Stairway to Heaven requires a full repertoire of climbing skills to surmount the cruxes on the first and third pitches. Expect a mix strenuous and technical climbing with mystery footwork and body positions.

P1: Layback up a left leaning wide crack that varies from 2.5" to 4". When the crack pinches out make some exciting moves, 5.11+, up the corner to a bolt. From here do the crux moves, 5.11++/5.12-, to gain a ledge and the tree belay shared with The Flakes.

P2. From the tree layback up a corner 5.10- with the occasional rest until you pull up and left onto a large ledge with two bolts. This belay is also shared with The Flakes. This pitch can easily be linked with the first.

P3.  Stand up on a shaky block to gain the first crimps and make a series of interesting moves to clip the first bolt. A locker is recommended here to keep you off the ledge if you miss the 2nd clip. Crimping, a big highstep and some trickery, 5.11++, will get the next bolt clipped and set you up for the hardest moves of the route! Work up a right leaning undercling feature with poor feet and make hard moves, 5.12, to gain a small ledge with a pin. Get established and stand up on this rail and clip the final bolt. Traverse right with an exciting starfish type move to descend to a lower foot ledge. Pass a horrible looking fixed nut and levitate across a 5.11 slab to finish on the Vampire direct anchors.

P4. Traverse right on 5.10 slab, possibly R, and connect with the Vampire and finish per that

route

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Stairway to Heaven

The Price of Fear

The Pharaoh

The Count

The Step

The Flakes

Le Toitlette

Field of Dreams

Pooper Scooper (Le Toit Direct)

Super Pooper

The Bat

Happy Hooker

The Crucifix

The Vampire

Step to Super Pooper Traverse

Le Toit

This is the obvious thin, arching crack to the left of the Bat Crack. Climb up to a bolt on the left side of the dihedral, then follow the tips crack around the corner, where some wild and physical climbing gains the flaky but solid handcrack. Continue up to the anchors on Vampire Ledge or (this would be cool but I haven't done it) link into the second half of the Vampire's first pitch.

An airy, spectacular, and dramatic conclusion to either Super Pooper 5.10b or The Flakes 5.11c. Thin, technical slab climbing along the lip of a massive dihedral high on the Upper West Face Bulge.

From the top of P2 on Super Pooper, traverse out right along a thin crack to gain a vertical crack that varies from fingers to hands. Above the crack, 3 closely spaced bolts protect difficult slab climbing with big exposure.

A must do!

Begin at the base of the Vampire Direct Start.

P1: Climb up and right on chossy rock to a belay at a jammed block with a mountain mahogany.

P2: Stellar face climbing on excellent rock with incut edges past 7 bolts leads up and right to the arete. It's 5.11 past the first two bolts, then a single point of aid was used at the third bolt. From here, climb up a tiny blank right-facing corner with two bolts, then traverse up and right (sustained 5.11+) on very steep face climbing past two more bolts to the arete. Here you'll find a critical pro placement in a horizontal crack (.4 to .5 inches) that protects tricky slab moves (5.11+) up to the bolt anchor shared with The Crucifix.

A nice route off the left side of the FBT ledge.

P1:  The easiest pitch.  Cruise up nice cracks up to below the small roof.

P2:  The crux.  Pull the roof.  Here you will learn all about the route's namesake.  Well protected but hard.  Continue up more entertaining climbing.

P3:  Head up a lieback flake  and finish up Super Pooper or head left to finish on White Maiden's.

This is how the pitches are in the guide but you could probably do it in 2.

This is one of my favorite Tahquitz routes, although it does have a few dubious aspects.  What I like about it is the exposed position and the neat features it links up.  What may detract slightly from its stature is that the pitches are short and its cruxes are very sequency and height dependent.

P1: 5.11a.  Climb the very thin crack up to the roof.  The gear is good but a little technical, mostly thin stopper placements with a small TCU or two.  Just under the roof, make a tricky stem right.  Then pull the roof and belay at a small tree in a right facing corner.

P2: 5.8.  This is the easy pitch, but the position is fantastic.  Climb up the right facing corner a short ways (you can continue straight up and climb the entire corner, this is the second pitch of Stairway to Heaven and a great option in its own right), then make a cool blind step left around the arete to gain a spectacular left-tending thin flake.  Great position here.  This pitch ends on a big ledge which is shared by Stairway to Heaven on the right and Super Pooper on the left.

