Ziggy Saguarodust

At 1000m long with a little less than half of that actual climbing over a 600m rise, this climb is more of a mountaineer’s route than a rock climb. That said, there’s still a bunch of good climbing and Elephant Head never fails to deliver on adventure.

P1) Start at the very bottom of the West Buttress next to a saguaro. A long low-angle slab leads to a short crack finish to small ledge with belay bolts. This pitch can be rapped with one rope following gravity straight down. 5.3, 55m, 3b.

P2) Head up left of a vertical section with a short black water streak, angle right above the streak, then straight up past a series ledges to a final mantle and a good belay ledge with hidden bolt anchors. This pitch has two equal cruxes, passing the second bolt and the final mantle. The climb can be rapped from here in three raps (the sixth bolt is doubled with chains) on a 60m rope. 5.8, 55m, 9b.

Scramble up easy slabs over the first micro summit and down into the chimney behind it with bushes. Class 3, 60m.

P3) Start at the end of the dirt before the chimney plunges. Climb the crux to reach the first of two steep bolts then angle left after the cliff leans back through the middle of the gray face past two more bolts and belay with gear in the bathtub-sized solution pocket at the next micro summit. 5.8, 35m, 4b.

Down climb a couple meters on the backside and scramble up through the lowest notch just behind, easy 4th. Past the notch angle up and right over and down two small rock ridges to the next rock face, with parallel dikes on the right side, at the crest of the West Buttress, 76m.

Meander up the face left of the two dikes, 5.0 for 19m, continue up the easy slabs staying near the crest to a large bushy ledge. Go right (south) to a short vertical cluster of small dikes directly under an arch higher up, 60m.

P4) Climb the dikes, crux, with no gear on good rock and good holds for 6m. The wall leans back and turns into a small slot with another bulge (with gear) and opens to a dirt and loose rock filled funnel. Be careful not to play Bowling for Buddies here — the belayer would do well to belay left of the pitch. Brace on a large rock under the arch to belay. Half 5.3, half class 4, half class 3, 55m.

Climb a 4m boulder problem, 5.3, on the left wall behind the arch. Follow the dirt ramp up and left to the base of the next wall under a line of bolts, 24m.

P5) Step up into a small dirt-filled bowl to reach the line of bolts. Follow the bolts up and break right around a slight corner, keeping a headwall on the left. Continue along the base on easier climbing to a small bush with a nice hidden ledge with belay bolts. 5.7, 42m.

P6) Climb steep face past two bolts above the belay, crux, to a ledge with a short crack. Past a bolt above the crack is a short small corridor. Climb the ramp on the left wall of the corridor or the wall at the back to a low-angle face behind with one bolt near the top. Continue on easy class 3 to a summit with bolts just over the top on the backside. The top is wide, so if using a 60m rope, stop a few feet short of the bolts and sit and brace on a tall lip to belay. 5.8, 65m.

R1) Rappel down the backside to a large flat ledge, 7m.

Walk across the ledge to the next wall and belay under bolts at the start of a hidden chimney between the ledge and wall, 24m.

P7) Step across the chimney, into a large pocket, and climb the edge to a flake/dike (back clean to reduce rope drag if using a #3 or #4 to clip the second bolt), traverse right to brown water streaks with a groove, crux. Mantle onto the ledge, step up a couple times to reach the next bolt on the face above and continue straight up. A 0.5 cam in a pocket protects between the 8th and 9th bolts. A rounded top out leads past a scrub oak to a small good ledge behind a short wall. Belay from a #4 & #3 under the cap rock.

P8) Go straight up on soft grainy stone past a bush growing out of the face to the next rock summit, down and left to climb right up behind the second rock summit, then straight up the slab behind to reach the next pitch at the back of a large dirt ledge with bushes. This is the start of the long summit ridge. 5.0, 30m, no pro.

P9) The crux is getting off the ground and the rest of the pitch is much easier. Climb a short shallow groove next to a dike for 4m, traverse left on a sloper ramp to the crack above a scrub oak. When the crack pinches off at a perched boulder, move back right onto the face then straight up to rock summit with coarse grainy rock. A #4 in a small crack is useful to protect the last 5m. Staying in the corner above the boulder reduces the R factor and the climbing drops to class 4. Belay behind the rock summit on a good dirt ledge. 5.7, 23m.

P10) Move the belay 6m to the base of the next cliff. Climb easy face to an obvious crack with a couple bushes. When the crack ends and rounds onto a big ledge, do a short boulder problem on coarse rock to the next ledge and scramble to the back where the rock is good with two belay bolts. 5.5, 53m.

Unrope, scramble, and weave up the ridge crest past few easy boulder problems to the second rappel from a cable around a large rock knob, 200m.

R2) Rappel into the notch, 13m.

P11) Climb from the notch up the white slab to a broken block roof and out the cracks on the right side. Belay in a pocket formed by blocks at the end of the cracks. 5.4, 27m.

Scramble up the flattening ridge, drop into the descent gully on the right under some scrub oak after 34m. Go to the top of the gully and do an easy boulder problem to the summit behind the last bush on the right.

Descent: Rappel and scramble down the West Gulley or take the long scenic walk down the backside and around Chino Basin on the Hiker's Route.

Take the main trail to the wash below the West Gulley, after a dozen meters head up the hillside to the left towards a lone saguaro and the toe of the West Buttress.