This route features a little bit of every style found at Shelf. Sinker pockets lead to fun laybacking through a series of flakes in an arching crack. A sequential set of moves on the blond faces gains a thin and slopey arete. Above looms the large roof crux. Power through on surprisingly good holds, and the send will be yours.

It's Froggy Out There

Applauding Eagle

The Rising

Green Grenade

Stone of Ignorance

Cornerstone

The Hourglass

Cheers

Straight Rocket

Down n' Dirty

Corrugation Corner

Damn Right I've Got the Moves

De Gaulle Syndrome

Unknown 5.10

All That Was

Return of the Headhunters

Short & Sweet

Leaning Tower

Purple Toe Nails

Access All Areas

20th Century Man

Tree Trimmer

Toxxxic Entertainment

The New Philanthropists

Cornerstand

Travis is Sole King

Keystone

The Hurricane

Quoting Yoda

Weapons Of Mass Arousal

Tractatus

Nalalator

Fight Club

Sugar and Spice

It starts off as easy climbing in a shallow, right-facing corner and then there is one steep move from a lieback to reach the final bolt.

The bottom half of the route has lots of loose rock.  The top move is fun, but it is really a one move wonder that might not be worth climbing the choss to get to it.

The new guidebook calls this a 10a, but I thought it was noticeably harder than the other 10a routes nearby.

This route is split into two sections by a large ledge but both sections are fun, well-protected, and worth doing. My guidebook warned of a runout in the middle of the route, but this is just on the humongous ledge where the climbing is 3rd class or easier. The bolting above the ledge is great; it'd be hard to hit it.

The first half of the climb is up a slighty overhung corner. This is the crux. The second half is a fun and straightforward face climb with cool pockets to pull on.

"The Rising" is located on a clean panel of rock on the right side of Spiney Ridge. It is listed as project in the Thompson guide and as route 16 in the photo below. Climb up a short corner to the first bolt. Clip the first bolt and make a hard move onto the steep, red wall on good pockets. Climb up excellent rock on good pockets and edges passing several bolts. Hard face climbing leads to the last bolt and the crux. Make several hard moves past the last bolt and race your forearms to the anchor.

One of the best pitches at Shelf.

Green Grenade is a boulder problem climb with an easy start that leads to a tough section pulling the subtle bulge. The movement is quite good, but unfortunately the rock is not very good.

Easy stemming between suspect blocks leads to an easy crack. Follow this to a stance below the bulge, where the rock improves considerably. Dynamic moves along the trembling detached flake lead to the anchor.

The route follow the faceted face left of the corner climb '

Cheers

'. This climb actually has several variations depending on how you want to take it. You can pretty much make your way up on the left or the right of the bolts. I preferred the right which seemed to match the grade better.

This has continuously fun moves on good solid rock that's not too sharp.  There is pro by the hard moves, but there are some runouts on easier ground.  At the top, there is a section where there are some non-trivial, harder if you are shorter than 5'6", moves above and around the corner from the 7th bolt.

It is easy for the grade, the crux is at the 2nd bolt.

The route trends left then back right to stand on top of pillar just before the last bolt to the anchors. The best part of the route is getting to the anchors.

Cheers is a fun corner climb on the left end of Spiney Ridge.  Climb the obvious corner left of

Tractatus

.  There are a few loose rocks in places, but the stemming should keep you too busy to notice.

This clean, juggy wall is one of the steeper consistently angled 5.11s at Shelf, and if it were at Cactus, it would be a popular, highly polished classic.

Begin directly or with some easy stemming up orangish rock.  Gain the crack feature and follow it up the gently overhanging wall.  When the crack disappears, good sinker pockets provide snaking passage up the wall.  The angle relents to vertical, then a slight slab and some technical moves out right & around the arete.  Easier climbing up the double cracks on excellent stone lead to the top.

Climb the obvious corner past multiple ledge rests and out a small roof.

This is in the center of the leftmost wall on Spiney.  The climb follows a noticable crack line up the main face.  With good holds and footing all the way, the route is a good alternative to Cactus climbs like

LaCholla Jackson

.

This is a short bouldery route, that last route on the right end of Spiney Ridge. The crux is the first 3 bolts of the climb, an extended boulder problem that feels about like a V4/5. After the crux, a nice rest sets you up for some easier climbing to a slightly awkward move into the v groove above.

This climb is somewhat atypical for Shelf. Climb a vertical / slabby face using some nice pockets and funky pinches (or cheat out right) to a ledge below the offwidth crack.

Moving off the ledge is the crux, and your belayer can't see you here, so there's some potential for a ledgefall if your belayer isn't paying attention.

Once you figure out how to get in the crack, layback or struggle your way to the top.

This doesn't seem like it sees much traffic, beware of loose rock. This might get a PG rating, due to the ledgefall potential, as well as some flaky crimps / a dirty crack -- beware of rocks falling out of it. The climb isn't runout.

Discontinuous crack systems spider-web across the gray rock of the obtuse, starting dihedral. Jam, layback or search for the abundant pockets that litter the bottom half of the route. A series of casual ledges mark the middle of this route. From the highest ledge, aim for the obvious, right-facing dihderal. The second half of the route will put a smile on your face as you employ all of your stemming skills and crank the final bulge on holds that are too good to believe.

The crux on this one is halfway up, but small edges and pockets save you after the crux.

I should be the last guy to add a route, having been here only 3 times, but it's not listed here, though in the latest book. This is an ok/good route left of

Sugar & Spice

.

Up the obvious crack/corner and just above the roof, move straight right on holes to the corner and then up to the anchors.

Rap from the 2 bolt anchor.

This is the second route to the right of

Tree Trimmer

. Follow the face to the right of a chossy crack system with lots of loose blocks. At mid-height, you will need to climb around the corner from the bolts to keep the grade at 5.10.

This one is really not worth doing....

Start between

Travis Is Soul King

and

Toxxxic Entertainment

. As a whole, the climb is pretty juggy (for taller people). The first few moves are easy 8ish. Clips are pumpy the last half because of the overhang. Move right after the 4th? bolt and then left. It has a nice mix of face and layback.

The new D'Antonio guidebook (2010), has an error on the photo portion of Spiney Ridge. It appears the route lines are shifted making Toxxxic Entertainment appear to be Purple Toe Nails.

The crux on this one is low. If your fingers are large, the pockets can be sharp.

This route is called "20th Century Man" in the new Knapp/Thompson/Aschert guidebook, and "21st Century Man" in Rick Thompson's Cactus Cliff/Spiney Ridge guide.  It was mistakenly called "Sunday Pockets" in previous guides.

The climb is located at the right end of the first alcove on Spiney Ridge and follows bolts angling right up a face to a left-facing corner with a crack.

The start is probably done in a variety of ways (I certainly missed out a bunch of chalked holds).  Figure out the easiest line that doesn't take you too far from the bolts up and then right to a crack in left-facing corner.  Climb the crack/corner to the anchors.

I give this 2 stars for decent rock and reasonable continuity/length, also because I thought is was better than '

Travis is Sole King

'.

Start at a small, left-facing corner, working your way up to a reasonable stance below the obvious, layback flake.  Power up the layback (with reasonable feet after the first moves) and stretch right to the anchors shared with

Nalalator

.

It is a fun climb, and the layback is not all that pumpy if a good pace is maintained.  This is a well-protected route.

The new D'Antonio guidebook (2010), has an error on the photo portion of Spiney Ridge. It appears the route lines are shifted making Toxxxic Entertainment appear to be Purple Toe Nails.

Start with a layback move under a small roof and pull to the left to get the first bolt. You may want a spot for this. Continue up some technical moves for the next two bolts (the first 3 bolts are the crux in my opinion.) Head right onto the arete for some more fun stuff.  This mellows out for a bit, but then you hit a small roof. It is a bit reachy, but the holds are there. Continue up to the anchors. I have only top roped this route, but it's a lot of fun.

This trad route climbs up a block to a ledge then follows a crack to the top and is located in a corner to the left of

The Hurricane

. This route is listed in Rick Thompson's Shelf Road guidebook (page 174). It seems to be very unpopular.

IMPORTANT: this route currently has no anchors.

About 100 yards down the Spiny Ridge cliff band, this route is set back a bit, and is located up a steep black, slightly vegetated, slab. The route is just left of a speckled, rounded buttress that is home to several lines, including

Purple Toe Nails

.

Bushwhack a bit to the first bolt, then work up and right over an interesting sequence of pockets, sidepulls and crimps. Near the top stemming off the right wall probably makes it a bit easier.

Beware of some loose rock near the top. All in all a quality route at the grade.

This route deserves more attention than it receives. The crux starts off with a vicious boulder problem at the 3rd bolt and barely relents until the 4th. The 4th bolt can be quite hard to clip, and you are looking at a big fall. From there, follow fun moves on rather large holds to the same anchors as

Cornerstone

. Better yet, hang the draws from

Cornerstone

, and scope it out!

At the left side of Spiney Ridge is a beautiful panel of pocketed limestone. The Hurricane starts just right of a right-facing corner and climbs up the center of the panel. Several cruxes with the last at the top. Steep, sharp edge and pocket climbing makes this one of the best routes in its grade at Shelf Road.

This is located at the far right side of Spiney Ridge. This has a steep layback to a power crux at the second bolt. Get a good rest on the rail, then figure out your beta, and go for it to an ok jug and clip. The rest is fairly easy and fun. At the dihedral at the top, stay in it until you get to a large, juggy rail above and left of the anchors and slowly traverse to the rusty cold-shut anchors.

This is an outstanding route well worth the effort. It is rather void of the typical piss Shelf holds and will tax your body, not your fingers. The crux starts with the first 2 bolts and can be quite a reach for those that are shorter. To follow are a few strenuous lieback moves to a really good flake system. Be careful here, I can see this block coming off one day. An almost no hands rest awaits before fighting the pump to the top on good holds. This route will be a classic with more traffic.

Starting just left of

20th Century Man

, climb up fairly good holds to a thin face section just before a small roof/outcrop.  Pull over the roof onto easier rock.

Start just right of

Toxxxic Entertainment

. Stand on a ledge to the left of the first bolt to clip it, then traverse right and up past the next couple of bolts. I found the first few moves the hardest and it took me a minute to figure out how to get on the route. The foot and handholds are there, you just might need to look for the first few. Anyway, after the third bolt you come to a ledge below a short crack. Rest if you need to, then climb up the crack and left at the top to anchors which are shared with

Toxxxic Entertainment

.

It gets one star for some fun moves on a well-bolted route. This is not long or continuous enough to deserve 2 stars.

Probably the first bomb I've ever assigned -- a worthless pitch.  Even if you're a route-collecting, tick-obsessed type such as I am, you're better off repeating something or calling it a day.  OK, so what's wrong with FC?:  loose, sharp rock, a wandering, pointless line, no cool moves, very overrated.

Left of

Travis is Sole King

is a newly bolted line that follows a nice arete up a narrow pillar. Knapp and company's guide says this route can be climbed two ways: 1. By using the arete the entire way or 2. By avoiding it all together and climbing only the face.  However the easiest line seemed to wander left and right moving the climber to and from the arete to the top of the pillar.  Climb it and decide for yourself... .

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Spiney Ridge