Ascents in Sandia Mountain as various tick types by Jim Olsen

A real mental workout.

Weird weather; high winds, heavy clouds, scud, spotty rain;so we decided to do something easy.

The ambitious climb of the year (so far) for Fritz and me. There's 5.8 on every pitch, and if we dared we could do the last pitch as 5.9 or 5.10. Didn't drink enough water so my fingers cramped up on the last pitch. As we finished little droplets started spitting from the sky.

First pitch a bit ledgy.

Fritz led the hard lead. I led the easy one. There are almost 3 5.8 cruxes (if that's possible).

The climb encourages some exquisite moves 30 to 40 feet up second pitch. It was a learning experience leading the first 10 feet of the climb. Was fortunate to lead most of the climb.

A truly delightful climb!!!

The standard ascent route starts up a chimney with some loose 20 to 40 pound boulders you need to hang on to climb it, so I moved 15' around the corner up a face (Fritz pointed out) which still had some, much more manageable loose rocks, for the first pitch. The rest was on the standard route.

Don't know if it's been climbed before; probably has. About 20+ feet left of West Face direct. Crack curves to the right and edges are roundded.

Listed in Hill's Guide to the Sandias as 5.6, actually 5.8. Big crack swallows up #3.5 Camalots. We had to reuse the sameone three times on the climb. Took a tumble near the top, made it on next try. Real pumpy. We had to climb, set pro, go down and rest, switch leads, climb further, set pro go down and rest, etc.

Toward the top I got ancy about making the moves I wanted (layback to mantle), because the ton and a half rock I wanted to use moves. So I went up a rather nasty little chimney (pumpy 5.7-5.7+).

I led the first, very fun, marginally offwidth crack and Fritz led the second offwidth.

We started about 100' to the right of Lost Line. The route joins Lost Line at the second belay point. Top half of the Third pitch features a fun arete (total 5 pitches). Slings at first belay point indicate it's been climbed often on.

My rope is only about 145' long now, so we synchro-climbed part of the route. Fritz led 90% of it. He did a great job on a route that leant itself to complex climbing styles.

Led the bottom pitch and toproped the top pitch a coupla months ago. Then I seconded it with Carl D. I'm starting to grock the possibilities on the crux moves on the first pitch.

After taking a 5.8 lead it was time to relax, i thought, and toproped this one. This climb didn't seem much easier than the one i just did.

Great climb, yahoo! Just what i needed to get me out of a funk i was in. No big muscle moves needed.

FFA. Takes off of Miss Piggy. Would be better (good) if someone would ascend it with a wire brush (for the lichens) and small plant trimmers.

Route alternates between loose, blocky stuff and good rock.

We had to go offroute because it probably rained the day before and some of the wet streaks were where one would put their feet. There was a nice foot move on the first pitch. The second (half) pitch had some nice friction/minimal hold work; good for my concentration. This variation appears more difficult than the standard Opal route. We found that Hills guidebook said 150' from the top rappell bolts. It's more like 175'.

Started out climbing in wrong spoot, but Fritz soon figured it out and I started out again on route. Good climb, but 5.7 not sustained, just at three short sections. Afterward we started something else and got rained out.

Rock holds pro really well and first lead is continually good climbing.

If you are fat don't try this one. Kind of dusty with curly dried up lichens.

Cool moves; nice exposure

It was a good exercise in route finding, glorious views. It's great to sit at belay and watch people way below walking down a path between your toes. Actually just 5 1/2 leads of fifth class. The rest is fourth and third

I only managed to pull it with lots of encouragement. Only several feet of 5.9. The rest 5.7-5.8

An easy 5.8 on limestone

Swapped leads. Did a short leader fall on first pitch.

When Fritz & I climbed this we thought it was a different climb. We don't know if it was climbed before. I would give the crux a 5.6. The rest of the climb is only 5.4 - 5.5.