Melissa Kelley

one move wonder, or maybe two. Hardest v4 ever. did from squat start with right heel. Took me many goes. Figured out to match the two heinous crimps, did not use the friction sloper hold

nice low ball problem. WAY easier than the "v4" that starts the same. Also WAY more enjoyable. I think the v6 used to climb up more direct and now the way to do this seems to be to go around the corner for easier, but enjoyable, less contrived climbing. This is a nice warm-up and problem. With the southeast crew- Sarah, Anna, Chris, Gary etc!

these are so similar that it's difficult to remember the differences between them. But basically they are all SO fantastic. Good place to come when you're just rolling in from out of town and want to do some pitches and get used to the steep RRG.

it's incredible how steep these are for the grade. SO cool!! this one was bolted well but would likely be a little scary if it's at your limit. Has a distinct slopey/crimpy boulder problem. Fantastic.

start was a little awkward, but it doesn't detract from this route still because the rest is SO amazing!!

all of these are SO fun!!!

this is an Alzheimer's onsight- I'm nearly certain I've been on this route WAY back in the day (circa 2007?), but obviously don't remember anything about it. I remember it being hard though. so it's cool to revisit the nemesis!

very good! tricky, and difficult opening move that requires faith and quad strength haha. glad I didn't give up and grab the first draw like I wanted to. thanks P for the beta

cool!

very nice slab

ewwy. not that great. altho that rock is pretty cool (and sharp)

another fantastic route. altho coming out of the big sit down hueco is scary and sketchy if you don't know where you're going. glad to have the draw hanging so I could barely clip it. surprised to read the top correctly

perfect route. so fun. and somehow (barely) never blew it at the top! 3g.

worth doing, the red is so cool. all routes are good.

fun onsight attempt, got further than I thought, second go felt SO different and so much easier than expected. climbs quick. one section is a little sketch with hitting the ledge potential. nice addition J-star. 2g.

2nd go, team send with Pawel! both of us felt it went by surprise (yay to me for sticking the jump move, barely!). It's cold here, and we've grown soft. Kind of brutal today.

the red is SO fun! so steep! and kind of run out

very crimpy at the top, surprised to pull this off; a little scary going to the chains

pretty certain I did this one in october of 2019, all hungover after crashing Mark Ventura's wedding...pretty sure it was also wet from all the condensation. 'Twas a great reminder of the beauties and then flip-flop that the RRG can have.

I snatched the Satch flash after Pawel onsighted. Impressive OS. The bottom is cryptic, technical and not very obvious; was happy and surprised to do first go

stick the block, take it to the top! My "longest standing Rifle project" finally sent. Once I committed to actually trying it a little more consistently (more than twice randomly a year), it didn't take as long as I expected!

tried this one year ago and immediately got my finger stuck in the slot (thanks to Kate, who calmly told me how to "unstick" my finger). Swore it off, but inevitably came back to it and figured work-around beta that didn't involve the slot. 3g.

fluffyfluffflufferston. This may not be the most inspiring line or best in the canyon, but it is SO fun! Thought it felt a little fluffy, thought I'd send it quick, and as you may expect, it became the one hang nightmare. Maeve with the send belay!

bouldery start leads to easier climbing but will keep you thinking and heads up with the run-outs. 2nd go. a little more adventure factor than your typical rifle route.

tough start leads to a long, extended finish. Def need a full 70m cord to get down 🤦‍♀️ it was adventure climbing in Rifle, hard to say I enjoyed it but I think for the style it was actually pretty good, not sure why I get so spooked on these kinds of routes

actually really liked this one! the worst part is the move on the 5.11, otherwise a fun crux! 2g.

pumpy for a 3 bolt shortie. would be better if it were longer because the boulder problem/moves are actually fun and good!

hands down the best route at the crag.

hard, awkward move but the ext (climba) is worth it!

fun! characterized by big moves and what feels very runout but is bolted well. 3g.

actually really liked this shortie; cool holds with churt bands and slot pockets? Yeah! The original of this route has been chopped (continued to go up angling crack to right), haven't seen a guidebook/source that has it corrected yet...

pretty dirty, but not as bad as sex machine. pawing at the bottom, but the top was better

learning the art of awkward groveling has it's benefits I think. glad I finally figured out the crux (moving past the roof) and didn't end up sawing through the dogbone or watching the gate open as I fell time and time again working it out. Really enjoyable route to an awkward, difficult to work out crux, to an ok headwall. Liked this thing the more I climbed on it and generally spent less time hanging at the crux bolt. 6 or 7g.

