pitch 1 (11a/b): Start up the right-facing flake system and trend right up thin finger locks and horizontals as soon as reasonable. Bomber but spicy gear with a short crux. Belay from a 2-bolt anchor on the ledge shared with the old route Thunderbolt Mountain (5.4, FA Erik Farley), which continues up the initial flake system to the left then trends back to the right at the top. A 3 or 4 camalot is useful to move the belay a bit further right beneath the base of pitch 2.

pitch 2 (12b): The obvious spectacular finger crack system splitting the upper orange headwall. Straightforward 11- on hand and finger-sized gear leads to a decent rest before a relentless section of off-balance finger locking and smearing begins as the crack doglegs right. Plug a bomber tiny cam or two (blue/black aliens) then hurl yourself at the airy crux V4 boulder problem where the crack stops. A 1/2 to 3/4" horizontal eventually appears to protect the final run to the top.

Solar Flare

Edge of Night

The Unknowable

Black Friday

When Doves Cry

Spinnacle

Double Helix

Super Gun

Way of the Peaceful Warrior

The Misadventures of Nabisco County, Jr.

The Wanderer

Please Don't Feed the Triceratops

Bitchmobile

Menifee Meth

Thunderbolt Mountain

The X Files

It's a Wonderful Life

Ol' Yeller

Danger Mouse

A Fresh Start

Crouching Tiger

People Gully

Dreams

The Refrigerator

Ride 'em Cowboy

Armed

Chem Studs

Hidden Dragon

Follow the large, low-angle flake up and left to a ledge. Continue past another ledge and some intermittent face climbing to anchors up and right on the ledge beneath the second pitch of 'Solar Flare'

Short lieback/ crack climb. It starts wide and gets progressively thinner the higher you get. The top is sandy, and be careful of the blocks that you pull on as some of them are loose.

Belay from a precarious log stance, trending up and right on technical grey slab with one medium cam or nut (5.10). Chill on the ledge then launch into the spicy roof and sustained crack system above, with a phenomenal last-move crux in the orange rock above. Do your best to protect your second on this move and rappel from a tree to the right to descend.

Start on jugs under a roof, using a good finger lock to get established in the corner.

Offwidth roof boulder.  30' for the wide section, or start further back on hands.

Really more of a protected scramble, easy climbing up ledges from the back side to the left of the pinnacle. Tops out for a great view

Short climb up some intersecting cracks to a chossy horizontal.  No anchors, despite what the guidebook says.  Either down climb or traverse to an adjacent route to descend.

Short but perfect hand crack. Best to free solo, 4th class walk off from the summit of Pistol Ridge.

A tricky start leads to an arching overhanging traverse that crosses Chem Studs and finishes with The Refrigerator.

The crux is getting from the start to the first ledge. From the ledge, follow the arching overhang. Use face holds left of the overhang then transition to using the crack at the back of the overhang.

Clip the anchors of Chem Studs for protection (if you want) and then continue the traverse to the right. Finish by climbing the offwidth shared with The Refrigerator and then rappel from a tree.

Have a follower clean the route. Leading and cleaning the traverse would be difficult.

Follow the wide dirty crack straight up through vegetation and dead trees to a large ledge then top it out. No obvious crux and good stances for placing pro throughout. Bring extra slings/wedding to build an anchor at the top. Prepare to get dirty!

Pull off the boulder straight into the crux. Surmount the roof to gain a good hand crack. Follow jugs surrounding the crack the rest of the way with some hand jams and fingerlocks mixed in.

This route is reason enough to hike up to the ridge. This striking hands to finger crack gives you the business right off the ground. Climb through tight hands to a thinning section towards a bulge. Get an ok nut, then stem and crank through the bulge onto a small ledge. Catch your breathe then gun for the chains up and to climbers right.

A line as trashy as the name.Put up by accident while looking for The X files. A left wandering discontinous crack system in rotten rock. Place pro securely and often, a heavy fall may pop a piece or two in the crumbling rock. Run it up to the top and find a solid tree to rap from.

X-formation on the face. Long moves to get off the ground. The crux is in the center of the X. Fun climbing on cool features. Beware of some of the thin features, there is some fragile rock. Rap from a tree. If you are feeling an adventure climb continue up and left of the tree through dirt and brush to an old set on bolted anchors but its better to just rap off the tree

Good climbing for a 9.  This is  a really fun route and the view is amazing.  The crux comes just after clipping the third bolt.  Another hard section to clip the second bolt above the huge rest ledge.  Can be done in two pitches to reduce rope drag.  Climb to giant rest ledge, belay the second up, then climb the second pitch.   Usually done in one pitch though.

Can top out to a second set of anchors also.  It is a bit run out from the firs set to the second set and the climbing doesn't ease up much.

25 feet right of Rubella is this short but attractive dihedral with yellow orange rock. Start by climbing up behind the tree to some stemming in the corner. Work up some jams to a ledge. Slings around a small tree right on the edge

Start on a big jugg pocket and stand up onto the wall.  Taller people can reach the next good hold from here.  Shorter people may have to step the feet up higher to get the right hand.  Clip the first bolt from here. Climb up and right towards the massive under clings.  Easy pockets until clipping the last bolt.  Short bit of barren face is probably the crux.  High feet and stand up to major jug just below the anchors.

Fun finger crack with a low crux. Start below a small roof and crank through with good locks, climb to a good shake out and cruz to the top.

Invert for the for the first part of this offwidth.  Then flip over and grunt through blue-collar wide climbing.  *Now harder because of a broken jug.

You can solo this for easy access to When Doves Cry. Usually wet and definitely dirty.

Well past Chem Studs is an airy, west facing rockhouse. Dreams is located on the obvious overhanging boulder. Sit start, or not, the opposing aretes. Slap your way up the slopey sidepulls using precise body tension to the sketchy top out.

The rock is fantastic and the moves are so much fun.

This route is really dirty and grungy but totally worth it.  Start to the right of the block in the alcove using the fist crack and chimneyish moves.  Step onto the ledge and stand up.  Move out the ledge and step up on a giant stone that whobles a bit.  Climb inside the cave making use of some chimney moves and a crimp on the outward side. Big horizontals and some chimney moves up the cave to exit onto a bit of slab just under the roof.  Travers under the roof the arete.  Climb off width to the tree anchors.  Could maybe fashion a second pitch to top out.

Obvious left flake 70 ft left of "Double Helix", a fun hand jam crack. Only bad part is that it doesn't last for long, worth doing though.

Starts in the big hueco and follows the crack up to anchors at the ledge.

Boulder past the first bolt to easier ground. Lower from anchors.

Work out a hand crack until it widens to an offwidth near the lip.  Flip over and exit feet first.  Right yourself when possible, then continue to the top using armbars and chimney technique.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Pistol Ridge