Avg: 3.2 from 217
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Access Issue: Restrictions January 1 - April 30
Details
THIS ROUTE IS CLOSED JAN 1 TO APRIL 30 EVERY YEAR. Please respect the closure. This will help enable Bighorn Sheep to thrive and will help to maintain positive access relationships with local land management. See the current documentation here (active through 2025): fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO…
Void of Form climbs the long buttress of rock that ends at Pontatoc Peak. The name was given when the first ascentionists of Shelter From the Storm named this massive chunk of rock the "Void of Form Buttress" after the Bob Dylan song. While Shelter From the Storm (and the only other route on the cliff at the time of writing) ascends the top half of this buttress, the first pitches of those routes climb cracks to the right to access the big grassy ledge, and then hike East to access the upper half of the buttress. The unpredictable character of the protectable features on this banded gneiss cliff led to the near death of a member of the first ascent party. In contrast, Void of Form climbs the entirety of the buttress from its lowest to highest aspect, and climbs impeccable (albeit naturally unprotectable) rock for the majority of the route.
Ten pitches of moderate but exciting climbing leads to an excellent summit, and one of the best walk-offs around. Most of the belays are on big ledges (with the exception of the 10" wide 6th pitch belay ledge), and a bivy could likely be fashioned in many places, including the summit. However, the climbing is mostly easy (5.5/5.6ish), and even the slowest parties should be able to pull off the climb in a day (hence the grade III rating).
This route is something unique for Tucson and Southern Arizona, as it is currently the longest sport route in the area, and one of the longest in the US. At an easily accessible grade of 5.9 and equipped for fast retreat with a single 70 meter rope, this route is recommendable to almost any climber. Finding, cleaning, and establishing this route took five months of effort. The hardware is all bomber and should last for decades. However, it has become quite popular. It should be possible for faster parties to pass in several places without causing anyone to be inconvenienced, but if you aren't interested in that or the alternative of waiting in line, consider climbing this during the off season or waking up early!
The pitch breakdown: (lengths are for rappelling, not necessarily the climbing line; star ratings are subjective)
Note that the approach for Void of Form takes a sharp right turn upon reaching the cliff, descends through the bushes for several meters, and then arrives at an easy to reach first bolt. There is a second line of bolts several hundred feet to the left (see route description for Signals).
1) 5.8, 30m, *: A low first bolt marks the start of the route. Climb easy ledges to a bulge, navigate around it, and then climb more easy ledges. Finish out right on a steep bowl of rock with good holds. P1 ends on "Prickly Pear Ledge".
2) 5.7, 35m, ***: Climb straight up the ramp from the belay, clip a traverse bolt for the follower, and then cross right to the main wall and a nicely featured slab.
3) 5.9, 35m, ****: Start at the left of the belay ledge and climb left around the arete, or straight up for extra spice. An airy and unlikely move left at the 4th bolt and a horizontal crack brings you back to slab terrain. After several bolts of slab, cross right at the tree (easier to cross low), and follow cracks to the belay. If retreating after pitch 3, rappel to climber's right of the tree (the bolts are climber's left).
4) 5.8, 20m, ***: an airy traverse left from the belay (photo-op) leads to big holds on a vertical face.
5) 5.8, 20m, **: a second (smaller) traverse pitch leads to the half-way ledge. Combine with P4 for efficiency, or split it in two to keep an eye on your climber.
6) 5.9, 30m, ***: a difficult start right above the belay leads to a vertical face with good holds, passing one huge ledge to arrive at an exposed belay on the smallest ledge on route. It is possible to link with P7 to skip the semi-hanging belay, if desired.
7) 5.8, 30m, *: a crux off the belay and run out after the first bolt leads to the 200' adventurous section of mountaineering-esque climbing. It would be easy to get lost here, but if in doubt the next bolt is likely straight up. Try not to fall between the first and second bolts, as you will likely impact your belayer.
8) 5.7, 30m, *: more mountaineering-esque climbing leads to a big ledge at the base of the crux overhang of the next pitch. Links with P7, slings may help reduce rope drag.