aka dirt machine. This is the filthiest climb I've ever done, so much dirt EVERYWHERE. Minus the excessive dirt, I enjoyed it and would recommend if it was cleaned up. Also I did use the "ugly" holds, per the guidebook.

nice, more techy than the others but I enjoyed it. gave me a good run with the building pump that came on quick! 2g.

still didn't really enjoy the arete portion of this climb, but the top is cool. first try (just had already done both routes)

definitely the toughest of the rap stars. a tough boulder problem guards fun jug hauling! 3rd go.

enjoyable!

best route on rap stars. thanks to p-diddy for the excellent fall proof beta! and all the cheering from the peanut gallery- I could hear Emily h's voice perfectly trying to keep me collected at the top. sorry pawel I suck at giving beta when you're mega pumped, but you always give me flawless beta!

combines some of the best climbing on the wall with a slightly harder finish than sniggity. great warm up. technically a red point since I had already done the two routes it links up.

better than it looks. short and just a little turdy. worth a gander tho

worth doing when after you've done the others

short and punchy. a nice warmup

nice route, aesthetic, sustained and enjoyable. 5th go, first time I stuck the boulder problem from the ground I did the route. also figured out different beta (so fun, moonboard problem-esque) oe the middle crux by going right to a good crimp instead of the "slot" beta. originally rated 14a/13c??? could be 13a in some sandbagged places.

cool position on the arete but by far the worst route on rap stars wall. still def worth doing. maybe I just messed up the sequences with the OS. felt like I was trying hard up there!

maybe the best warmup at the crag. and probably easier than 11c. watch out for momma bird!!

a touch better than jizz

should have been "frat boys." worst route of the "easier " grades at the crag. even the short, dinky one to the left is probably better...

2nd best on rap stars wall (thug first). 2nd go, love the jug hauling at the top. sorry to pawel for the poor beta at the top that cost him the flash 🤦‍♀️ 2g.

a little sharp

Love me a steak dinner after I won the bet about what kind of flower was at the top of this pitch. Come on pawel, don't mess with flower power!

mean girls can suck it. boom.

nice warm up

nice route, full body warm up in dihedral, numbs the hands with the cold air pumping out of the crack

thanks to pawel for the beta

nice climbing, but bolting is a little wonky and feels runout. Might be a bit scary for a new 5.10 leader.

easier than stem-o-rama, grade is not consistent for the rest of the wall. And it wasn't as scary as the name implies.

Pretty happy about this one and the mental game I had to overcome to send. Felt absolutely surreal when I sent; the most careless and focused I may have ever been whilst climbing. Kind of sad to see this one go.

superb. Did not do the standard beta, and took me a couple more goes than I expected. It's a gem.

Best route I've done at the Canine wall so far. This one is good, and just needs more traffic to clean up

f*cking epic. What a sandbag. This route is also scary. Took me as many goes as the 13a (call the cops). It went like this, "uhh, take?" *pull past move to figure it out on top rope. Keep climbing. Sketchily down climb, take again, want the stick clip. lower. want beer. NEED beer. belay Eric, he sends. Must have beer NOW. But no beer. Instead I top rope it (2nd go, btw, I sent it on top rope ;) ) and then the next time when I actually send it on my 3RD GO, I need Pawel to hang draws and I barely send it by the skin of my teeth and bitch my way fully to the top. Yep. Told you it was epic. Oh yeah, and then Pawel told me in the old guidebook it was rated as 5.9. Definitely gonna need that beer. And I'm taking a personal grade of 10d on this one.

Great route! Tried SO hard at the top, very pumped and didn't know the beta well, very thin/crimpy up high. Crux move is cool, L-hand side pull pinch, and Right hand to undercling bump to good sidepull, bad feet out left, clip, big move to "jug." 3g.

Awesome addition Jeff! Also flashed Eric through it. 2g.

5.9/10a? This thing used to be rated 5.7; maybe it's 5.8. Guess I'm a sand bagger. #keepriflehard ;)

good. Way more than the 1-star it used to get.

meh, fits in with the rest canine wall.

Hard. Cool stone.

