Welcome to Red Rocks
5.12 trad · 2 pitches · 200 ft · ★★★☆
Route 14 of 22 from left to right on East Face, with This Ain't No Disco on its left and Pauligk Pillar on its right. East Face has 22 routes, from 5.7 to 5.12; this is the hardest.
First ascent: Sal Mamusia & Paul Van Betten - 1986
Description
Welcome to Red Rocks should be considered a good, but contrived, route at 5.12 and an excellent route at easy 5.11 (taking the obvious variation to avoid the crux). Begin the route just left of Pauligk Pillar below an obvious hanging right-facing dihedral. Do a short approach pitch up rampy corners at 5.7 to a belay. The meat of the route tackles the corner above to a good stance below a bolt. Continue straight up the blank corner at 5.12 (contrived), or foot traverse out a horizontal crack to the right, up face holds, and hand traverse back into the corner on a second crack. In either case, once above the crux, continue up the corner to another choice: Heading straight right to a threaded anchor or up the varnished, highly featured face above. Heading right allows descent to the ground with a single 70m rope, but going up provides some fun, and at times run out, face climbing on huge holds up a steep wall.
Protection
Standard rack, no brass needed. The protection bolt was replaced by the ASCA in 2007.
Hikes, approaches and descents
- Mescalito Direct — Class 3
Access
Timed-entry reservation required to enter the Scenic Drive October to May.
Wet rock: Aztec sandstone is fragile when wet. Do not climb for at least 24 to 48 hours after rain or snowmelt.
More routes on East Face
- Pauligk Pillar 5.7+
- Centerfold 5.10a R
- Deep Space 5.9+
- Y2K 5.10a
- The Walker Spur 5.10b/c R
- Pine Nuts 5.10-
- Black Widow Hollow 5.9
- Left of Disco 5.10b/c PG13
- Splitting Hares 5.9
- Too Many Tantrums 5.7
- Pauline's Pentacle 5.10a
- Cookie Monster 5.7
- C11H17NO3 5.8+ R
- The Wasp 5.10-
- The Next Century 5.10c PG13
- Bloodline 5.10+
- Crunchy Cat 5.8- PG13
- Mescalito - Original Route 5.7
- This Ain't No Disco 5.10a PG13
- When A Stranger Calls 5.8
- Ebony Way 5.9