9) 5.9, 35m, ****: two bolts of overhanging bucket climbing leads to a difficult mantle (crux of the route). Surmount the crux, and climb sustained face and cracks to Black Widow Ledge under the giant roof.
10) 5.8, 20m, ***: walk far to the left to clip the first bolt, then climb up to a corner. Find a way to get established in the corner, and finish on the face to the right. It is ***highly recommended*** to step right over the roof after clipping the last bolt, look down at where you came from, and savor the exposure before pulling onto the summit.
Belay your partner to the top and then enjoy the nice hike down Pontatoc Ridge Trail with views of the Tucson basin.
Approach via Pontatoc Canyon trail( 1.5-2 miles ). Exit the main trail to the right where a fork forms an entrance to a sub-trail on the right (32º20'41.95" N, 110º53'31.02" W). Follow this trail until it turns to slabs, then cross the drainage at cairns. Follow more cairns up the boulder field, aiming for the toe of the buttress. At the top of the boulders, a short slab scramble leads to the final section, becoming a game trail that leads to the base of the route. The final 40 feet of approach passes a wooded section, then turns right into it to find the first bolt between the trees.
Allow 1.5±0.5 hours for approach and 1.5±0.5 hours for descent depending on your fitness and ego.
It is recommended to leave nothing at the base and do not try to haul on this route.
16 quick draws for the longest pitch (P9), though skipping bolts is definitely an option where the climbing is easy.
The route will likely feel over-bolted for the 5.10+ climber. While the cruxes are well-protected, due to the low angle nature of the wall there are several do-not-fall zones, especially given that a rescue 700 feet off the ground would be complicated at best. All anchors are equipped with chains and retreat is straightforward with a single 70 meter rope (but not possible with a 60). You will need a total of 19 draws if you combine P6 and P7 and plan to clip all the bolts on these two pitches.
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Tempe, AZ
Tucson
Tucson, AZ
I'm going to leave this here as this climb is in Wilderness:
wilderness.org/infographic-…
Check out #3 and #5 in particular under "The Wilderness Climbing Ethic". It will be interesting to see if this climb and it being released so publicly ends up being a good thing for the Tucson climbing community. Apr 25, 2018
Presidio San Augustine Del…
Isn't anything off trail out-of-bounds? Apr 26, 2018
Port Angeles, WA
Tucson, AZ
Port Angeles, WA
1) get an early start, the route is in the shade (in May) until 11:30am
2) this route is not good for bringing a small haul bag, which I tried on a previous failed attempt, too many ledges and traverses, not worth it
3) wearing a backpack with shoes/water isn't bad at all, as the vast majority of your time is spent on 5.5-5.6 climbing
4)do the walk-off, it's so much better than repeating the bushwhack part of the approach
5)the rating of the crux pitch 9 at 5.9+ is accurate, but I thought the sustained white slippery section mid pitch was way harder than the mantle move
6) if you have to bail and rap down, it's easy, even the traversing pitches, but do single rope raps, sooo many spots your knot could get stuck with double rope
7) standout pitches: 3, 6, 9
Major props to the team that put this up, the thought of hammering in all those bolts by hand makes my shoulder ache! May 4, 2018
San Diego, CA
Tucson, AZ
I will happily remove bolts that the community deems unnecessary, but I have to say that I disagree about the route being very over-bolted. I wonder if you feel the same way about the 5.11/5.12 climbs on Mt. Lemmon with bolts every 6 feet or less? The average bolt spacing on Void of Form is about 10 feet, some more some less, which is fairly similar to other routes in the area (Steel Crazy probably being the most similar in difficulty, length, and style).
Of the other long sport routes in the country (and the world, for that matter) I believe Void of Form is rather conservatively bolted. Go climb Theater of Shadows or Sinocranium in City of Rocks (both very fun routes) where you can literally unclip a bolt at your knees and clip the next one at your face. That is not the story here. I recommend checking out the incredible climbing in El Potrero Chico, Mexico (the multi-pitch sport climbing capital of the world). I expect you will find the body-length bolt spacing to be extremely similar to Void of Form.
