Start off with a few tough pulls on pinches and sidepulls to gain a decent shake at the first break in the wall. Climb a few more bolts of sidepulling and clip up before taking on the crux. Gaston, crimp, and sidepull your way through the crux on some bad, slopey holds. The exit of the crux may require some dynamic movement. Get another rest at the break and climb easier terrain to the anchor.

This route is lesser traveled but is well worth getting on. It had a reputation for being sandbagged at 12c and the grade seems to have settled at 12d.

The Departure

Big Burley

The Force

Padawan

Count Dooku

Straight Outta Locash

It's a Trap!

Tuskan Raider

Mama Benson

Stormtrooper

Redneck Jedi

Phantom Menace

Techulicious

Evil Emperor

Jedi Mind Trick

Young Jedi

Small Fry

Non Starter

American Dream

Barn Dance

Praestantissimum

Dagobah

Swing Line

Elephant Man

Younglings

Return of Darth Moll

Straight Outta Campton

Grippy Green

Mind Meld

Wookie Love Nest

Shanghai

This is another great Dark Side route. Continuous pumpy climbing may have you thinking the route is soft, but a sequential heart-breaking boulder problem at the top will put you in your place.  There are some sharp pockets on this one, and it is often wet and dirty, but otherwise, it's a great line that deserves more traffic. Especially well-suited to those with more power and less endurance.

You will be happy if you have small fingers on this thing at the start and the finish.

Start with a boulder problem off the ground making use of a tight three-finger slot. Punch your way through the pocket band getting spragues and pinches, finishing at a jug below the first embedded stone. Move up through a slopey boulder problem, then cruise to the next embedded stone. Head up to the final smoother headwall and make your way up crimps and another tight pocket to the anchors.

Padowan is a good moderate that climbs vertical stone on heavily featured pockets and plates.  Begin with some steep moves to gain the wall, heading up and right.  The route eases as you ascend, with a bit of difficulty coming right before the chains.

A long route that starts out slabby and gets progressively steeper.  Lots of thin edging, and technical moves.

Follow a faint lie-back groove to a horizontal break below a blank looking face.  Crimp and wander up the wall, heading towards the obvious flake at 1/3 height.  Follow this flake to some good holds then do a very reachy and thin crux to gain jugs on the steeper headwall.  Fun iron protrusions lead to classic RRG pockets which end at a distinctive triangle feature sticking out of the wall.  "Mantle" past this using some small edges, and cruise to the chains.

The rock down low is still cleaning up so tread lightly.

Link up of Tusken Raider and Straight Outta Campton. Climb Tusken Raider through its bottom crux into the sit down hueco rest. Climb right out of hueco as you would for SOC.

Climb the leftmost crack system (Admiral Ackbar 5.8+) up to the blocky overhang. Continue through enjoyable jug-hauling with horizontal cam placements and a single bolt at the crux. Keep your gear to the left as much as possible, as the rock is more solid there. The upper run to the anchor is mercifully juggy and on good rock.

A nice route with good rock. Starts with a tough sloper move to the ledge, then a fun traverse with heel hooks right before shooting up towards a redpoint-crux boulder problem guarding the hueco. Get a good rest, then continue on easier, but pumpy climbing to the chains.

The left end of the main Dark Side cave is bounded by a large ramp of sandstone.  Several routes start from the top of this ramp, and Mama Benson is the furthest left route beginning from this ramp.  The route is a classic endurance fest, with long moves between huge jugs, culminating in long reaches below the anchor.  This route can be a good warm-up option, as its not too cruxy, and the hardest moves are near the top.  Scrambling up the ramp is a bit of a hassle, and detracts somewhat from an otherwise classic line.

The pretty little right-leaning corner on the right side of the next wall past Evil Emperor. Very nice technical stemming once you pass the scrambly vegetated start--it is possible to "approach" in regular shoes and switch to climbing shoes on the little ledge before starting the 5th class bizness.

Right-facing dihedral about 100 feet left of where the approach trail meets the wall. Climb the dihedral to a slab face that leads to chains

Climbs the slopey rail system right of Non Starter.  Hard start off of a cheater stack leads to a good rest at the third bolt.  A tough redpoint crux guards the mellow ending.

Climbs a just-over-vertical face on interesting grips. Might be a good warmup if it were longer.

Excellent 5.12 climbing on a beautiful orange streak leads to tenuous and beta-intensive crux moves at the top. Highly atypical for the Red with the hardest climbing on the least steep section of rock. Cruxy next-to-last clip can be skipped or made a bit easier with a longer draw for the redpoint.

This is the second route to the right of where the ramp begins and shares the first bolt of The Return of Darth Moll. Boulder up to a mono dyno then continue up easier ground to the anchors.

Technical slab 15 feet to the right of Redneck Jedi. As you hike the trail toward the main wall head left about 100 feet when you first reach rock to locate this slabby line. Begins on a boulder just right of a mixed dihedral. The crux is reaching the first bolt. Then there's a few feet of easy choss leading to a nice clean mid 10 slab climb with a runout to the anchors. Quality climbing after the second bolt.

A fun little route to pass the time if you're waiting in line on the main wall.

