I stared at this face for ten years, stopping in amazement one of my first trips down.  

  "Wow!" I thought, "will it ever go?"   

  The more I climbed at Sams Throne, the more I learned what gear would, and wouldn't work, and what it took to do  routes ground up in an area where cracks dead ended disappointingly, and finicky seams sometimes gave protection, but oftentimes, not. 

    The obvious blank green face is practically hold-less, but my eyes traced the most possible looking line; up the previously climbed arete, and into the seams cracking the face.  Jim Karpowitz climbed this in the 80's with no fixed gear, and no pre-inspection. 

  This is the spirit in which 90% of the routes at Sams have since been sent.  Last year, a rash of rap and retro bolters descended on the Throne spraying bolts, and opinions on anything within gunshot.  

  I knew it was a matter of time before they got to the green face. It's the most obvious remaining gem. Luckily, they left it untouched. I  headed up with a small rack and figured out the "creative" gear placements; worked the crux, and came back two weeks later for the send.  

  This is how "the game" works at Sams, and hopefully will for a long time. Time moves slower here, and someday, someone will do the direct green face. I hope they will have as rewarding an experience as I did.

SuperNatural

Chickens in Space

The Natural

Climber on a Hot Tin Roof

Slam Dance

Eminent Domain

Unkown 5.9 (first route after catacombs down approach)

Blackberry Blossom (a.k.a. Smooth Operator)

Air to the Throne

Cruising For Chickens

Huckleberry Hornpipe (a.k.a. Bryes Corner)

The Sickle

Backrub

Arkansas Reality

Sliders

This route follows the thin crack up to and through the dihedral at the top.

Directly to the right of "Supernatural" 

  Beggining with the same start you climb 15 feet of rotten rock until you hit the good stuff. 

  Find some placements before you blast up nice sculpted jugs and crimps through the beautiful arete. Up top awaits an intimidating looking bulge that climbs a lot friendlier than it looks. 

  Awesome climb!

Start in the orange crack system and move right to the base of the roof. The traverse is not well-protected. Finish with a well-earned chickenhead hike.

Climb the awesome 20 foot dihedral handcrack to a ledge.  There, turn around and climb up into and through the squeeze chimney.  Belay on trees above.  Awesome rock. 

  You can also continue up and right instead of turning around at the ledge, but it's a little chossy and not as fun, in my opinion.

An often overlooked, but excellent moderate face climb on gear. The rock quality is superb above the slightly chossy start. Gear is somewhat straight forward. typical AR face trad, be prepared to sling chickenheads.Climb the bendy crack using holds all about (looks chossy but climbs really well) till you get to the base of the roof and the first placements (5.8, PG). place a piece or two in the big horizontal crack and fire the crux to get established on the face. head straight up for a while placing funky gear until you get to the bomber nut placement near the top that you can see from the ground. from hear traverse straight right, then up, as the wall kind of blanks out here. finish straight up above the bulge to find a bolted anchor. prepare to rap, as it is only hangers, no rings.*as of 12/20 the anchors are equipped for lowering.

Bouldery start, very small gear about 15' up. Huge jugs above.

Climb over the fistcrack bulge on the left.  Continue in the dihedral system over another bulge near the top.  Good rock.

Start in nasty sugary brown crack on opposite side of "Brown Sugar".  A single bolt signals the start of better but more difficult rock.  One may want to rap in to drop a long draw on this bolt due to horrible rock and gear. Also there is a 3 foot ledge at 50 feet which creates horrible drag. Joy.

Swim through slopers to the base of the short roof crack getting available gear when possible. A couple punchy, static moves get you to and over the lip using little to no crack technique at all. After this short crux mindful but enjoyable face climbing with okay pro take you to the top.

Climb over the fistcrack bulge on the right.  Continue in the dihedral handcrack to the top.  Good rock.

Jam the flared crack to moderate ground.climb the colorful Headwalls (crux).

Climb the dihedral crack for 25 feet on good rock, using the tree for your back if you have to.  At the end of the crack, pull around to the right and finish on a slab.  Good rock.

Climb low angled dihedral and fingercrack to the base of the 12 foot roof crack.  Pull through on jams and jugs over the lip and angle right on the chickenheads above to the anchors.  You can continue to the top of the cliff in another easy pitch or just rap.

Climb pretty much anywhere on the slab after figuring out the first 15 feet, heading over to the dihedral formed by the headwall block on the left or staying on the chickenhead covered slab.

This area contains a mix of many types and difficulties of climbing on good rock.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Prow & Reality Wall