Given that many 5.9 climbers (probably many solely sport climbers who have never had to deal with a no-fall zone) are likely to jump on this route, combined with the somewhat unpredictable character of banded gneiss, and the complicated nature of a high angle rescue, we decided to err on the side of caution. If you prefer 20+ feet per bolt, you are perfectly welcome to skip every other one.
That being said, we put a lot of time, effort, and money into this route, and want it to be absolutely the best possible experience for everyone who climbs it. If many 5.9 climbers think less bolts would be better, I will be glad to get my bolts back, and it will be on the community and the climber if somebody is seriously injured. May 6, 2018
East Providence, RI
I am curious if there are plans to make the approach trail a bit more sustainable. I will echo Andrew's concerns about it being really erosion prone. Not a huge issue with a couple people using it here and there. But if this route gets lots of traffic it may be worth looking into. May 20, 2018
Tucson, AZ
We had some plans to establish a better trail, but since trail building in the wilderness is not allowed we decided to cancel this effort. There are probably 30-50 cairns on the approach. If you did not find these my guess is that you got lost pretty early. Ending up in the middle of the second pitch sounds epic!
I'm not sure what you mean by "exaggerated exposure" in the pictures... I'd love to see some photos from other climbers posted, as I'm sure others can do better than I can.
You can easily climb this in fewer than 10 pitches. My recommendation is to link 4 and 5–really these should have been a single pitch, but the rappel is much smoother with the midway anchor. I've linked them every single time I've climbed the route. You CANNOT link pitches 6-8! None without a 100 meter rope should apply for this beta. Each of these pitches is right on at about 100 feet.
Too many chains is accurate only if you want to be carrying double 60 meter ropes out there or commit to no easy retreat. We thought we would do a favor to anyone who prefers to take a single 70m rope and establish ~100 foot pitches with chain anchors. The exceptions as I mentioned are pitches 4 & 5, which traverse and needed a mid anchor at about 20 meters for the rappel. Also pitch 10 is quite short, but the huge ledge traverse and climbing around roofs and corners adds some gnarly rope drag in my experience.
There's at least a sentence for each pitch, what more info would you appreciate without giving what some might call too much beta? Finally, which bolts should be removed? If MP commenters can decide on specific bolts that do not endanger a ledge fall to be removed, I'll happily go get my bolts back. Jun 9, 2018
First off, thank you for your contribution. The climbing itself was alright, found myself high stepping a lot. It does feel heavily bolted and maybe some of the stations could be moved?
But it was amazing fun. I thought it was really cool to have an 5.9 bushwacky adventure climb. The location was stunning. I like how accessible it is and seems like a good route to take up beginners without sketching them out. Honestly, I could care less how many bolts it has, skip em if you don’t want em.
Thanks for your time! Jul 1, 2018
Tucson
Tucson, AZ
Commenters: So much hate! Who shit in your salads?
Sam Stanton not too sure how you got lost on the approach being such a seasoned Sedona climber...Helen Keller could see those cairns....
We did it a few days ago at night and it was a total blast (might have been frowned upon, so apologies there).
My comments - one bolt was in a weird spot putting the biner on the hanger side in direct contact with the rock...90% sure an actual fall on it would probably break the biner. Can't remember which pitch it was, it was close to the anchors from the previous one though. A bolt was right above it so you could easily back clean it or skip it, def a no-fall zone regardless of how you approach mitigating it.
A few pitches were a bit soft by lemmon standards; you put this up for 5.9 climbers though and I think anyone climbing in that grade should by all means go into this climb confidently and not be scared of being sandbagged - it really is fantastic. Since it was nighttime we have no idea what the exposure was like, but the climbing was more often than not subvertical/slabby. Beta: think "buckets" like lower lemmon/La Milagrosa, more deep edges than jugs.
