): From the belay above the 5.13 arete, move left, clipping a bolt to access a steep, exposed flake system. Committing climbing up these large and sometimes hollow features brings the climber a few good rests and ultimately to a cruxy thin crack that is difficult to protect. Higher the crack opens up and accepts better gear and more of one's fingers. A rightwards crack switch and a romp up blocks leads to an anchor below the final pitch of Tri Tip. Wild position.
Rap with two ropes or with a single 80m plus some shenanigans.
N.B. There is a rather fragile and important hold on the 5.13 pitch where one turns the corner that has already broken once - use care. Hint: this is a foothold - don't even touch it with your hands.
San Diego, CA
San Diego
Bend, OR
On the topic of the fragile hold. The hold in question is the flake/jug on the arete at the beginning of the crux. The sequence definitely goes without grabbing it, but honestly, you're still putting a lot of force on it when you 'only' use it as a foot. Additionally, it's a super high foot, so when it breaks again, (geology being geology) it'll probably just make that move a little bit easier. It's so big that it seems unlikely that it'll break and leave absolutely nothing behind. Also in the photo in the guidebook, there's chalk on it on what was presumably an early ascent of the route, so clearly some locals are grabbing it. Ditto the photo of that pitch in this post.
The guidebook describes a 10c 'alternative' pitch to the first crux. This would be super bold and looked kind of terrible. It looks really sandy and loose where it's hard and spits you out in the exit moves of the crux, which you'd be pulling above thin cams in soft, sandy rock. Without having actually touched it, I can't say I'd recommend it to anyone on looks alone. Last point on this pitch is that the #2, while technically optional, is strongly recommended. You'll be stoked to have it. A better example of an optional placement is the 0.4/0.5 between the first and second bolts.
Some beta on the 5.11 pitch between the cruxes: climb the obvious feature until you're standing on a decent ledge/stance in the corner looking up at the crack slamming shut a couple of feet above you. Place some gear here, run it long, and reach high and right to jugs around the arete/out right of the corner. Climb straight up this groove on generally positive holds until you merge back with the main crack system 15-20' higher. No pro.
Handren recommends triples to 0.6" for the second crux, which using the chart in the front of the book, is up to blue metolius/green alien. The business is pretty much all gray to green C3s. I found one blue tcu placement while I was leading it, but am pretty sure that you're going to want your fingers there when red pointing. If I went back, I'd probably bring 2 gray C3s, 3 purple, and 4 green for getting through to the easier finishing crack. It's also nice to have one purple C3 left for after the crux. (maybe not as critical if you're 6' or taller) We carried but never used RPs. And you'd still want a single rack w/maybe a red c3 or two for the rest of the pitch.
Lastly, when I was here two years ago, I remember seeing fixed ropes on this thing for weeks. Seems kinda uncool to fix ropes on a route this easy and approachable from the ground for any length of time. Especially in an area with a lot of folks traveling through who would be stoked to roll up and try something like this, but won't have a clue that they're about to get sandbagged until they're all the way in the back of the canyon. Apr 10, 2021
Bozeman, MT
Bend, OR
A few additions after reclimbing this thing the other day: a 0.5 is nice for dogging through the top of the first crux pitch and I took down the fixed draws from it. I'm fairly sure they were the same ones that were there in 2019 and those dogbones haven't been in production since I started climbing in 2003. I think it's safe to say they're past their best. This time around we rapped with an 80, but am not sure I would again without specific beta for what the correct shenanigans are. Trying to figure it out OS in the dark while simul rapping wasn't sweet. Nov 8, 2022