Sand Felipe
5.10- sport · 2 pitches · 110 ft · ★★★☆
Route 14 of 29 from left to right on North Face, with Matzoland on its left and Sandblast on its right. North Face has 29 routes, from 5.8 to 5.12a/b; 19 are harder, and 4 others are the same grade.
First ascent: N. Modelo & T. Cate - 1994
Description
Probably a three-star pitch before it was retrobolted into submission. Begin just left of Triassic Sands and follow the obvious line of shiny bolts to a two-bolt anchor. If you don't have enough draws, don't worry; in many places you can simple reach down, unclip the draw at your feet, and clip it into the next bolt. Nevertheless, the pitch does offer outstanding face climbing. A single rap with a 70m cord will get you down, or you can continue past a few more bolts up a very short second pitch (that appeared to be of lesser quality from below).
Protection
A dozen or so draws.
Access
The 13-mile Scenic Drive requires a timed-entry reservation October to May and has seasonal gate hours. Calico Basin and Kraft Mountain sit outside the Scenic Drive and need no reservation.
Wet rock: Aztec sandstone loses much of its strength when wet. Do not climb for at least 24 to 48 hours after rain or snowmelt, or holds break off and routes are permanently damaged.
More routes on North Face
- Kenny Laguna 5.10d PG13
- Perplexity 5.10d
- Rain Dance 5.10a
- Closed on Monday 5.10a
- Amber 5.10b
- Bourbon Street 5.8
- Mazatlan 5.10d
- Triassic Sands 5.10
- Geriatrics (aka Ben Dover Beelzebub) 5.12-
- Return To Forever 5.10d
- Ixtlan 5.11c
- The Delicate Sound of Thunder 5.11b
- Tales from the Gripped 5.11c
- Cole Essence 5.11c
- Frogland 5.8
- Quarantine Crack 5.10+
- Open-and-Shut 5.10d
- Desert Wave 5.11b
- Our Father 5.10c/d R
- Bourbon Hangover 5.8+
- Miss Conception 5.10+
- Sandblast 5.10- R
- Archaeopteryx 5.11a R
- Matzoland 5.12a/b
- Only the Good Die Young 5.11b/c
- The Misunderstanding 5.9
- Wholesome Fullback 5.10b
- Canadian Club 5.8