P3: 5.11.  Climb a crack to the top of a little pedestal, where you will be faced with a blank bulge.  Reach high to clip a bolt, then either make a huge reach to an edge or do a bouldery move off thin sidepulls.  Follow a ramp left to another belay stance near the base of an enormous right-facing corner.

P4: 5.10c.  The original finish wanders up and right on easy slabs to the top.  This is about 5.6 and not very exciting.  The much better finish is called "The Price of Fear".  Step left around the arete of the huge corner, where you will find a 1" crack just a couple feet from the arete.  After 30-40' the crack peters out into 5.10c face climbing past 4-5 bolts.  Exciting, but not as scary as the name implies.  This is a great pitch and a wild ending to this fun climb.

Some good moves overall but a bit dirty with lichen in the roof. Starts with some fun moves to a bolt then a blank baffling crux at the second bolt. This trends into Super Pooper early but staying left on the face is some fun 5.10 slab climbing (could be bolted from stances). To join Super Pooper at the belay for Price of Fear.

Can also be linked into Le Toit regular or Direct Finish.

*Both bolts are 1/4 button heads, could hang on but whipping is not a good idea.

This amazingly blank and exposed section of rock heads roughly straight up from the anchor where Crucifix and The Bat finish.  Climb roughly 50-60' of some intensely tenuous friction to easier ground above.  The improbable climbing is very well protected except one move near the 2nd to the last bolt.  A couple of the bolts are older, or have bizarre hangers, but will probably do the job.  This route was originally graded 11b in the Tahquitz guidebook, but I've heard rumor others think it's harder as well...

Off the Le Toit anchor go up the arch and straight up a thin layback seam with a few pitons. Eventually there's a brand new ASCA bolt, traverse right to a flake and up into Super Pooper.

More details in Bob's "Best Climbs" book.

Also possible to traverse right in the starting arch to jugs, then traverse back left to the thin seam.

*The pitons aren't great and the first one pulled out in my partner's hand, the seam is too thin for any modern gear.

A distinct line that forms the left margin of the West face Bulge. From the From Bad Traverse (FBT) ledge, climb up and to the right on easy ledges to establish a belay (4th class). Alternately, take the Vampire and move up and left to establish a belay (5.7). The first pitch is long and the crux. Pull a little bulge/roof (10b) to a good ledge. the 2nd pitch is a thin finger crack on the left wall to a small stance (5.8). On the long third pitch lieback the corner and around a small overhang, then move up and right to turn the summit overhangs (pitch 4).

Start on the Vampire. From the the top of the Bat Crack, face climb down and right (5.10c) to a good ledge with a 2-bolt anchor.

Don't climb the dihedral directly above (The Crucifix), but traverse around the corner to the left and lieback a steep, thin crack that peters out into an old bolt ladder. Clip the first bolt on the ladder, then face climb out right and up (5.11 PG/R) to a bolt (shared with The Crucifix). Climb up to another bolt, then traverse left and move up (5.11c) to a hanging belay at a 2-bolt anchor.

Tenuous (5.11-) friction diagonally up and left up a ramp past 2 bolts (the first bolt is shared with Field of Dreams which climbs straight up from the first bolt) takes you to a left-facing flake (on the Vampire route). Climb about 15 feet up the corner, then bust out right, face climbing up and right for about 30 feet up to a belay stance at a tiny ledge.

The last pitch climbs directly up the slab and intersects Upper Royal's Arch where it climbs over the giant arch at a flake (5.8), then finishes up a steep corner through the headwall (5.7).

First Ascent History

FA to top of bolt ladder: (5.7, A2) Don Wilson, Jerry Galwas, and Chuck Wilts, 1960 (they pendulumed right off the headwall from the top of the bolt ladder)

FFA of dihedral to bolt ladder: Tobin Sorenson, 1973

FFA of bolt ladder (on Toprope, 5.12a): Matt Bebe and Ian Katz, July 2000.

This is a nerve-wracking excursion up the steepest and blankest part of the West Face Bulge. The route has a "Big Wall" feel due to the precarious aid climbing, electrifying exposure, and hanging belays.

Pitch 1: (A3-, 5.9, 50 feet) Begin from the 2-bolt anchor on the right side of Vampire Ledge. A few pins in a thin crack get you to the "expanding flake." Aid this (carefully!) to a bolt, tension-traverse left, then aid (pins and hooks) and free climb (5.9) up to a 2-bolt hanging belay.