This climb doesn't get done very often due to the trio of very good and popular 13b's at this cliff (and due to the weird A0 start), but it is definitely worth getting on.

The guidebook says A0 to the first bolt but I think jugging up to the second bolt is fair. Either grab some bad holds near the second bolt and go to the ledge off of some bad feet, or you may be able to just reach up to the ledge. Traverse right, make a couple moves up, then traverse back left. Climb a few moves to gain the rest before the crux. Take on the crux which will involve a series of bad pinches, pockets, and edges. Make a difficult clip and get through a few more tough moves to get to the large flake. Climb easier terrain to the anchors.

Rumor has it that this climb has been done from the ground but I don't know for sure and don't know what the grade would be.

American Dream is the kind of ultra-classic jug haul that the Red is famous for.  The route has no significant crux, but a continuous string of challenging & engaging moves that deliver a good pump and complete satisfaction.

Begin by scrambling up the big ramp to the first line of bolts.  A long reach to an obvious slopey hueco below the second bolt provides the hardest individual move.  A series of enjoyable underclings & crossing moves, intermixed with good jugs, lead to the anchor.

This neglected slab follows some interesting features, and offers some fun knob pulling.  Stick clip the first bolt, then do some delicate moves to reach a right-trending crack.  Hug past a protruding column, navigate through some large knobs, and then mantle into a large, slopey hueco.

Walk to the right of the large main cave at the Dark Side.  You will come to a large slab wall.  This is the furthest route on the right of this wall.  Conquer a tough boulder problem to start then get ready for some of the best 5.11 slab at the red.

Start this route on a couple of good holds that quickly turn into compression sidepulling for the first four bolts. Get through the bottom boulder problem to reach a ledge where you can rest up. The second half of the route is a bit odd in that some people climb way right while others climb way left (closer to the bolts). Pick your poison and head to the top.

The ultimate "power endurance" route, that would make a perfect 4x4:  V4, V3, V5, V7 (or something like that...)  Currently the hardest route at the Darkside, this testpiece pushes a line up the tallest part of the cave with sustained bouldering that increases in difficulty up to a poor shake before the final crux boulder problem.  An ascent demands a mix of bouldering power on the small pockets, technical finesse on the poor footholds and stamina to link it all together with few rests, all on perfect stone in a magnificent cave.

Climb consistent and difficult moves for the first four bolts, where you will relentlessly enter the crux section of the route. A bowling ball undercling leading into a bad crimpy/slopey hold followed by a few moves on large slopers. Clip a scary bolt at your waist then move into slightly easier climbing which gets progressively easier towards the top.

Climb the clean face on consistent edges and a variety of pockets to a set of cruxy crimps up top. Might serve as a slightly better warm up for the fingers than its juggier neighbors.

Climb consistent and powerful pockets through the bottom three bolts to reach the crux: a bad, heart shaped undercling leading into a finicky clip. From here the route is eases slightly; moving through amazing sequency pockets and edges. A rest near the top prefaces the redpoint crux between the last bolt and the anchors. Hang on for the anchor clip. Amazing route and difficult at the consensus 13b grade.

A unique route, Straight Outta Campton combines steep pocket pulling with less-steep slopers split by a nice hueco rest. Rumor has it SOC rebuffed even Dave Graham on his onsight attempt.  The FA reluctantly gave it 13a, but with the caveat that it is "much harder than the Force". The consensus seems to be settling in at a more generous 13b, which seems appropriate, considering its pedigree.

This is the "slabby" route that everybody looks at on their way to the steep routes at the Dark Side.  However, few people stop to sample the intricate moves, interesting holds, and easy but spicy finish.

Follow a pretty, left arching flake past two bolts to a shake below the first crux.  Small seams, and crimps gain a rail which leads right and up to a hueco with good holds in the back.  Easy edges and amazing chicken heads peter-out to small iron rock protrusions just below a horizontal break.  Brave a 15 foot runout on steeper, easier terrain to reach the next bolt.  Typical pumpy moves lead to the chains.

If you like bouldering, you'll love the moves on this route, but you'll need some stamina to send it.  Things get going immediately with a big lock off or long dyno to a ledge, then engage in sustained bouldery moves with no rests for 5 bolts on perfect, but sharp rock.  Shake well, then cruise to the chains on easier, but pumpy jug hauling.

Just left of the Stormtrooper dihedral is this long techy slab leading to a more standard RRG overhanging orange finish. A hard clip and mantel move at the 3rd bolt are followed by sustained 11+ edging a no-hands rest. A tough boulder problem to gain the headwall off the ledge (heads-up belay) leads to more mellow jug reefing to the anchor.

One of the classic routes of the grade, Shanghai ascends an intimidating wave of bullet sandstone.  The route begins with an awkward scramble up the unfortunate ramp.  Begin a bit left of the bolt line with a long reach (and a long draw) to clip the second bolt.   Match the big hold & cut your feet to get established on the wall.  Enduro jugs lead to a cool undercling move to a horn, then more jugs to an obvious blank section visible from the ground.  A series of big crux moves, with a bigger pump leads to a strenuous clip at the anchor.

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Protection

Routes in The Dark Side