Ascents in Sandia Mountain by Fritz Devendorf

Another good assent of an old favorite.

Great climb. I set the first peice and backed down, My buddy Jim, set the next peice and another peice real close and backed down. I finished leading the climb. The guide book says two pitchs but I made it in one with a short 50m rope (part of it was cut off) and with my buddy Jim simil-climbing to the first piece (10-15 ft up).

This rock has some great moderate face moves (a test for my limits), I would say classic despite the route described below. We set out to climb West Face Direct, but when I got to the cliff face about 15ft to the left and below the starting bolts of West Face Direct, I decided to try going straight up on some face and crack moves. I made it approximately 2/3rds the way up the face and crack when I was stopped by difficult move to get up to some knobs above me. I lowered and traversed over to the West Face Direct crack, traversed farther left, and set a belay on the West Face Travers ledge between West Face Direct and the West Face Traverse 1st pitch. We finished the climb on the 5.5 face of the West Face Traverse second pitch.

For one pitch this climb was great. The most fun I've had in a long time. Jim lowered me back down to top roped it a second time.

After seconding Estrellita we lowered down and top roped this climb from the same belay point. This climb 5.7 was not much easier than Estrellita 5.8. I enjoyed this climb a lot also. I top roped it twice. From the belay point to the bottom, including the climber tie in, used up just over half of a 60m rope.

I followed Jim up the first pitch, the 5.8 layback. At the top of the crux (but not over the crux) I rested on the rope to remove some pro and to straighten out the equipment troubles (I almost lost my sunglasses. We got off route at the top of the 5.8 layback (see the climb “Kermit the Frog”; but, we climbed the second pitch by lowering down from the top (top rope).

It's mean and green but with a little taming it could be a good climb. I led half of the second pitch starting from the small pinon above the Seamingly Obvious 5.8 layback move. I climb up the open book crack, over some bushes, and then left over the Arête (which separates “Kermit the Frog” from the bolted face route “Another Pair of Shoes” (this is as far as I got), follow a small open book up and right back across the arête, continue a pair of cracks, finish by crossing back left over the arête, and climbing easier rock to the top.

Around the corner from where the top map shows Redeemer is a large dihedral (or gully). At the top of the gully we moved right onto the ridge and up to the top of the gully for the 1st belay (I noticed holds and a two bolt anchor if we would have moved left onto the left face of the gully). The first pitch had good rock. On the second pitch I followed good and bad rock up and left into a small chimney and belayed Jim from a chock stone in the chimney. Jim stepped right across the chock stone to the face and followed easy (5.5) but exposed ramps to the top. The climb was ok but kind of junky with mixed rock and some scrambling, the bottom and top 3rd was more consistent and better rock

I like this rock, it is different granit than higher in the sandias. I led the 1st pitch but traversed left and then up one of the crack systems that lead to the upper face (set a belay at 200ft). Jim followed but went on lead ~25ft below me to traverse right and then up to get back on route. I led the last pitch past the normal 2nd belay to the anchor chains at the top. I thought it was fun. An 55m and 30m rap tooks us back to our packx.

Jim led the 1st pitch and I led the 2nd (a 5.7 undercling). There were some good spots but not as consistand in grade as Lost Ledges

Excelent, as I was loward down the face I though no way. Ist time started at the bottem of an alcove 30ft up from the saddle above the Sentinal, climbed up and left under an overhang then left onto the face and a flake to the top. 2nd time (Sep 28) I led from the bottom but didn't finish due to rain. Great rock and possiblities for good small to medium pro. Oct 05 Redpoint accent

This was harder than I thought for a 5.6. An interesting climb and very good rock.

I completed 1.5 pitches. It was great rock. We ended up bailing out due to time and our conditioning at the time.

I enjoyed this easy climb w/ spectatular views and some exposure

Attempting Lost Ledges; however, we were on the wrong side of wall, the desctiption didn't exactly match up. The 1st pitch was crap, but the 2md was excellent.