Climbs a very steep, blank belly of blonde rock up to another steep, blank belly of blonde rock, to yet another steep, blank belly of blonde rock. Full of slopey monos and tiny ass crimps. Be prepared to get pounded.

The Gavel

Temporary Insanity

The Juvenile

The Bailiff

Badgering the Witness a.k.a. "The Drilled Sergeant"

Absence of Faith.

Electric Chair

Executioner

Execution of Faith

Justice Served

Court Chester

Legal Eagle

Witness Protection

Faith

Jury Tampering aka "The Jury Box"

Whopgnar

Jugs Judy

Hard Time

Stiff Sentence

Climbs right of a chock stone filled chimney on a blunt arete full of pockets and other crazy holds. 

  Needs to be extended past the current anchors!

Be ready to raise your right hand and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, all while clipping with the left hand. 

  This five twelvish expedition is a super-fun route that starts in a crack and can share as many holds as you want with Jury Tampering to its right until you are forced to deal with clipping the third bolt that looks like its in a terrible position, but totally isn't, just as long as you find the correct right hand side pull.  

  Gain a ledge with a spraddle move and enjoy a sit down rest. Get it all back, the business is coming. Set yourself up on some crimps, use a left hand sidepull pocket, get yer feet up, and huck for some strange, incut, hidden jug for your right.  

  Take a brief rest and try to worm your way through the rest of your testimony on fun holds that are small (but positive) all while trending to the right on bigger holds to an anchor shared with Jury Tampering. GOOD FUN! Get on it!

Some of us have a great respect and affinity for this route because it was our first send at the 5.11 grade, and like any good sergeant, it made us work for it. Some climbers might wish to avoid this route due to what might be called an error in judgement that I won't comment on or judge anyone for. Say what you will, I love this route and make a point to get on it whenever I can. It climbs like a thuggy, overhung pegboard with magical two finger pockets that get you pumped into a state of euphoria right up until a huge bird's nest pocket that becomes your salvation, from the relentless assault, by this prosecuting climb, that makes you drop and give it twenty. The court isn't adjourned until the very top where some huge, slopper holds make you wonder if your guilty of not wanting that send enough.

Starts on Executioner's flake and gives you a burly pump to a series of two finger pockets and monos at a 4th bolt on the black face to your right. Don't stray to the left where easier climbing takes you to the blonde, flat top of the flake. Get yourself setup good and dig in. Take down a crux on blank, black rock with sickie-small holds. Make your way up an overhung section to a nice bowling ball hold that has to be grabbed with a healthy hand after going through a seriously-sick, small holds sequence with precise foot placements.  

  Even atheist climbers will be shouting, "OH MY GOD THIS ROUTE IS TASTY!" 

  Get through this run out crux and get serious! Make a clip high above your last bolt and start battling your way up some of the best rock in Spearfish Canyon. Get sucked into a swath of sick, small holds and super slopers! Scratch and claw your way through several more rowdy sequences and reach the anchors of Faith after a super-righteous fight for your life.  

  SUPER-FANTASTIC, SEQUENTIAL AND SUSTAINED 5.12c CLIMBING!  

  Note to self: Once you get on this route expect to keep climbing without stopping. Rest are not plentiful on this one. The climbing is super pumpy, the cruxes get mondo-technical and the grade is ultra-sustained all the way to the finish.

Starts in the burly cracky undercling flake system of Executioner. Make some malicious moves that will murder your arms before you get zapped out left to clip a bolt. Traverse left and finish with the dihedral crux of Court Chester. This neat variation allows you to skip the 12c top of Executioner but still give you the righteous and wicked feeling of pump this wall is known for.

Flake start leads to excellent pulls on pockets on beautiful blue rock.  This one is fun all the way, the red point crux could be a heartbreaker.

Simple. Climb the first five bolts of Faith, traverse left, then do the upper crux of Executioner and excute your own faith! Less sustained than Faith itself, but more bouldery.A big thank you to Tamas Carli (for the endless belays and almost a decade of support) and Lee Terveen for suggesting the Link up.