Definitely worth getting on for the adventure. Thanks for putting this up guys/gals! Jul 5, 2018
Mesa, AZ
A fun route and a fun Adventure. Thank you to the team that took the time, money, and energy to put this together. With a couple of extenuating circumstances our rope team of two climbed VOF in a relaxed 5 hours. Not including hiking time.
Here’s my observations - No route spoilers
Approach: took us only an hour. We were at a relaxed pace so as not to miss the climbers trail. The climbers trail was well marked and the cairns were easy to follow. Great job creating the path to the climb.
The climb:
I thought the bolting was fine. There were several moments where I thought rope drag would come in to play because of the bolt path but I was surprised when the rope ran well with only a single extended alpine draw. VOF seems to thoughtfully protect ledgefalls and the path as much as possible. I thought the first bolt on the route was kind of funny because it was maybe six feet off the ground and then my partner pointed out that the first bolt kept the rope from running through a cactus; this protects the fauna and the rope. Everybody wins! If you feel it’s overbolted just don’t clip ‘em. That being said I felt that some of the climbing could have been protected traditionally. But I understand the spirit and intention of the climb too.
A couple of pitches are so-so climbing but there are some fun ones too. Bound to happen with any long climb.
I think my favorite was either pitch 3 or pitch 9. The roof problems were Straightforward and fun and the climbing after was enjoyable.
Difficulty-wise this seems like a soft nine to me. If you’re leading nine’s, and not sure about climbing VOF, I say go for it.
We climbed this in mid October and didn’t get sun until we topped out at about 1:30pm.
We had a fun time on VOF
Thanks again for putting this up! Oct 17, 2018
Tucson, AZ
Mesa, AZ
Tucson
I thought the climb was an enjoyable outing in a scenic area. Not particularly challenging (probably no more than 30-40 feet of 5.9 climbing on the whole thing), but fun nonetheless. As a route developer myself, I totally understand the desire to try as hard as you can to protect people from ledge falls, and I'm sure plenty of people will appreciate all those bolts. Maybe some were unnecessary, but it'd just be silly to go out and remove them now. They're not hurting anything by being there.
Overall, I think it's a fine addition to the Catalinas multipitch collection. Nov 17, 2018
Tucson, AZ
Denver, CO
My favorite pitches were 3 and 6, some thoughtful slab moves and gorgeous views, left me with a big smile! Great belay positions on all but pitch 6 which is a hanging belay. I am currently lead 10a and felt this was a really fun full day romp! If you lead 5.9 you should have no problems on this route, unless you are very weak on slab. Pitch 9 was the crux for me, my partner led it, she felt pitch 6 was harder. Slick bulge-y white granite with few holds and some fun exposure right when you are at your most tired! The bolting is very well protected and feels safe for a 5.9 leader. If you want to bitch and moan about overbolting...skip some. Sheesh.
A hold broke off for my follower on pitch 10, so watch out for loose things topping out here. All other loose blocks had been well marked with chalk "x' which we appreciated.
The hike in took about 1 hour 20 for us. We hit the summit at sunset, the hike out was brutally steep downhill but very pretty in the full moon light and took about 1 hour 45 (we were tired and hangry haha).
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to practice big wall enduro runs without hauling, or moderate leaders who want a long adventurous day out! Nov 21, 2018
Los Angeles
From the main trail to the base of the climb took a total of 80 minutes. Hiked the main trail about 1.5 to 2 miles until the obvious climbers trail goes right. There were plenty of cairns on the climbers trail to guide my partner and I to the base of the climb.
Pitches 3, 6, and 9 all felt at the 5.9 level. I led pitch 9 and it was definitely my favorite out of all the pitches.
Make sure to bring alpine draws to reduce drag especially for the traverse-linked pitches 4 and 5.
As for the amount of bolts, I surely did not mind it. There are plenty of ledges that could cause serious injury and why would the developers want that for such a long day of moderate climbing that is intended to be..well...safe ? If you want more spice then spice up the climbs with a run out by skipping bolts, or simply just find another climb. Or better yet, simul-climb!
By Mt Lemmon standards, this entire climb is mellow and not stout by any means.
