According to the Goss Guide this is one of two 3-star climbs at

Chuckawalla Wall

, and, according to a Nov '03 Climbing magazine article, this climb is supposedly the 'premiere route on the wall.'

These are at best a measured compliment and at worst a back-handed insult to the remaining climbs in the area. While it is a *good* route, there is nothing particularly classic about it. Then again, this wall is a summer morning or winter afternoon playground, not a roadtrip destination.

A slightly powerful move down low (upper body strength dependent) gets you off of the ground past the first clip (10b?) from where you can proceed past 5.10 climbing to the crux near the 3rd clip, moving left to a not-so-good hold. (12a) Then finishing on easier but pumpy climbing (5.11?) to the arete and beyond for a total of 20 meters to the chains up top.

Hard to on-sight, less difficult to red point once you know what to expect of the crux holds and go for it instead of messing around to find the best ones.

Second Coming

Capt'n Rehab

Sands of Blood

Solace

Farmers Tan

Three Bars Black

Happiness is Coming

Dirtbag

Emergency Exit

Sandcastle

Mecca

The Garden Of Eden

As the Jerks Fly

Just Another Bolt in the Wall

Good Old Chuck

Apostasy

Popular Demand

The Cross

Say Your Prayers

Double Cross

Sand Puppy

Vertical Smile

Armageddon

Tombstone Bullets

Sand Witch

Sands of Anarchy

Still Waiting

Pilgrimage

Staloner

As the Crows Fly

Apocalyptico

The first line on the right.  It starts fun, but eases up past the ledge to the chains.

This route is sandwiched between

Dirtbag

and

Apostasy

.  It's a bit similar to both.  Big, juggy holds up to the last bolt.  The finish is committing on some crimpy stuff.  Fun route.

Bolted route just to the the right of

Second Coming

. A bouldery start leads to easier climbing and a great rest.  Climb the arete and clip the chains.

The hardest route at Chuckawalla, this fun climb starts with some hard slot climbing with bad feet (5.12) with a big right hand throw to a hidden pocket.  Do a little hand negotiation and funky moves to gain a good rail up and left, clip, and fire through the marginal pockets, with terrible feet, and throw a heel up and right to gain a big jug hole(V7).  The climbing backs off significantly, and is alot of fun moving between the big pods to gain anchors over the lip.

This climb is the fourth from the right on the wall, past

Sands of Blood

on the junky-looking blunt arete,

Apostasy

, and

Solace

.

Descend 150 meters from the parking lot to the wall and walk to a line of bolts perhaps 7 meters left or the right-hand edge of the main buttress. A line of 4 bolts leads to chains up top.

The climbing is mostly positive, but a crux up top is a little awkward and thin, so it might not be the best warm up, particularly for shorter climbers. I found this route just a little more difficult than its 5.10a neighbor.

This route is a bit more techy for the first half than most of the harder routes on the wall.    Climb up and work your way a bit left using small slots for your fingers.   Clip the 2nd bolt, gain a few crimps and make a lunge for a jug up and right.   Clip the 3rd bolt, and use a few small but positive pockets to gain a stance.  Its cruiser from here.    At the 3rd bolt, you can bust left to do Three Bars Black, 5.13b.

New route on the far north of the crag in the shaded slot.  Right of Sand Puppy.  Sandy rock leads to better holds up top with the crux just before the chain anchors.  Not the best route at the crag, but another quick option for climbing in the shade of the narrow slot.

Route just to the right of As the Crows Fly (the anchors are within arm's reach of each other).  Starts out with nice pockets to a slopey, reachy crux.  After the third bolt, it's big holds to the chains.  There's a bit of a left traverse at the end.

This route is best found by walking to the left end of the buttress and then back-tracking to the right 2 lines. The climb can be identified by the features on and around it. On the ground, a swell of rock to the left goes up a little slot to access the ledge before the climb's first bolt. The climb ascends past a bolt below a bulge, over the bulge for a clip that will be either tricky or high-ball (crux, height dependent 10c). Note closing comments on this. Past the second clip the climbing eases slightly to bigger holds and shorter moves (5.9?) on a left-leaning line to reach chain anchors.

Both the belayer and climber should consider this second clip carefully, as the clip is tricky and insecure from down low and a little highball from past the crux. With the ledge below, blowing the clip could be an ankle-breaker.As well, the previous bolt is long enough that one is tempted to clip it with a longer sling to avoid drag later, but this will lengthen a fall. I caught my partner on 3 lead falls from the crux, each ending perhaps a foot above the ledge.  If I'd not paid close attention or if she'd outweighed me, she might have hit it hard.