A link up that allows the climber to skip the horrendous opening crux of Juvenile by easing up the first three bolts of The Bailiff before heading left into the upper, thuggy-juggy fun of Juvenile.

A long, sick route that will have you fighting for your honor! Get pumped right off the bat with a very difficult pockets to crimps start that leads to ultra-hard undercling pinching. The prosecution will not rest after bolt three, or bolt four...or even bolt five and six as you find yourself trapped in more blank sections with small, sick pockets and other gnarly, tiny holds on viciously overhung stances with barely existing feet.

 BE PREPARED TO GET CHARGED WITH CONTEMPT OF CRIMP!

 After you get a rest at a sick pocket, cross examine your witness for the fitness and take down an unruly roof to a sick sidepull. Fight for your client all the way up a beautiful blonde face that has several cruxes in blank sections with tiny hands and feet. However, all the small holds will not make you have any more objections when they give way to sick jugs on overhung territory!

 However, don't expect any order in the court until about three fourths of the way up when the best 5.11 climbing in the canyon makes you feel better about your guilty verdict.

Climbs a striking, steep, and very round arete. Tiny holds, amazingly difficult moves and multiple cruxes will keep that sending sequence hidden for years and years.

The most fun you'll ever have getting shut down! A 5.11 that starts in a crack which you will literally float on up, till you reach a really nice ledge. This is the jury box, a place where you will sit and think, and think, and think about what in the hell to do next. Is this bugger guilty or innocent? Do I go left or do I go right? How do I use this blasted finger crack? AND WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?! Should I just go for it or should I call take? The responsibility of The Jury Box is enoromous, that's why so many people fake incompetance when called for jury duty. Hint (look for a pocket on the far left in which to insert a toe).  

  Be careful! While your decision might not cause someone to die for their crimes, it could cause you to flail and hang on the end of your rope if you didn't pay attention to all the evidence presented to you. Choose wisely, my friend, this case is a tough one.

Begin by standing on a ledge built into the hillside with logs and rocks. Enjoy the bouldery start of Legal Eagle. Pull on small pockets and crimps for three bolts and head out right to a savior pinch.  

  Get your court in order and get yourself set up for a nice juggy rest before taking on a steep crux with tiny holds  that show no mercy until you reach an even steeper roof with jugs. After you navigate this roofy obstruction of justice, be prepared to endure a short stint of hard time to the anchors for two more bolts. 

  For some climbers this might route might be life changing. For others it will be a life sentence. Be prepared to have the book thrown at you. This is not a justice of the peace who will let you off easy. GET ON IT AND GET JUDGED!

A fairly similar route when compared to its cell mate to the left. Goofy holds and goofier climbing lead to sick holds and powerful moves that require a type of precision and determination only rivaled by that dude who dug himself out of Shawshank Prison in that cheesy Steven King movie -that no one watched- but somehow has an entire station devoted to it during Thanksgiving.  

  After crawling through a sewer of small holds enjoy bigger holds through a roof pull and be sure to do that Jesus Christ pose thing that Tim Robbins pulled off so well, but didn't win an Oscar for, before you clip the chains.

A super awesome route for those who love technically demanding climbing with thin holds, big reaches and micro-jugs hidden among sucker holds. 

  Starts on an overhung, black belly on a thin sidepull and goes into a crossover sequence with hands that need to reach up for graciously positive small holds. Lunge and huck yourself through strange, yet highly enjoyable cruxes that demand you choose your holds, moves, and rests carefully.  

  All the weakling, fresh fish should expect to get their shit pushed in for the first few goes before the secret sequences begin to reveal themselves. Precision footwork is the key to getting paroled early for good behavior, but don't expect this line to be lenient on you.

The Court House Wall is the premiere wall at Shadowlands and is one of the best areas in the whole Canyon. The climbing is both powerful and technical, all on beautiful stone. Two of the canyon's hardest routes, Faith and The Gavel, reside here.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Court House Wall