Melissa Kelley

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.

very nice, a little spicy with a committing crux. Slappy slappy!

Nice climb. Jenny lead this one too! :)

Definitely didn't give the respect this one deserves. Inconsistent and half-hearted trying. Super great rock climb, cryptic. Thanks to Ashtray for saving me beta burns. P with the send belay! 8g?

short and slippery. not terrible.

woof. Fantastic rock climb; the top is amazing. Wasn't warmed up well and blew it on the powerful start. After my first go, I described it as 12a start to 11b finish, for a grade of ...11b! 2g felt much better. Favorite route in this sector.

Highly recommended! Cryptic bottom that is seemingly impossible (but somehow works) leads to *amazing* climbing on the top half of this route! Came together faster than I thought. Weird vibes on the send go, but thanks to Tony for the good vibes and send belay! (climbing with Mary this weekend). No kneebars, other than the obvious one in the hole. And truly, this thing only has one distinct crux. 3g.

not bad. Climbing with Diana! :)

A very pure onsight. A mega route and journey. Wanted to puke when I finished from trying so hard and being scared. Heady, and exciting! Climbs trad-esque. Very quality but glad to have only had to do it once. Thanks to Tom for the long belay!

Absolutely loved this route. Maybe my favorite 12d in rifle now? Or I've just been gone too long from Rifle and am desperate. Pretty sure this thing is just amaze-balls. Jenny with the send belay- skipping two bolts on the first go, but thankfully figured out how to clip one on the send. 6g. Starts on Philatio and ends on Bong 30; the link up provides excellent additional climbing on jugs.

actually really cool! hard start, didn't use the knee bar. climbing with Jenny

Whew, yes! Very good, and a lot harder/more sustained than the 11a (gunnery hartman) at the wall. Kept me thinking and had me a little puckered trying to clip the anchors! Good day climbing with Tom!

Tom re: my slow climbing ways: "maybe you're just not good at climbing anymore."

hard short lived crux

made me work for it! Pumpy little bugger.

This thing is way better than the one star the book gives it. Definitely worthy of 3/5 stars.

Awesome! Such a great route for the grade!

Climbing with Tom and Jenny, and the Pip-squeak :)

Climbing with Sarah-Jane and Andy! Feels good to be back in Rifle!!! First time in 1.5years (stupid covid)

not my favorite, just didn't flow.

nice warm-up, friendly holds. Would repeat. First day climbing with Jenny!!

This one blew us away - fantastic climbing and a full 40m!! Interesting and sustained, I'm a weeee bit out of shape for anything remotely overhanging. Gave it the good fight.

good climbing!

nice - arguably easier than the 11b to the right. Would repeat.

tough 11b!! this thing had me going..

thought I'd float this, but still had me thinking

not as bad as it was hyped up to be. Cool, runout slab once you pull the roof. Wouldn't do again unless there were no other warm-ups for hours.

climbs better than it looks! A pretty good warm-up for the area/wall. Would do again.

very nice! maybe my favorite of the three I've done on this wall. Thanks for the flash beta pawel!

such a fun onsight attempt! Very nice route- long and sustained.

good face climbing, wish more of it climbed on the arete.

blew it at the end on my onsight- too pumped haha. Nice route, flows well! 2g.

choss mcgee. (the extension is the 12a dihedral, I'm sure of the route name)

Great route with small pockets- reminds me of Ten Sleep climbing. More sustained than the route to the right (11c, hard tack) but with less monos!

she's still on! Thanks for the combo beta from Pawel and Jenny/Pete!

Woof. stiff warm-up for us with the mono crux down low. Very nice route though, and was better the second time knowing the sequence. Would recommend. 2g.

fantastic! I really enjoyed this pitch minus going to the anchors (pulling on big choss). A great warm-up!!

damn. Really good. Very impressed with the day and the sport climbing here. And then this route - so many jugs!! And surprisingly pumpy! It's deceptive. Or maybe I'm just that out of shape haha

very nice! hard, but short start to jugs. Fantastic granite!!

Loving granite sport climbing!!

almost lost my shit- but really happy that I didn't wimp out. Actually really enjoyed this climb, once I got over my mental block. Struggling with being mentally strong with no confidence during this covid time. But was pleasantly surprised with how well the climbing went! Nice day with Pawel.

Slippery dihedral, nice climbing above.

Least favorite route, awkward. (I may have gotten "dead point" and "not dead yet" mixed up).

great fun!

very nice! Powerful start, technical climbing above

a little awkward, hollow holds at top. It's worthy, but not that worthy.

10b at best. Still a sandbagger. But daaamn, those holds are jugalicious!

nice route

one unfortunate move, but otherwise ok. 2g.

Very nice climbing! Thanks to Eric for hanging the draws and figuring out some of the betas!

The upper half of this is spectacular!! First time to this wall and climbing in Ouray; spent the day climbing with Big E.

good one! feeling a little more relaxed on this second pitch, getting the cobwebs out. Sucks to suck. Covid sucks.

woof. First climb in 3 months (since covid). At least I'm still a sandbagger :) extension too.

The extension to Hard Kor. The two pitches have a different feel to them, and I really enjoy the upper pitch! Some subtle slab moves up high

Pretty sure I did this last year, but didn't log it, so climbed it again. It's pretty good with the steep opening climbing and then a short, boulder problem. Worth getting on, and maybe not a bad second warm-up once you know it. Must do the extension!

was pretty intimidated by this one, but turned out I really liked it! This would be a good warm-up option if the usual warm-up is taken.

really fun!!

fun to revisit Chuckawalla - I remember projecting this route when I moved to St. George in 2009. Felt much easier now, but still a little tricksy!

this one felt easier than the "warm-up" that we did on the other side (nickel bag of funk), definitely a style thing. This was quite fun and I would prefer to warm-up on this next time. Good movement, and the bottom crack business isn't too bad either.

sharp, scary, but cool for the style, thought it felt hard. Tie a knot in the end of your 80m, it's a long one!

Tried this a few times last year and thought it felt really hard. Happy to put it down second try today/this year. First time climbing with fatso Jeff. This thing has definitely broken, from when I first tried it there was an already small crimp that became an unfortunately even smaller crimp just off the second draw of the first extension. I went to the very top (two anchors up- three draws total for both the extensions, a bit spicy and run out. Easy climbing, but dirty and chossy.). Fun to put it all together. Can lower with an 80m from second anchor.

First time back to the Red in 5 years, and only for a day! SO much fun! Ventured up this because Mama Benson had 2 VERY large spiders between the first and second bolt...this looked a little cleaner, so figured I'd "warm up" on it instead. Very surprised to climb on it so well. Save it for the top! Maybe a little soft? hard to say, haven't climbed here in awhile, and I have zero RRG fitness.

Ohhh Pawel and your butt nuggets! nice addition to the area. a little chossy at the beginning gives ways to better climbing above. Sequential crux.

Woof. Actually really enjoyed this route! Favorite at the lower tier - actually would climb again if it were anywhere else in the canyon.

Hard/slippery move at the second bolt. