Climb this route in one or two pitches from the bottom of the canyon. If this grade is easy for you do it as one long pitch by extending all your alpine draws. A double rack to #3 will work and single set of stoppers. If it is at your limit or close and you want to do it as one long pitch take a triple rack with only 2 # 3s and a single set of stoppers. Or break it into two pitches and use the double rack.  Fourth class up clean very low angle corner and move left to a thin hand crack/corner and the first short crux. A few moves lead to easy climbing on flakes and fins. This section has been checked with a crowbar and anything that moved is gone. Some are a little hollow sounding but solid and the climbing is easy enough you don't need to pull hard. Belay below the dark alcove if you are not doing the whole thing. Climb to the alcove working right around it more easily than expected. This sets you up in a sweet lower angle dihedral with good pro and another crux move just above a small horizontal ledge. A small wire or brassie is nice after the move. Then follow the crack to the lip. A wedge shaped block has been well tested with a crowbar and is solid. Above this another interesting (crux) section will keep you focused. Finally good hands and face holds get you to the lip.

Rock Quarriers Way

22 Bottles of Booze

Beyond Nuts!

Covid Spike

Tralfamadore

Hop Knot

Beautiful Day

A very long and varied climb. Face, fingers and a couple of roofs in featured black rock.

This broken splitter climbs a featured corner to the right of Hop Knot. Mostly good hand jams lead you past a few precarious looking blocks. Put up on the first ascensionist's 22 birthday. The route name is also a reflection of the development style; put up in rapid succession with 2 other lines.

This has to be the least aesthetic line I have ever done. In order to avoid sections of funky rock or bushes and stay on the coolest moves it wanders a bit. Despite this it is well worth doing. Although it was done as a single pitch on gear a number of bolts were added to give you a clue where to traverse right. There are three places where you will go horizontally right protected by a bolt. A two bolt anchor was added to break it into two pitches as the rope gets pretty heavy at the top. The bolts might help reduce the rope drag if you decide to do it as one mega pitch. 1) Same start as RQW but stays right past two bolts which I hope keep people from moving right onto less than ideal blocks. Go straight up blocks into a tight corner leading cool spike of rock, the routes name sake. From the top of the spike move right and another bolt then up to the belay. It stays on you a bit here. 2) Easy moves up to a bolt where you will hand traverse right to a perfect but short hand crack. Above easier climbing leads to an almost no hands "Honnold" traverse right to the base of the tooth and a hidden hand crack. Much less exciting with the bolt above you it will test your balance. Once in the crack follow it to the steep corner corner to the rim. Big shout out to Darren Mabe for helping me install the hardware and the Tucson crew who belayed me.

As mentioned in the intro, Tralfamador climbs the obvious orange-stained cracks that lead to the square-cut, right-facing corner/roof in the middle of the North Side crag. Begin by scrambling or rappelling to the broken ledge below the leaning block at the start of the route. 

  Pitch 1: (5.9+) Easy climbing ascends the leaning block and double corner cracks above. The cracks converge, then difficulty arises as the orange rock appears. A few moves of thin tips crack (originally protected with a piton) lead to a foothold stance with anchor arranged from small to medium pieces, or step left and belay from the wider crack below the roof. 

  Pitch 2: (5.9+). Need you ask? Step over to the corner below the roof, then undercling to the lip and crank over to the wider crack above. Easier climbing (5.8) leads to the rim. 

  Note: The entire climb can be done as a single pitch, but requires some clever work with runners to avoid rope drag over the roof section.

This climb has some of the coolest finger locking you're going to do on a 5.10. From the belay, take the left crack past some solid finger and tips locks up to a detached looking block. Power up the bulge on jugs and enjoy the hoppy finish.

Although a bit obscure, this route climbs the clean, left-facing dihedral three cracks west (left looking over from the South Side) of Tralfamador. Approach from below, or rappel to the light-colored, slabby rock directly below the corner. 

  Pitch 1: The start of the climb is a bit dicey due to some detached flakes at the start. Cautiously work past the flakes until solid gear is reached in the arching corner above. Some more difficult, but well-protected climbing ascends the short corner to a ledge (alternative belay spot). Continue up the delightful corner above (5.8)- some of the nicest climbing at the Cwm!

This features some of the longest and cleanest of moderates at Volunteer, including Beautiful Day (5.8) and its namesake which stretches most of a 60m rope. However, Lost Highway (5.10) should not be missed and it borrows some of the best climbing from Beautiful Day anyway. Traditionally the routes were approached as multi-pitch outings from the canyon floor, though these days, they would be typically done from the ramps/ledges above the toe as long single pitches.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in 5. Tralfamadore Wall