Pitch 2: (A4-, 5.8, 80 feet) Intense, sustained hooking past 4 bolts, then a few free moves take you to the Vampire pitch 2, bolted belay. From here you can rap with 2 ropes to Vampire Ledge, or make 2 shorter rappels (80 feet, then 50 feet) to the Vampire Ledge.

Some repeat attempts resulted in very long falls from pitch 2, nearly hitting Vampire Ledge, as they attempted to link pitches 1 and 2. I wouldn't advise this, since with all the rope out, if you do fall, you'll get major rope stretch. The hooking on pitch 2 is extremely tenuous- any rope drag will make it even more difficult. When I led it I balanced on two or three hooks at the same time most of the way up pitch 2.

Pitch 3: (5.10b, A1 -or- 5.12c) Move left to a bolt, then tension traverse (or 5.12c) left over to a narrow ledge. Tiptoe left across the ledge, clip a bolt, then where the ledge peters out, make a face traverse left (5.10-) over to a tiny left-facing corner and another bolt. Move down a few feet to a nice ledge with a 2-bolt anchor. This anchor can also be reached by traversing right from the second pitch of Stairway to Heaven (1 bolt; 5.10+).

Pitch 4: (5.11+, A0 -or- 5.13a; FFA Scott Cosgrove) Stellar face climbing on nice incut edges past 6 bolts to a 2-bolt anchor (hanging belay) shared with Stairway to Heaven. The AO move is at the second bolt. This is one of the best and most spectacular face pitches on Tahquitz.

This pitch can also be climbed by aiding off the first 5 bolts, then mandatory 5.10 free climbing getting to and climbing above the 6th bolt (A1, 5.10).

Pitch 5: (5.9, A1) One aid bolt allows you to reach a flake. Climb up, then right on a slab (5.9) to join The Vampire just below the arches at the top of the West Face Bulge.

Climb the Bat Crack but instead of mantling at the top of the pitch, head up and then hard right to a 2 bolt anchor.  From here, work your way up the smooth corner via excellent stemming / palming / crimps /  slopers, busting left and right of the corner as needed.  An excellent full value pitch with great position!

The ultimate SoCal classic which takes pride of place on Tahquitz Rock - winding its way up the center of the West Face Bulge.

P1) The Bat Crack, 5.11a. From the ledge drop down and into the crack, initially a lieback then finesse requirements begin to kick-in culminating with a tough move past a bolt - don't relax though, an energetic mantle is required to gain the belay ledge up to the left and bolts. This pitch can also be climbed direct from lower down.

P2) 5.11a. Thin and steep leftwards to the flake (well protected if using one of the anchor bolts). Now up the flake which proves to be moderate, but in an exposed and wondrous position. Past a flake (The Bologna Slicer) go down left to a ledge (The Batwalk) and more bolts.

P3) 5.11a. Back to the flake system and, as it heads left step over it to the right and up to a bolt, pass this on the right up to a thin diagonal crack (small TCU) follow this to a left facing corner which leads to a pin and nut belay higher up.

P4) 5.8. Ahhh, I can still feel the grin forcing its way onto my face as I head up the last pitch, a thin flake, over the arch roof to find myself standing, practically in disbelief, at the top of The Vampire with my mate Fred.

Link The Step to Super Pooper or Price of Fear. Do first 2 pitches of The Step (or one pitch with a 70) before the right facing corner set a belay then traverse directly right on jugs (cool rock hole to thread) being very careful to stay under large flakes that will kill everything and then gradually go up and right to belay at the poop stain on Super Pooper.

There's a badly bent piton above the chossy flakes, don't go that way, stay lower then up to a short left facing corner with good gear.

An exciting pull over a sweet roof. Start through some left facing flakes to a 5.8X mantle, clip a bolt and make some 10 moves to the first belay with three bolts, just under the roof.

Pull the great roof clipping a few fixed pieces, a little more 10 slab above to a two bolt belay.

Maybe best to rap from here, otherwise undercling under a roof about 20ft right, then up a juggy crack to join up with Super Pooper. Or, go straight up through a small roof to a thin seam with fixed pins (Pooper Scooper 11c).

We did the undercling roof, met Super Pooper and then got over to the bolted anchor on Flakes for a rap (one 70m ok).

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Upper Bulge Routes