Ascents in Sandia Mountain

Pitch one is terrific. If pitch two weren't so short and loose I would have given it "classic" status. We approached via Torreon, then scrambled down the S side of the Mexican Breakfast formation (though I think you could easily hike down the N side). After climbing, we hiked out the La Luz. That probably took us an extra half-hour, but it was less strenuous and more scenic.

first one day onsight

The Sandia's Classic

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

A truly delightful climb!!!

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.

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

Cool moves; nice exposure

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

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.

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+).

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.

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.

An easy 5.8 on limestone

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

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'.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Fritz and I had to rap down and climb out to do this one. A little unnerving considering it had some loose, formed a steep gully and protecting yourself on belay slightly iffy.

It was better than I expected. I was going to do the 5.9 unknown, which is all stemming and layback on a crack in a corner, but I wound up instead using more face than corner.