This climb is a great introduction to an enduro-multi-pitch outing and any strong 5.9 leader can test their skills with this climb. Have a good time on some fun, safe, and mellow pitches. That's what the developers wanted for this multi-pitch. Make sure to stay energized and enjoy the rewarding summit views.
Descent is quite long hike down so make sure to account for about 2 hours if going at steady pace.
Also, thank you so much to the developers of this route! It was a spectacular experience. Nov 21, 2018
Scottsdale, AZ
Had a fun day out here on the 23rd, love having an adventure climb like this so close to home. Our families even hiked the Pontatoc Trail in the afternoon and watched us from below.
Agree that Pitch 3, 6, and 9 are definitely the money pitches. I didn't feel anything was exceptionally difficult and this definitely climbs at the grade - a great intro into longer multi-pitch routes for someone who is weary of committing to a more challenging Cochise or Lemmon route. The rock quality is pretty solid and there is a great variety in the type of rock encountered here; I loved coming up to the white granite on 9.
The bolting was totally fine, some bolts did feel like they were in odd spots and draws hung poorly - you should bring some alpines anyway to help drag on some pitches (1-2/4-5). Anchors were in great spots on nice ledges, we took some nice breaks on the P5 and P9 anchor (you could definitely bivy up here which would be exciting).
I feel like the beginning of the approach trail should be moved as this will likely see a good deal of erosion and is not sustainable as is. It was easy to find however and well cairned up to the start.
We did this at a leisurely pace - still full and hungover from Thanksgiving. We started from the car at 7:30, hike to turn off around an hour, another 30 to the base. Climbed it as a party of 2 in just under 5 hours with substantial breaks on a few ledges. Descent took just under an 1.5 hours.
Thanks again to the FA party - excited to see what else you guys find in this area as there is a lot of opportunity in the range here. Anyone complaining about this route should probably go find something else to climb. Nov 26, 2018
Port Angeles, WA
I will be back many times in the future. I would like to mention that rockfall is a serious hazard on this route. I had a 10lb chunk rip off unexpectedly on pitch 6, a large block moved about 6 inches on me as I tried pulling onto the ledge 15ft into pitch 9, and the were numerous other thin flexy flakes I avoided weighting throughout the climb. Thankfully the party following 1 pitch below me didnt get hit when I pulled that handhold, but their presence prevented me from cleaning any other loose pieces that day. You would be a fool to get on this route without a helmet. Nov 27, 2018
Albuquerque, NM
Tucson, AZ
mesa, az
Can't wait to take my wife up the route! Dec 16, 2018
Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
We added new ones - removing the cairns will NOT stop climbers from hiking through the desert and will in fact create far more damage and erosion going off trail. It was more than likely hikers who did it, but just saying it could happen again. Check the photo "entrance to the climbers trail" for reference if you don't run into them. That's what saved us!
With that being said - awesome route! Thanks for all the hard work in setting up this sport multi-pitch. We had a blast. May 22, 2019
Tucson, AZ
1. Combine pitch 1&2: bring lots of draws or skip some clips. Expect some rope drag.
2. Pitch 3.
3. Combine pitch 4&5: you'll end up out of sight but it's not bad.
4. Pitch 6. Tough start. Highly recommend you combine with pitch 7. We didn't. You should. The hanging belay is not necessary.
5. Pitch 7. Mostly easy, run-out climbing.
6. Pitch 8. Could have combined with 7... but I'd suggest combining 6&7, then keeping 8 on it's own.
7. Pitch 9. Good to do on it's own to keep eyes on the climber at the start. Definitely the most sustained pitch.
8. Pitch 10.
My recommendation for efficiency - which leaves one climbing doing all the 5.9 pitches, and one stringing together more of the easier pitches, and skipping the hanging belay. Would need a 70m:
1. Pitches 1&2
2. Pitch 3
3. Pitches 4&5
4. Pitches 6&7
5. Pitch 8
6. Pitch 9
7. Pitch 10 Oct 29, 2019
Tucson
p3 is best moves of a climb with tons of great moves and fun climbing.