Jeff's longest standing Rifle project SENT. And again, not sooo easy hahahaha

don't under estimate the easy ones...

Seems only fitting that Jeff gave me the send belay on my FIRST ever arsenal send. He's given me the most shit over the years for my avoidance of the arsenal. Pretty hate was a love hate relationship. Felt I needed to do it as the "entrance" to other routes in the arsenal, people gave me such a hard time "oh that's the worst one," "It's harder than pump," etc. But I truly came to enjoy it!! I' probably tried this a dozen times over the past few years and finally decided to buckle down and get it done this year. Didn't take long, just took the commitment to doing it. And also, big thanks to Jeff for recommending I stickclip the second bolt instead of just pulling through because of a wet pocket I was avoiding. I would have continued to one hang from the second bolt haha. Really stoked to put this one down.

So psyched to have a gal pal (Jessi) who wants to do one star obscure routes with me! AND she even hung the draws!! A little trady feeling and a little scary at the low traverse part over the "ledge." Stoked to be able to piece this one together while remembering poor beta! 2g.

really love this route!!! Would def be more stars if it was longer. Flows so well, and is a great warm up for the steeper stuff. 2g.

Good 5.10 climbing to an unfortunate boulder problem to 5.10 climbing. The right is much better! 3g.

climbing with Sarah Jane! :)

very good - tough boulder problem guards the bottom with some tricky figuring up top. 4-ish g (tried this once before years ago).

What a great route, thanks to Scott Hahn and Colter for reviving this thing! Made it past the "crux" by surprise two times before the send, so was happy to clip the chains. Had to try so hard after the "crux," and wanted to puke. Didn't do the mantle, but was able to take the no hands rest by negotiating the small holds to finagle into it. Super route, highly recommended. 5g.

Nice, long flowy route. A couple of hard bolts to clip.

worst one on the wall so far. but still worth doing at some point.

Did guitar hero first (which links into the top), so had to take this as a redpoint. Was able to put the bottom together though first try (which is pretty stinking hard for 11c) with the combo beta of pawel and another friend. Glad I didn't have to do the bottom again, it's pretty vicious.

thought this route was great!! Not sure why it only has one star. Shhh, a true locals secret (must be why it has perma-draws). 2g.

Zero Stars?? Three stars for sure!!! I'll settle on two starts because of how dirty it is. This thing (minus the chossy bottom) was excellent! Way under-rated, not enough love. With more ascents, I think this would be one of the better routes at the crag. Thanks to Eric for hanging around to do some obscure stuff :)

good route.

Meh- nothing bad, nothing good.

wow. So good! And very thought provoking!! Not a gimmie for the grade. Excellent. thanks to Tom for letting me hang the draws :)

extension to lever action. Top took me two tries total, and when I sent lever action on the third try I did this thing too. Pretty wild that the 11d felt harder to me than anything else. I think this thing will develop new beta and people will stray from the bolt line eventually for some easier climbing. Pretty cool though straight up.

I'm ready for vedauwoo! So intimidated to go up this thing, and then loved it!! Didn't really do any crack climbing, so maybe I'm not ready, but damn, this thing was fun. Heel toe cam over the head did make me feel like I knew what i was doing with steep roof crack climbing. 3g. I knew I'd "send" the top before this thing. thanks to Tom for all his belaying support! Normally, I'd take this as one total route (because sent it all in one go), but documented it as two because I was so proud of my effort and send of the 11d! haha.

hard start. On the obscure tour with Jenny!

big thanks to Jim Patton who stayed around to belay me on his rest day! He's a stand-up guy. :) really enjoy climbing with him. Figured out the magic beta to clip the chains...easily. It's all in the left heel.

Not sure why this route gets so much hate, it's actually very good! The day turned around for me after the rain and I had a blast joining forces with Jim Patton (and Ashtray) on this thing! We traded beta and I'm taking partial credit for Jim starting the send train :) 3g. 1 day. Or maybe I should call this my first attempt because it was my first "redpoint attempt," and the others were beta burns. Young kids these days, no ethics. 3g. 1day.

Wahoo. A little exciting, thought I was going to blow it the way I got all stemmed out. Cool fins. Oh, and right before we ventured up this we saw the new canyon bear! :(

climbing with Jenny! :)

I actually really enjoyed this climb; the start is hard but flows well and the top is easier than the other easy routes on this wall.