Begin up Tuffnerd. Pull the first three cruxes of Tuffnerd. At the 7th bolt, the section where you pull on to the face, break right skipping the rest. Instead traverse through a series of sloppers till you reach the last bolt on the warm up. Make a powerful transition onto the undercling, clip. Enter the redpoint crux. A powerful pinch into a slopper sidepull with a small thumb catch.

Warmnerd

Boxtop

ShitFire

The Stiffler

Pissfire

Horizontal Delite

Warm Up

Enchilada A La Carte

Conquistador

TuffNerd

Dorkboat

Kings of Rat

Sombrero

Freakshow

The Mavrick

Boxcar

Super Burrito

Start up Enchilada A La Carte for the first  three bolts 12-, the head straight up insted of following the left leaning weakness. The first few moves off the seam involve a tough sequence of powerful crimper lockoffs to a desperate toss to a marginal sloper (12+ish). Make a clip off a shitty slopper pinch, then enter the crux. A series of desperate pulls off slopers at 30 degrees overhanging. This follows for two bolts (roughly V10). Unlike Tuffnerd, this route lacks a decent rest before its pumpy headwall. Finish on sustained 5.12 for the last 5 bolts.

Variation of boxcar with finish that goes straight up to the top of the cave after pulling lip crux on boxcar.  2nd crux at mid height followed by good rest and tricky move below anchors.

Begin up Enchilada A La Carte. Head straight up at the second to last bolt. The wall kicks back dramatically at this point and the real climbing begins. Very reachy in some spots to marginal holds, however good pinches and crimps always appear when you need them most.

The business begins early on this line. Start left of the unknown route. Engage in a kneebar followed by tenuous lockoffs. Continue through a series of slopers, lockoffs, and pinches to the top anchors.

Once a chossy route, this route has cleaned up into a viable warmup for the crag. A bouldery start leads into easier climbing, with another cruxy move near the top.

Another very engaging Rat Cave route. This route climbs through a series of stalactites to a small alcove. Very bouldery with great opposition movements, includes an optional kneebar as well.

This route is considered the warm up at the Rat Cave. The crux comes at the beginning, a long lock off utilizing an undercling pinch to another pinch. The route follows a small left leaning channel to the first set of anchors (12a). Continue on and head straight up past another 2 bolts through more lock offs and pinches.

This route provides access to one of the rat caves best routes (Shitfire). Begin up a short but powerful overhang using a hidden undercling (crux), then head left across a small channel; roughly 5.11- climbing to the midway anchors. 

  To do Full Enchilada (5.12b/c extension), once at the chains, traverse left to a draw, and then head straight up to a high clip on an extended draw, then pull a tricky and powerful single move on an almost non-existent hold, and finish out.

The crux for the first half is near the second bolt.  For the second half, it's from the last bolt to the chains.

Begin with a double hands double heels on a slacktite. Move into a series of sidepulls using OK edges. The crux is moving off of two sloper at midway to an OK undercling, followed by a series of lockoff gastons. The climbing doesn't ease from there, as it remains extremely pumpy all the way to the anchors.

The crux comes early on as you move through a tricky sequence of pinches utilizing a well placed drop knee. This continues until the 4th bolt where you meet up the Warm Up's "good" pinch jug. Continue straight up from here using decent pinches and underclings. A small gaston at the 7th lets you get just enough back to push through the next two clips. Endurance is the key to sending this line.

KoR heads up the steep face between Shitfire and Maverick.  

  Climb Enchilada to the chains, but don't clip 'em! Instead, reach right and clip a bolt at head height. Take advantage of the good rest and get ready to giddyup! Reach right and climb through a series of underclings, making a clip in the process. Get set up on a slick left hand undercling and right hand pistol grip and throw a dyanamic, crowd pleasing, "drive-by". Match, make eye contact with the 'draw at face level, and don't even think about clipping it - it's only for grabbing when 'dogging through the moves. Continue climbing through the exciting, but safe runout and clip the next bolt with the rope looping away below your feet. Keep it together as you execute the brilliant closing sequence to a sharp clipping jug at the anchors. Uniquely dynamic movement for the cave!  

  Thanks for scoping and bolting the line Phillip H! 

First three bolts of Pissfire, then straight up the line without fixed draws. Still a bit loose in places. We'll see where the grade lands when everything cleans up.

Continue past the anchors of Enchilada A La Carte for a nice classic RC style crux. Make a high clip past the anchors and engage in a series of powerful pinches/crimps to a decent hold. This follows for the next two bolts. Top out.

A wildly overhanging route. It begins at the back of the cave. Move up on slacktites to marginal pinches. Horizontal climbing for the next 30 feet awaits. Opposition and kneebars are the key to pulling this section. Pulling the lip seems to give most people problems.

The next logical step after the warm up. Begin up a small pillar to the face. Make a long lockoff to the second bolt and clip. Reach to a small cut out triangle and undercling, back step and lockoff. Another undercling lockoff awaits before you reach the first set of anchors (12c). Continue to the top of the warm up.

This tucked away crag hosts Portland's highest concentration of difficult sport climbing. The routes range from steep to wildly overhanging. The climbing is very beta-intensive making the grades feel quite sandbag. Do not let this distract you, the movement itself is awesome. All of the routes require endurance, great route finding skills, and patience.Routes generally stay dry from rain, but will seep in the winter/spring.*IMPORTANT*: This cliff is Oregon choss climbing at it's finest, and the ethic here is a little different than normal. Try to keep as much of the rock on the wall as possible. Do NOT pull loose rock off to try to get to "better" rock underneath. It does not exist, and if you do that, we won't have routes anymore. Also, try to avoid using obviously loose hands and feet, there's generally another way. If you feel that a key hold is loose, mark it and make a note in the comments for that route, and it might magically reattach itself. Or better yet, try doing it yourself!

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Rat Cave