A fun and varied climb up to an obvious dihedral that appears to (and in fact does) pinch off completely.

Pinch Point

Unnamed 2

Frisky Widow

Lightning Road

Unnamed 3

Unnamed

Orb Weaver

Rue Morgue Avenue

Slotterhouse

Endgame

Hellbender

Hollowlean

Ponderosa

Killa Beez

Crap

Rufie

Loctite

Gauntlet

Perk-ocet

Captain Obvious

Taqueria

Tree Hugger

Dark Crystal

Widowmaker

Capulin Classic

Widdershins

Sticky Fingers

Red Bull and Copenhagen

Less Than Zero

Fergus

Silver City

Easy, Vicar!

Physical

Whole Lota Rosie

Squoze

Urban Fantasy

Holloween

Monster

Unfinished

White Corner

Pintrest

Nuclear Winter

Pinky Mice

History Lesson

Hallucinogen Roof

Restless

Garden Party

Stairway to Heaven

Fists of Fury

Witchcraft and Widgetry

Monkey Spank

Pretty Fly for a White Guy

Circumlocution

Monkey Business

Perkolater

Simian Sunshine

Perk Up

Blockhead

An easy introduction to the route leads to a big ledge. Clip a bolt off the ledge, pull some hard moves, and don't plan on any rests until you clip the anchor. Fierce and sustained.  

  A second pitch can be done by someone with tiny fingers,an iron will, and a disregard for gravity.

P1 not so fun, 10+, dirty to a ledge with a burned(?) tree. P2 is outstanding, 10+, fingers to hands. Rappel in from Slotterhouse to climb just the 2nd pitch. Rap route #12 (2 raps with a 60m rope).

Climb the finger crack that splits the right wallgoes from fingers to tight hands.  

  Bonus climb: Straight up Widowmaker. TR problem.  Do a full body bridge up the chimney until you can get in the crack in the corner.

Lightning Road follows the obvious splitter on the right hand face of the Hellbender dihedral. The crack appears to terminate partway up the west face of the dihedral, but in fact it keeps going to a ledge. Important! The route is 215 feet to the ground. If you have a 60M rope, scramble to the large ledge up about 15 feet and belay from there (4th class).  

  From the ledge, you can climb the left Hellbender start (10+ fingers) or the right start, which is a 5.7 handcrack. Both go to the base of the lightning bolt crack. Follow the crack through a small roof and past a pin to where it terminates on a ledge. This section is the crux and involves steep fingers, then some delicate arete pinching/climbing while placing gear and clipping the pin on the left. Step right, clip another pin, then climb up past another pin and a small roof to a thin hands crack to the top of the cliff. This route is every bit as good as Hellbender but a number grade hard at least (may feel a tad harder than 12- and a bit more adventuresome than some of the other 12s at Capulin).

No anchors. Could be fun but loaded with loose blocks.

Very fun wide climbing. Rap from upper ledge.

Rue Morgue Avenue is a complex route. P1 95ft, 5.11. P2 is 110ft going to the left up the big chimney, 5.11.  P2a is 110 ft going right up the big chimney from the belay (5.12ish around the obvious roof).  P1. Start up the finger crack that splits the face directly below the huge roof.  When finger crack ends, climb blocky steep thin cracks to the large ledgelook for a pin to the right of the dihedral about 80 feet up. The rock gets better as the climb goes along.  P2. Climb the hand crack through the roof just left of the belay, aiming for the left side of the roof. Climb fat hands to the roof, traverse left on good holds; exit up to an easy groove.   P2a. Step right, climb the finger crack to the OW to the roof. Hard moves past the roof, clip a pin, jugs to fingers to hands.

Clean, fun climbing up an obvious V slot. Both pitches are about 95 ft. Small (a bit tricky) gear protects the back of the flare on P1. A 6 might be useful for the very top of 2nd pitch.  2 rappels with a 60m rope.

P1 is 5.10, 115 ft. P2 is 5.11+, 100 ft. P2 is fingers/tips to a 5-6" overhanging crack. The tips section is the crux. (Hint, face climb on the arête around the tiny roof). The OW is 10- because of copious face holds. Possible to rap twice with a full length 60 (2nd rap to ledge on left), but knot your rope on both raps.

Fingers to fat fingers to thin hands to a very short OW at the top. FA occurred in a rainstorm, and fingers liebacking on wet rock is a lot like trying to hold on to a hellbender.

Top rope wide crack on right side of the Holloween flake.

Went to a big tree, which has burned.  No anchor.

A honey of a route. Fingers onto a ramp, up to the clean dihedral (just left of the big corner). More fingers and difficult climbing leads to a beautiful 5.10 ramp.

