Comments on Climbs at Joshua Tree by Roger Linfield May 9, 2001 The climbs in this writeup, in the 5.7 and harder difficulty range, are ones that I have climbed (or in a very few cases, started up and backed off from). Unless otherwise stated, all the climbs in this list are adequately protected. Route numbers are from Randy Vogel’s 1992 guidebook. The climbs are arranged by my ratings of their difficulty. This is not always the same as the difficulty listed in Randy Vogel's 1992 guidebook or in Alan Bartlett’s guidebook. I have made up a list of the climbs for which my rating differs from the published ones. Because many of the routes at Joshua Tree lie on northeast or southwest faces, it is often difficult to find a climb that receives morning sun (an important consideration on a cold morning). Comments on climbs that get morning sun are therefore included. Comments on climbs that rarely receive any sunlight are also marked ("shaded location"); this information may be useful on hot days. The comments on sunlight are accurate during most of the climbing season: from October until early April. In late Spring, the sun rises so far north that northeast faces receive full sunlight for several hours in the morning. Conversely, climbs that face due south are in the shade for a few hours just after sunrise at this season. I plan to update this document (mainly adding additional climbs) about once per year. To receive a copy of the latest version,or of a similar one on climbs at Suicide Rock, send me e- mail at [email protected] Snail Mail PMB 514 6525 Gunpark Dr., Suite 370 Boulder, CO 80301 Please do not place this document on a web page without my permission. 5.7 AA very nice finger and hand crack Able Was I Ere I Saw a short, fairly nice wide hands (crux) and finger crack. Ellsmere The approach is a bit tricky. Acuity very clean, deep V-slot with fun chimneying Adams' Happy Acres moderately nice short climb up discontinuous crack systems Adult Gerbles low quality crack and face Almost Like Real Climbing mediocre grainy crack and face - no rappel bolts on top Almost Vertical classic knobby crack Andromeda Strain fairly nice thin face and wide chute Aztec Twostep loose and unpleasant B Flat so-so crack system B.M.T.C. Leader a fun overhanging start (crux) and steep hand traverse leads to a clean, unprotected friction face B Sharp fun steep route with some exposed moves by an overhang Bakersfield Bomb gritty but fairly nice face; steep with lots of hidden holds Barely Crankin' fun steep crack and face Bear Necessities, the a short, lousy climb with a loose start Beck's Bear fairly nice crack Beck's Bet nice hand crack Big Bird An initial crux overhang is fun, and leads up to some large, hollow, steep flakes (nice moves, but caution is needed). The exit move at the top is height dependent. Big Bob’s Little Wedge short but clean finger crack on excellent rock Bighorn Hand Crack an easy loose face leads up to a nice hand crack Bitch, Bitch loose, poorly protected crack/face Blue Suede Shoes a face route on a large boulder. The crux is the start, and is height dependent – you may need a cheat stone if you are shorter than about 5’ 10”. The climbing above the start is steep and fun. Boomerang fairly nice dihedral with a committing lieback at the crux; somewhat runout Bonnie Brae nice, scary thin face; receives early morning sun Bonzo Dog Band fairly nice hand crack Bookman Pitman clean lieback in a corner, with the crux near the top Boulder Face short, steep, fun face climb Briar Rabbit fairly nice finger and hand crack Buissonier awkward, clean, low-angled flared crack C.C. Takes San Jose nice hand crack on excellent rock Carmania a steep, 100' long crack system, with a variety of fun moves; a technical finger crack/stem crux, and steep hand jamming above Carola's Hip fairly nice offwidth and overhang Chocolate Decadence awkward and unenjoyable corner system Classic Corner excellent steep hand crack; great rock Commander Cody an unpleasant crack and face climb on very poor rock Court Jester fairly nice 2-pitch crack climb Coyote Bait very nice mixed face and crack climb Crack#2 nice hand crack Crack A nice short hand crack (tape up!) Creditor's Claim easy groove with a short fun jam/stem crux near the top Cuddlebone good quality face climb Da Kitty! Da Kitty! fairly nice hand crack Damn Dike a runout steep face with loose holds; serious Darrens Scrape Scramble a mediocre crack and Ramble Desert Solitaire a coarse but fairly good quality hand crack Disappearing Belayer