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Spiders From Mars/Lower Royals Arch/Ziggy Stardust

5.10c, Trad, 100 ft (30 m),  Avg: 1.5 from 6 votes
FA: Old School
California > Tahquitz & Suic… > Tahquitz Rock > (g) W Face > W Face - Left Side

Description

Spiders From Mars is a great hidden gem, some wild balancey moves mixed in with some jug hauling roof action and finishes with a nice finger to hands crack.

Start from Pine Tree Ledge and traverse over and on top of the downward facing flake, its a little gritty but the moves are cool. Get to the rusty pins and a great stance then head up over the next overlap on fabulous jugs to a few finger crack moves. Some laybacking gets you up and then at the very end step right to ride the blunt arete.

Good gear, good moves, excellent position.

Ziggy Stardust and Lower Royals go under the downward facing flake, which I don't recommend because of loose flaky rock and so-so gear. Ziggy pulls the roof under the pins while Royals traverses left and around the corner past two pins with some red cord on them.

Location

Big roof left of The Trough, even with Pine Tree ledge.

Protection

All kinds.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Fiddling with gear, aka stalling, at the start of the pitch.  July 1998.
[Hide Photo] Fiddling with gear, aka stalling, at the start of the pitch. July 1998.
Picture taken on 11/28/2021. Be Careful!
[Hide Photo] Picture taken on 11/28/2021. Be Careful!

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Tradiban
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] If anyone has beta on the condition of the rocks on these route, please post. I' m going to go back on rap to check them out soon. Also, looks possible to bypass the nasty traverse by going a little up Piton Pooper and traversing left over the roof towards the two obvious pins over the roof.

I should also note that the lone bolt on The Passover is a homemade aluminum hanger with a 1/4 bolt, shit! The two bolts on Chin Strap are also rusty junk. Avoid! Aug 20, 2017
AJ
[Hide Comment] I remember thinking this route was really good. The wild roof system and then a sweet thin crack. I didn't think it was dangerous but exciting/exposed, a good Tahquitz adventure. Maybe something changed since then and it became dangerous? I think I have a picture I can post. Aug 21, 2017
Tradiban
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] It's just the roof system I thought was pretty bad. Maybe start by going over the downward facing flake? Aug 21, 2017
[Hide Comment] Again, like Scarface, I thought that I had added least one of these to the site (Ziggy or Spiders). Basically agree with everything that AJ said. Aug 24, 2017
Tradiban
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] I'm baffled, under the roof was a junkshow, with only one solid piece, there were a bunch of other placements but the rock was thin and hollow. I will probably get back on it this weekend and take a pic. Aug 24, 2017
Tradiban
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] I climbed Spiders today, it definitely starts over the downward facing flake, a little gritty but a hell of a good pitch. I will update the description. Aug 26, 2017
[Hide Comment] A fantastic wild, sporty climbing with excellent position that deserves to get climbed more. The upper part of the crack where it widens is dirty but at that point you step out to a bulge and finish up the climb. Aug 27, 2018