Long moderate, fun moves, safe bolts? Would love to get on more climbs like this one!
- Nice, safe bolting. Bonus for nice pics and views--climbing is not too exposed, but enough to enjoy the view.
- approach and descent has many cairins. Even me, known to get lost easily, had a fine time on finding trail.
- some loose rock - be careful for people below you, and it should be fine. (Tried to X one esp thin wobbly flake-- maybe rain/melting ice wash away the chalk X though) Dec 31, 2019
Seattle, WA
Catalina, AZ
Tucson, AZ
here are some things that i wish i new before starting:
-we did the approach at night, and then camped at the base of the climb so we could start at sunrise and have plenty of time. it is possible to camp at the base, but if you do not want 4 hours of sleep at most, uneven sleeping surface and a punctured pad i would highly recommend not camping at the base.
-we only brought flip flops and climbing shoes, the approach can be done in flops but it will suck, thorns will puncture your feet, and and your feet will hurt.
-there is cell phone service in the canyon
-if you plan to link pitches use slings and a thin rope like a 9.1mm
-on pitch 9, in my opinion, the crux is not the start but more so the sustained climbing after the start.
-if you have the means to bring a bottle of chocolate milk with you, do it, chocolate milk is the perfect summit drink. no cap. Nov 7, 2020
Tucson, AZ
and unfortunately i did not have any chocolate milk at the summit because i did not have the means to carry it with me and simultaneously keep it cold. but i was thinking that the summit would be that much more gratifying if i did have some cold chocolate milk. however if you do have the means to bring chocolate milk with you and keep it cold the entire time, by all means go right ahead because that would be so dope. no cap. Nov 16, 2020
South Bay
1. p1-2 Easy to link, definitely combine these two.
2. p3 Can't Imagine trying trying to link this with the fourth pitch, best to do separately.
3. p4-5 We thought linking the two traverse pitches would be difficult, turns out combining these two offered the least drag.
4. p6-7 Very fun to link up, these pitches are awesome.
5. p8-9 The toughest to link by far, but worth it. Linking these two pitches make for the best part of the climb. Back cleaning and using alpine draws makes it manageable. Bring alot of draws for linking these two. Didn't make a count, but you'd need 25+
6. p10 (No way you could link this with 9, very short pitch)
I skipped quite a few bolts on every pitch, but I really appreciate how the developers kept safety in mind, uber-safe sport climbing with great views. I originally thought that this climb would be about the adventure and not the climbing. I was wrong, there's some seriously fun moves on every pitch. I'd recommend this climb to anyone, it's just that good. Dec 10, 2020
Seattle, WA
Glenwood Springs, CO
Combined pitches 1&2, 3, 4&5, 6&7, 8, 9, 10.
Thank you Kevin, you did a phenomenal job! Mar 14, 2021
Tucson, AZ
Link
P1-2
3 alone
4-5
6-7
Then 8-10 each individually. Jun 5, 2021
Parking: park here to hike in Richard McKee Finger Rock Trailhead (this lot apparently closes at 6pm but we got back at 8pm and the gate was still open) If you know a better place to park, please let everyone know!
Approach: follow the already listed instructions for Pontatoc Trail. For us who are in decent shape, and all in our 40s it took 1:45 to find the base of the route. The side trail is not super noticeable but a small cairn and a few rocks that look to block the side trail are good markers. Once you cross the washout pay close attention to find the trail. Head towards the “cave” looking area but stay left of the big bushy area at the bottom of the face to find the first bolt.
Climbing: opening pitches are a bit bushy. Avoid the cacti. Don’t let previous reviews confuse you. The actual climbing sections were 5.7 to 5.9. There are some scrambly bits between some bolts. Low first bolt on each pitch and entire climb was well protected with good exposure. Linking pitches is a good idea.
The walk off: go right. Immediately head down the mountain. Not a very clear path. Lots of stuff to avoid. Knees and toes was and toes were miserable heading down (remember the part where I said we’re in our 40s). We also did the hike down after sunset. 2 hours to get back to the car with beautiful views of Tucson at night.
