I thought that this climb had a lot going for it.

A fairly easy start leads to classic Pocket Rocks pocket-pulling. There are a few cruxes in the first half, but they are easy to figure out and execute.

About halfway up the angle steepens and the rock gets more condense. You get to grab a mono, that's right a mono on a 5.10a, turn it, and do a long reach to a good little jug.

It's not over yet, the pump could start to creep up on a climber, and the ending could be a small fight to get to a clipping jug for the chains.

The bolts seemed to be perfectly spaced with no, crap your pants, sections.

Crunch Boy

Al Takes a Ride

Shorty's Nightmare

The Love Pinnacle

Carnivorous Bitch

Route "O"

Surmounting The Sumo

Chip's Crack

Renacuajo

A day in the life of Rommstein

Utah Claw

Cowlick

Flake And Bake

Mini- Houser Buttress

Double Cacti Crack

Master Blaster

Mustache Mayhem

2-fer

Pocket Route

It's Electrifying

Sabie's Eight

The Love Route

This climb doesn't get any stars in the guidebook and also states that it would be a nightmare to fall before the second bolt. I would disagree with both.

If the rock were a little more solid near the first bolt, then I would give it even another star.

The start is pretty casual and leads to a long, but not too hard pull, to get to the second bolt.

Getting to the third bolt is one of the funniest moves on the entire climb. A dynamic move off a small crimper/pocket to a jug pocket.

The whole climb is quite steep and the feet are poor when you near the anchors which are quite a thrill to clip if you're pumped.

This is the small pinnacle you first come to when you get to Pocket Rocks.

It's listed as letter O and a toprope in Goss's guide.

It starts off thru a burly little steep section up to a tricky little ending.

Many climbers want to get on this one for the name alone.

This route is tucked away in a small alcove surrounded by cedar trees. It faces west and has a couple of cruxy sections.

It's all about the feet on this one. The holds for the hands are there, but just barely for the grade.

A couple of slight bulges where you zag a little to the right and a little to the left.

Finally a bit of a run to the anchors, but the climbing here eases off and you get to enjoy all that you just got through.

Definitely not a gimme for the grade, you are going to have to fight for this one if its at your limit, maybe even if its not at your limit. :)

Steep start to good edges.  Great top rope, just extended the anchor at the top to reduce drag.

Climb up splitter crack and face holds to chain anchors.

The route isn't climbed much, but is pretty clean.

Great stances to place from.

Vertical to slightly overhung line with pockets and crimps.

Starts out with fun roof moves Crux is pulling onto the short face above the roof. A large ledge offers a great rest after the roof before tackling the pocketed face. The redpoint crux comes about two thirds of the way up when you must pull off of much small edges rather than the deep pockets. The edges are good they just feel bad compared to the pockets.

The rock quality on the short face just above the roof is a bit poor but will clean up nicely with a bit of traffic.

Crux is in the middle, thin feet, tiny crimp pockets.

Easy edges and pockets, up straight-forward slab/almost vertical rock.

This route climbs a left angling line on the far left side of Pocket Rocks.

You start a little to the left of the first bolt, you can avoid the wall to your left, but it doesn't up the grade of the route.

Pretty good pockets on a slightly overhanging rock lead to a steeper overhang thru quite a sequential series of big moves on OK pockets and flat edges.

If you fall right before the 4th bolt, which is a real possibility, it could be a pretty sweet fall.

The top, which looks burly from the ground, turns out to be fun and quite a bit easier than any of the climbing you have done so far.

Tricky start to nice small Pockets.  The route eases up after the second bolt but still keeps you on your toes.

This route climbs up crack with plenty of face holds and gear placement options.  After 15-20ft there is a ledge and the climb then continues up the hand sized parallel dihedral crack to the top

(great #9 and #10 hex placements).

At the far end of the crag (west) lies a big, wide chimney. There is a route on its right flanks. Crisp crimps and long reaches make up this route. It seems if you were to fall you might smack the wall behind, but you don't.

Starts out on a good pocket that you can clip the first bolt from, the hands are good through the first couple moves but the feet become kinda sparse.

When you get on top of the ledge you will want to clip the higher bolt to protect the crux, and avoid hitting the ledge, but a lower bolt was added to help out some of the shorter climbers.

The top section is really good climbing with a couple big reaches, surprisingly enough you might start to feel a little pump even though it doesnt look very steep.

You will find good pockets and ledges to clip on throughout the whole route.

Trends right from the middle of the wall through pockets on vertical rock, slabbing out on top. Mini-crux at transition from vertical to slab; can be tricky for some.

Once led and cleaned, the fall line of the rope creates a TR variant (5.7) which climbs up the center of the wall on a blocky left facing flake surrounded by more pockets.

Two routes in one: A 2-fer!

Scramble to the top of a small pillar to gain access to the route. Clip 1st bolt before pulling into the shallow dihedral. Route moves up the face on excellent pockets. Great route that doesn't have a hard crux move, but is sustained to the top.

Start up using either only pockets, or more naturally (and more fun) stem your way to the first bolt. Continue on a number of large pockets, with the occasional smaller pocket and edge needed. After the fourth bolt the pockets mostly disappear leaving small edges on which to get to a rounded ledge. After the ledge, a move or two up steeper terrain puts you at the chains (don't fall after the ledge—it'd be a bad thing).

Start up on pockets and a few horizontal edges. Don't fall clipping the second bolt, then continue up past the third bolt where the terrain gets a bit steeper and the pockets become fewer and farther apart.

Start up a steeper section on pockets and small edges for feet, with a strenuous second clip. Thereafter the angle continues easing. After the fifth bolt the top really rounds back and it's an easy walk to the anchors.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Pocket Rocks