loose and unpleasant Dolphin nice hand crack, widening to a quality offwidth/squeeze chimney; shaded location Double Cross classic steep hand and fist crack Double Dogleg excellent knobby hand crack Double Start nice chimney with fair protection 5.7 Drawstring fairly nice squeeze chimney and easy face above Dreams Of Red Rocks a fun, somewhat runout, knobby face and crack climb Dry Rain a fairly nice crack route, with fist jamming down low and offwidth/chimneying up higher. One or two 5” nuts would help protect the offwidth Duchess Right very nice clean offwidth Dung Fu nice hand crack and wide chimney Dweeb a fairly nice offwidth in a corner (bring one #4 camalot) East Meets West steep face climbing with some neat pockets for handholds, but with a fair bit of loose rock, and quite poor protection Easy As Pi fairly nice short hand crack Eat What You Secrete a fairly pleasant route, with moderate crack/chimney climbing leading up to crux fist jamming; rap off the back side of the formation Eye Of Amber so-so face climb Fat Man's Folly mediocre chute Fine Line Between Genius a slab climb with a headwall above; fairly nice route and Insanity Finger Locking Good hand crack with nice moves, but a hollow flake in the crack makes this a route to avoid (or toprope) Fissure Merde mediocre shallow crack and knobby face Five-Four-Plus nice short hand crack Flake Hickey short, clean 4" wide offwidth Flash Gordon a nice hand crack and face that gets morning sun Flies On The Wound excellent overhanging hand crack with large face holds Fluff Boy runout face on poor rock Free As Can Be loose - not a good climb Freeway fairly nice, scary, wide chute and thin face French Flies short but fairly nice knobby finger/hand crack Frosty Cone very nice steep knobby crack Fuss Rattle And Roll nice stemming corner Gorgasaurus adventurous two pitch crack climb Grain For Russia fairly nice hand crack Grand Hotel a short, good quality crack, that you can either jam or (easier) lieback Grand Theft Avocado fairly nice awkward hand crack Granny Goose quality unprotected thin face (crux) and hand crack above; shaded location H & R Block a classic, short, vertical, knobby face on great rock; shaded and somewhat inaccessible location Hawk’s Nest long, enjoyable knobby crack Head Room fun crack route; not sustained Heartbreak Ridge steep lieback and fun steep face above Heartless fairly nice hand jamming in a dihedral Hemroidic Terror nice scary thin face (runout) Hex Marks The Root a fairly good offwidth - take a 5"-6" nut Hoblett very short, fun, hand crack with overhang Hot Cross Buns fairly nice, varied crack system Hotseat so-so crack and face route I Should Be Dancin' nice face and crack climb on smooth, shaded rock; harder for short climbers I'm So Embarrassed For You mediocre - offwidth crux Invasion on my Fantasy 100’ long offwidth, rather physical. Except for a nolina bush at the start, it is clean. 90’ rappel from the top Ironworks short but classic steep hand crack; gets morning sun Jane Pauley short so-so finger/hand crack; shaded location Jessica's Crack fairly nice offwidth and hand crack Jo Mama so-so crack route Jumping Jehosaphat nice shallow, low angle hand crack Jungle nice squeeze chimney on pitch 2 Labyrinth, the fairly nice crack route with a shallow finger/hand crack; shaded location Lazy Day fun crack and face; receives morning sun 5.7 Left Overs very enjoyable steep crack and face; not strenuous (toprope) Left S Crack hand crack with large, loose holds Lickety Splits excellent lieback/finger crack and runout face above Life's a Bitch And Then clean hand crack in excellent rock; not sustained You Marry One Little Bunny Fu-Fu fun short face with crux entry move and a nice arete above Little Rock Candy Crack fun cracks and knobby face Lizard Robbins easy hand jamming up a flared chimney leads to a crux fist jam exit Lucas Palucas a fun face climb, 70’-80’ long, with knobs and smearing on very coarse-grained rock Mental Physics very nice hand crack and face Minotaur fairly nice steep face, lieback, and hand crack Model T fun short, steep face climb up some crack systems Mom For The Road very nice route; a finger crack leads to an exposed face traverse; in the sun all day Morris a short, mixed crack and face route on good rock; fun Mr. Misty Kiss excellent steep knobby crack Mr. Ranger Sir nice hand and finger crack Nereltene clean hand/fist jam and lieback (take 3"-4" nuts) Never Cry Louie a fairly nice face route; quite runout, but not sustained. This climb gets morning sun.