Our group of 4 just wants to make sure every average climber knows what they are getting into. We started the hike up at 7:30am and got back to the car at 8:10pm. We’re not hard core climbers. That was the first climb over 400’ that any of us had done. It was still awesome. No regrets. The parking lot gate was still open when got there. We were super hangry so that helped.
Sincerely,
Dirty Mike and the Boys Oct 10, 2021
More like a desert alpine climbing, some loose rocks, bushes, dirt. Would not climb underneath anyone on this route.
Great protection with all the bolts. Great views. Stayed in the shade all day, which was perfect, as it was 80 in Tucson. Dec 4, 2021
Sierra Vista, AZ
Route is generously bolted and I was happy to clip every single bolt. Linking pitches used around 16 draws. Highly recommend bringing alpines to reduce rope drag. We brought a 70m rope and it was perfect. Wear a helmet, there's still loose rock on the route and parties above can knock a lot of it loose. Also look out for a few chalk x's on rocks during the middle pitches to indicate loose rock, they get pretty sizeable.
We broke down pitches as follows:
Pitch 1 (didn't link with Pitch 2 because of a party in front of us)
Pitch 2
Pitch 3
Pitch 4&5
Pitch 6&7
Pitch 8
Pitch 9
Pitch 10
Approach took 1h15m, walk off took 1h30m. Route completed in 4h30m. Start early if you don't want to get stuck behind parties. We made it to the base of the climb around 715 and were the second party to climb. Dec 4, 2021
The Old Pueblo, AZ
Colorado
Tucson
This is the descent trail for Void of Form. Picture of approximate location of 2nd rescue by SAR of 3 hikers that were attacked loaded in pics (not sure where colony is, but presume near trailside). Caution regarding this descent trail. Sep 12, 2022
Houston, TX
The Old Pueblo, AZ
The route is CLOSED during the CLOSURE. The summit trail is understood to be un official, so the route does not fall within the 400' window of an official trail. Don't worry though, there are 8 months where you are free to book a trip and climb this route! Dec 21, 2022
The Old Pueblo, AZ
Desert, NM
This is a beautiful route, in a stunning setting, and the amount of work that went into it is mind boggling. To the critics, I eagerly await climbing your better contribution to the community. Dec 29, 2022
We climbed on Dec 24. The morning temperature was 41F and the afternoon got to 59F. I was comfortable in a hoodie and pants the whole time.
The two of us consumed 4.6L of water (2.1L for one, 2.5L for the other). This is probably the minimum amout of water you'll need on this route as any other time will be warmer.
Linked pitches: 1/2, 4/5, 6/7
Individual pitches: 3, 8, 9, 10
This was a very fun adventure! Thanks so much for all of the effort that was put in to this spectacular route! Dec 26, 2023
USA
The Old Pueblo, AZ
The FS updates the closure on a yearly basis, they're late getting it published this year, but stated that it will be in effect as usual. I'll try and update the link when the 2024 order is published.
Fortunately there's tons to climb around Tucson in January other than VOF Dec 27, 2023
Bellevue, WA
Phoenix
United Kingdom
Tucson, AZ
Calgary
The hike in took us 1hr 10min, hike out 1.5hours. Climb itself was just over 4 hours. Pretty chilly in the shade (and that's coming from two Canadians :P) but we had a blast. Agree that the move at the beginning of P6 was the hardest part. That crux/ step out on P9 wasn't too hard just took some thinking. I honestly thought the hardest move was right off the ground over that bulge between the 1st and 2nd bolts on P1 haha.
Thanks to all involved putting this up. We loved it! Nov 21, 2024
Peoria, AZ
If you’re thinking about doing this climb…it’s worth it. :) A few things to consider:
1) Definitely bring some long slings or alpine draws to help with some of the rope drag if you’re linking up pitches. Linking is definitely the way to go.
2) Expect a line if you go on a Saturday. We got to the base of the climb at 10:30am and didn’t get off the ground until about 1pm - there were four to five parties ahead of us. We finished in about five hours total.