This is a cool climb, and more solid for the grade compared to some of the other 12a's at this wall.   Start by climbing Pilgrimage, 5.12a to the second bolt.  Don't clip the second bolt on Pilgrimage and continue up the dihedral to the right.   Clipping the bolt near the top of the dihedral begins As the Jerks Fly.   From here, it's straight up on some marginal holds (crux).   Continue straight up gaining a few pods and finger locks in a vertical crack.   Increasingly better holds lead to the chains.  The second bolt is a bit high, you can clip the 2nd bolt on Pilgrimage with a long runner, or unclip your draw when you reach the first bolt on As the Jerks Fly.

just to the right of good luck chuck.  Clip the second bolt then head up on good edges and pockets to a spicy mantle.  Hit the Huecos and then head for the chains up top.  The first bolt can be skipped as it's close to the second however this would make the clip extra spicy.  The ending is fabulous!

While I don't personally know Chuck, after climbing this line I imagine him a pleasant man, well-mannered, strong and stoic. When irritated, Chuck can get upset and difficult to deal with, but given some time to cool down, he'll regain his composure and shrug things off.

A short and powerful route,

Good Old Chuck

starts off casual and leads to a deceptive, devious, and explosive crux. Unravel the boulderesque bulge or peril!! Allow the dust to clear, pull past the tornado, and climb towards safer ground.

*Game shoes required.

Begin this route on big pockets and deep edges, gain a stance and let the fun begin. Balance, question, and second guess your next few moves through the bulge and if you're lucky, passage will be granted. Finish out the route on steepening terrain using side pulls and scoops.

This is nearly the right-most climb on the wall, with the exception of a junky-looking blunt arete.  Descend 150 meters from the parking lot to the wall and walk to a line of bolts perhaps 4 meters left of the right-hand edge of the main buttress.  A line of 5 bolts leads to chains up top.

The climbing is mostly positive and is a reasonable warm up, although I found this route just a little more slick than its immediate neighbors.

This climb is the fifth from the right on the wall, past a route on the junky-looking blunt arete and the climbs

Apostasy

, and unknown 5.10, and

Dirtbag

.

Descend 150 meters from the parking lot to the wall and walk to a line of bolts perhaps 9 meters left or the right-hand edge of the main buttress.  Although the line is somewhat squeezed between Dirtbag and Tombstone Bullets, which preceded it by some years, the climbing is reasonably good. You just have to ignore the bolts and holds on T.B. which you could nearly clip.

A slightly powerful crux gets you off of the ground (10a?) and moving up easier climbing for 7 meters to a more blank area of the wall. This crux (10c) can be avoided by stepping left or right to one of the routes it is squeezed between if you like. Then the climb ascends to a final crux near the top (10a), just before the chain anchors. The line has 5 or 6 bolts leading to chains up top. I found this route just a little more difficult than Dirtbag (10a).

The Cross

is a hard and relentless route with a bouldery crux about a little over half way up, pull this move, follow the thin crack, and save your strength for the surprise ending.

One hard move off small crimp at first or second bolt leads to easier climbing above.

Double Cross

begins tough and ends tough. A very difficult start on pockets and thin crimps leads through a bulge and a hard to manage second clip, continue up and slightly left on more crimps and an occasional pocket. Work right along a shallow ledge and aim up and right into a small recess and shared chain anchor.

This is a short route on your left when you walk up into the corridor towards the 13's on the far left of Chuckwalla.  It is short and a bit sandy.  Steep start to slab middle and pod.

Vertical Smile is A great project if you need something in the low 12's that is not all juggy at chuck, it starts out with some bouldery moves, which leads to a possible ground fall at the third bolt and then passes some crimpy/slopey face climbing up to a nice bulge and a really reachy move just before the 6th bolt and then goes right to join pilgrimage on a shared bolt and anchors. Awesome climb!!

Chossy holds up seam past five bolts to chains

This route is to the left of Dirtbag (there's a route between Dirtbag and this one).  Nice pockets lead to nice ledges and more pockets.  A bulge at the end is conquered by some reachy holds.

Reachy crimpers and a good rest lead to fun thin topout. Crux is the top and after the second bolt with very thin pinchers. A hard 11b and a worthwhile journey.

Short, bouldery pocketed line to the right of Sand Puppy.

2 routes to the left of Second Coming.  Just above 2nd bolt gaston with R hand, then up high with L.  From 5th to 6th bolt, reachy move with R hand to huge undercling.  Good rest just below 5th bolt.

This fun line start off hard with a low crux past the second bolt and then eases to steep climbing on good holds - if you nail the crux it's all about hanging on for the ride.

Don't be confused by another line of bolts that branch off after the 2nd bolt, as they belong to another route -

As the Jerks Fly

(5.12a).

One route left of 3 Bars Black, this route is short and powerful with good crimps and shallow pockets. Big dyno right off the ground followed by a hard cross and thin edges. A great boulder problem... I mean route. A good first 13a for you boulders out there.

A fun pocket route on the far left of the wall.  Follow pockets and edges to a crux near the top.  Find the hidden pocket at the second to last clip,  and crank to the anchors.  6 bolts...

Crux down low through a bulge with poor pockets.  Second crux up at the top where the route turns into a slab.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Chuckawalla Wall