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The Red Man climbs Sour Mash and Crimson Crystalis in Red Rock, Nevada.

This film can also be viewed at: The Red Man

This is 3 routes right of Dark Shadows.  It starts out with some run out face climbing past two bolts.  Once past the crux you can place a few small cams behind the small flake.  The climbing is easier from here to the chains anyway.  The next pitch is great.  It is mainly thin moves up a thin vertical crack system.   There are rests and good pro along the way but there is a steady supply of tricky moves to make all the way up.  I had a great time on this pitch.  You can just rap from the 2nd station to the first on a 60m rope.  You have to reach down to set up your anchor.  You could rap from the 2nd station to the ground with two 60m ropes.

Black Velvet Canyon
Black Velvet Wall
Sour Mash 5.10a
6 pitches
November 3rd, 2007
R. and C. Gmoser

This is another outstanding route on the Black Velvet Wall. The climbing is more varied and, I found, a little harder overall, than on Dream of Wild Turkeys. Prepare for rope drag on the second pitch with some long slings. The crux for me was the 5.9 pitch just before the bolted 5.10a pitch. There is some thin pro and a few thin moves to make. The rap off the roof of Fiddler on the Roof is a worthy adventure in itself.

Black Velvet Canyon
Black Velvet Wall
Dream of Wild Turkeys 5.10a
11 pitches
November 1st, 2007
R. Gmoser, O. Sofer, K. Mager and M. Delesalle

This is an outstanding route on excellent rock. It follows natural weaknesses up the impressive Black Velvet Wall. The 2nd pitch is incredible. The fourth pitch has an offwidth which can be avoided on the right. Bring a #3 Camalot for this. The moves out of the crack to the station on the 4th pitch will get your attention. They are thin and need balance. If you are up for a long route and can climb 5.10 face, you should do this climb. We got our rope stuck while rapping the 9th pitch. There is a notch on the belay ledge and our knot got stuck in it. Be sure to pull you knot past this notch. It is about the only place to stick a rope if you are rapping Prince of Darkness.

First Creek Canyon
Alcohol Wall
Gin Ricky 5.10c
2 pitches
October 31st, 2007
R. Gmoser, O. Sofer, F. Camire and Sandy

This climb offers 55m of top quality finger crack in a clean right facing corner. The crux is slick and strenuous because it is hard to stick your right foot. There is excellent protection throughout the climb and you can place gear up to a #2 Camalot although placements in the smaller ranges are more readily available.

I tried to climb Rob Roy, the 5.10b crack to the right, but it is run out and tough. It is a very thin crack system and the moves into the crack are delicate and without protection.

Pine Creek Canyon
Cartwright Corner 5.10a
3 pitches
October 30th, 2007
R. Gmoser and O. Sofer

In the guidebook, Red Rock Canyon a Climbing Guide, this is a 5 star 5.10b route with four pitches. The book says the first pitch is a little less than excellent which is no lie. This pitch climbs up a watercourse in a large gully. Once you gain the large grotto at the same level as a rap station on the climber’s right side of the gully, move left to set up under a wide, nice looking crack. The second pitch is quite good but obviously doesn’t see much traffic. There are brittle holds and some grit. There is an airy crux to get into the final offwidth, gully feature. This features a 3m fall onto a ledge but you can place a #3 Camalot before making the real psychologically exciting moves. After I made it through this crux, I found 3 cams sitting on a ledge. Nice reward for doing the move. The final pitch looks better than it went for me. I found the climbing awkward and scary due to brittle flaky holds. It was a high stress adventure. There is one more pitch tot the top which is a tight chimney with dubious looking pro. Chocolate Flakes, the 5.10d route to the right, looks like a much better climb. We rapped the route using stations on the climber’s right of the gully.

I went to have a go at this climb which also starts at the same place as Dark Shadows.  The moves up to the thin looking crack semi protect with small cams but I didn’t feel secure enough with my gear or climbing to push up to the crack.  It’s a great downclimb and I guess I’ll have to have another try when I’m more comfortable with the sandstone.

Pine Creek Canyon
Chasing Shadows 5.10a
1 pitch
October 27th, 2007
O. Sofer and R. Gmoser

I think this is the name of this climb. I’ll have to confirm. From the 2nd belay station on Dark Shadows, you climb the wide crack to the right. You don’t need gear larger than a #3 Camalot although larger gear will fit. The crack feels rattley on the bottom, but that might be because I was just in Yosemite. The thin moves at the end of the pitch can be protected with small cams. The route continues up for a 10c bolted pitch, but we didn’t do it because the anchors were crowded above. It looks good though and I would like to do it.

I went back with my brother and finished that bolted route. It has some balancey moves on varnished rock. Its a good one.

Yosemite
Royal Arches Area
Serenity Crack 5.10d
3 pitches
October 24, 2007
O. Sofer and R. Gmoser

What a great climb. If you can handle the first section of run out, you shouldn’t have too much trouble on the rest of it. There is a crux on the second pitch when you step over to the right hand crack. This one protects well with a small cam. The final crux is awesome if you like finger cracks. You can lock two or three fingers in the pin scars, then smear on the smooth face and start moving the hands up. The finger locks get better near the top of the crux.

We have to come back to finish the Sons of Yesterday, and I won’t mind redoing Serenity Crack. Excellent climb.

Yosemite
The Pee Pee Pillar 5.10a
1 pitch
October 23, 2007
O. Sofer and R. Gmoser

This is 30m of hand and finger crack in a right facing corner. The right hand wall is slick, so you have to watch your footwork. There are two cruxes. One at the bottom in the crack to the left of the corner and on higher up on a slick section of the corner crack. An excellent slippery little climb. There is a bolted anchor at the top.