3) Have a strong mental game for slab. I’m a super comfortable 5.9 leader in the gym but I gotta admit the slab had me freaking out at times. Trust your feet, they’ll stick.
4) Bring headlamps. We hiked down in the dark—very cool view of the city but without headlamps it would have been a little dodgy.
5) The hike up to the base of the climb took about an hour, the hike down the ridge line took about two hours.
6) We climbed this late Nov, had shade until about 2-3pm. I brought 2.5 L of water and consumed it all. I recommend a light long sleeve layer for when you’re in the shade or if you’re there when the sun goes down. Wish I had flip flops when I was at the belay stations to give my dogs a break.
That’s all I got for ya. Enjoy! Nov 24, 2024
Grand Rapids, MI
AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Bolt beta...
Climbed November 2025 - there was a missing bolt hanger on pitch 7 and 6-8 spinners that we hand-tightened best as possible. Linked pitches 1 & 2, 4 & 5, 6 & 7, 8 & 9. Skipped several bolts, and still used all 20 draws we brought. If linking these pitches, you may want to bring more. Alpine draws are strongly recommended to avoid some rope drag. Nov 3, 2025
Approach- The GPS coordinates are accurate. You'll see a small trail to the east (right) of the main trail (there was actually a blue surveyors flag that could be seen). Follow it. There is a big cairn off to the right of the trail a few minutes in that is on a large flat area that looks like a campsite--don't go there. Keep on the subtrail until you get to the slabs that lean downward to the creekbed. You can't miss them. Then walk along the tops of the slabs (don't go into the creekbed at first sight of the slabs--keep going) until the cairns take you across the creekbed and up into the boulder field. You'll see cairns and rough trails heading up to the wall. Eventually you'll likely lose cairns (at least we didn't see anymore). When that happens keep going up and trending right toward the wall. When you get to the wall, you'll go downward and climber's right until you see the start (small ledge with a bolt...there's actually a bolt below the ledge close to the ground if you prefer to start there). 80mins.
Climb: We linked 1&2, 4&5, 6&7. If linking, bring 20 draws minimum. With 1&2 linked, I used 20 draws and skipped ~4 bolts just like Nat Mann. Alpine draws helpful on pitch 1&2 (crazy amount of rope drag...you can see from some of the photos where one would help). 1&2 had a few tough slabby moves, but is a great intro to the whole route. Start to pitch 3 was a little dicey given the positioning and move over the arete, but foot work and moving over the arete early wins the day. The missing hanger on pitch 7 is inconsequential because of solid rock and close bolts, but be aware of it. Didn't feel any spinners this time (strong hands by Nat Mann). Biggest crux for us was probably mid-way through pitch 9 after the listed "crux". Something about the slabby face. The other cruxes were mainly roofs to pull over which had solid jugs and shouldn't be a problem for any 5.9 climber. Belay ledges were large and flat and made the whole thing that much more enjoyable. We climbed early November and had complete shade until we topped out at 1:15pm. Took us about 5 hours but that was a very relaxed 5 (snacks, stories, etc). 2-2.5L water. Having a puffy or windbreaker can help with the shade. Communication is a little tricky when linking long pitches (1&2 were the worst for us).
Descent: Eventually you link up with a real trail, until then you'll trend down the ridge staying closer to the ridgeline than I would have initially expected. Cairns eventually pop up. Google maps or AllTrails can be a big help. Took us about 90mins.
Enjoy! I call this a classic. Nov 11, 2025
If it is, it would be possible to climb this route by rappelling down from the top, and then climbing back up. Has anyone done this?
It would require hiking on the Pontatoc Canyon Trail to the top of the ridge and then finding the bolts on the top for the rappel. I’ve never been up there, does anyone know if they would be easy to find? Is it an obvious top of the ridge where the route ends and the rappel down would begin?
I would love to climb the route in this way if possible! I’m thinking about climbing it next week if possible.
I see it is a NW facing route. Does it get sun at any point during the day? Feb 8, 2026
The Old Pueblo, AZ