Crap--Fingers in a corner. Lots of bird crap in the bottom, crap rock going up. FA bailed off of one pin and nut. Dont do this one.

This ones a knockout. Up the right side of the big tower, aiming for the series of roofs.

P1: 5.11+, 80ft. P2: 5.11, 110ft. P1 is beautiful tips corner to bolted anchor. P2 is thin hands, hands, then wide, to a nice finger crack finish, no anchor.

Throw down or runyour choice. Thin moves to a bit of crimpy face climbing. The rock at the start is better than it looks (but only just). The crux is protected by a bolt. The finger crack on the headwall above the anchor was aided but remains unsentsmall gear on dubious rock.

A short 5.6 pitch puts you below the obvious corner. Fingers/hands, to wide hands to a good rest below a roof/slot.  Fingers through the strenuous roof to a crappy stance, then clip a fixed pin (a good Simond thats buried six inches in the crack) and pull some very thin moves to a jug and the anchor. Very fun climbing, and harder than it looks all the way up.

This is likely one of the best 5.10 finger cracks in Capulin. It's sustained, protects well, and has enjoyable climbing for the entire route.

Obvious slot. A tasty and relatively easy meal to start the wall with. Has a pin at the start.

Climbs a cool pocketed face to a ledge mid-way up with some loose rock (optional belay).  Steep corner to an exciting traverse, ending at the big burned tree . Rap off the burned tree (bring webbing).  

  Checking for Chipmunks. Left variation, 5.10R; to the roof, LB over, head to Treehugger tree. Wider than #6.

Look for the neat obsidian nodule at ankle level just off the trail at the base of the route.

This route stacks up against the best anywhere and it will challenge every one of your crack climbing skills. Had a huge bridge/block spanning the chimney; the Widomaker.  The many-ton Widowmaker block fell out of the chimney in the winter of 10/11. Head up towards the big roof; step left and clip two bolts, climbing on the arête. Tip into the corner. Tips to fingers to hands to a fist crack to the roof.  Over the roof a 20 ft 6 crack takes you to the anchors.

Must have been climbed at some point; this is almost the definition of a classic climb. 

  Optional belay at 50ft on a nice ledge (belaying here reduces rope drag). Sweet 10- OW to the big ledge, then hands to thin hands forever. Pinches down to fingers and then tips right near the top.

Start behind the free standing tower. Hard move off the ground to very fun climbing in a stemming slot. Fun, but a little weird in the offwidth up high.  Gear belay. Rap from Gauntlet anchors with 2 ropes.

Great movement up a nice finger to tips dihedral.

 There is an extension from this anchor that has yet to be climbed through to the Endgame ledge, will go at 12+ or 13- I presume.

There is one distinct and somewhat puzzling crux but the moves aren't that bad once you solve the sequence. A few easier puzzles present themselves at other points in the route as well and keep the climbing entertaining and high quality until you get to the anchor. Comparable to History Lesson in difficulty and more technical than powerful throughout.

Face climbing to delicate stemming to slightly overhanging hands/wide hands up a stretch of terrific rock. Incredible route--Climbing doesn't get much better than this.

A very clean line with some interesting climbing. There is no gear immediately off the ground, but a couple of 5.10 moves led to a good stance and good gear. A bit of technical climbing leads to some face holds and a nice ledge with an anchor. Shorter than the average for the main cliff but a very nice addition.

P15.11-, 115ft, **, P25.10+, 80 *. P1- Right-facing corner to a small roof.  No anchor at the top of the cliff. Rap Classic or Widowmaker.

P1 is 50 feet and ends on the Classic ledge; start from the Classic OW or the 5.8 just down canyon. Fun hands/wide hands with a hidden bit of OW near the top. See               

Capulin Classic area.       under Capulin Classic.

P1: A bit of physical laybacking needed. Very nice thin hands to some wide climbing.  P2. 70ft.  Fingers, thin hands to a very nice ledge. Excellent 5.10 pitch.  If you're doing P2, best to take a second rope and rap all the way down.

Whole lota fun! A nice finger crack leads to a hands slot on the right side of a flake.  More fingers/hands above through a couple of small features leads to a ledge. May want to belay from the ledge to reduce rope drag. Above, a 70ft thin hands to wide hands crack takes you to the anchors.

Pretty fun thin hands. The blocks you climb over look pretty scary but seemed OK when pried on and jumped on.

Thin and varied climbing off the ground leads to a big ledge. Belay here or head on up the overhanging finger crack to the thin hands crack above.

 Last OW pitch to the top of the cliff is 5.11, #5s & #6s, no anchor, big loose blocks and quite a bit of questionable rock. Best to rap (2x with a 60) from here.

Fun but a little spooky. Hands to OW & back to hands up a very prominent flake.

Short but fun. Fierce fingers to a delicate move protected by small gear.

Tips & fingers in a beautiful left-facing corner, to & thru a small roof.

Super cool thin hands to fingers laybacking. A bit of spicy movement over a pin up near the top 2 raps climbers left with a single rope.

P1: Easy 5.8 featured climbing to the large ledge.  Small trees have burned, so no anchor to come down after just p1. Move belay right on the slab to the base of a long OW.  P2: Lieback the OW up past scary pillar, step right on the ledge and finish on a finger crack to a burned tree.

5.8 hands climbing to the ledge with the anchor of Classic. Cross the ramp and up the finger crack to the roof, step left, mantle, & climb more fingers/tips to the Vicar anchors. Fun stuff, but you want to be on your toes at a couple of points; both crossing the ramp and topping out the dihedral. . See               

Capulin Classic area.       under Capulin Classic.

Very, very cool. Fingers to a stance, then very thin face moves up a dihedral protected by micronuts.  Originally stopped about 50 feet up. Later pushed up through the thin dihedral.

P1 is 5.11-, 90, P2 is 5.10, 75ft. Climb the clean dihedral, placing an excellent small nut and clipping a bolt and getting good finger-size gear above. Belay on the slab at anchors. Climb the finger/hand crack to the roof.

Some ramps lead to a prominent hand crack in a corner to a nice finish. Will always have some loose rock on it. No anchor, rap Widowmaker.

Because its Classic Rock, man!  200ft (knot your ropes). Fun hands to wide to the top of a pillar, layback up the super steep fingers crack on the left, step right into the clean ramp/dihedral, climb a featured 0.75 corner with bird crap coming out of it to a OW section that can be protected with small gear on the left (0 & RPs) to fingers through two roofs.

Offwidth just right of Blockhead. Wide climbing leads to body width climbing to a ledge.

The thin, clean open book left of Capulin Classic. The corner starts at tiny wires and gradually opens to .4 camalots at the hanging roof. Bouldery moves through the roof take you to a no-hands ledge. Clip a long LA and follow the left seam/crack through two more bulging cruxes. A spectacular trad route.

Tips laybacking up a beautiful corner to thin hands. Monkey up!

Get out your sticky fly feet. Crux is sustained tips/stemming off the pillar near the bottom leads to excellent 5.11 climbing.

2 pitches. P1, start up the thin finger crack 20 feet up canyon from the Red Tail Tower. Step left into the dihedral, up the face crack and reach right at the small roof, make a big move right to gain the anchor shared by Perkolator (single 11ish move).  P2. Climb P2 of Perkolator-- through a 10+ roof, up nice cracks to a huge chimney, up the 5.9 off-width on the left side of the chimney. 

  This is a very fun way to the top of the cliff at a moderate grade.

A super fun route with some variety. Start with a piece low in flakes to get to a bolt out right (flakes are flexy up high, therefore the bolt). Stand up in pod to reach splitter hands to a ledge. Interesting and wild moves up a tips corner to a ledge stance where you can clip an anchor.  

  This was originally considered a dirty 40’ toprope at 5.10 in early ascents by J. Smith and others.  The addition of 25’ of good interesting climbing with a super fun crux move makes it worthy as its own. 

  An extension past first anchor to the upper anchor (Serious Monkey Business??) has yet to be sent, and may be still red tagged by one of the FA party. This will be at least 12+ but likely harder, if possible (can people climb purple C3s?)

P1 is a bit crappy (5.10);  Start behind the tower, clip two bolts (currently no hangerspulled because this is a bit of a dodgy lead) and head up towards the white dihedral left of the roof. Belay on the ledge just left of the roof.Circum pitch 1 is a better choice to start, and if you use the Circum start, the route is three stars. P2. Head up the splitter and enter a huge chimney. A nice OW splits the left wall.   George, Josh

A fun, short hand crack that widens with height. Sure to become the standard warmup in this sector. Worth doing!

Left-facing corner to a height-dependent crux. Easy to rap off the end of a single 60 and downclimb.

Starts up a nice 5.9 hand crack to a ledge, then a stretch of slightly awkward 5.10 to the anchors.

The main cliff is the first one above the Bandelier boundary. See the approach map on the main Capulin page. The main cliff has the majority of the longer routes--some are 200 foot single pitches. Two ropes are a good idea, though it's possible to spend a nice day there on the shorter routes.  

  Many of these routes have only been climbed once. Expect loose rock and some dirt.  

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Main Cliff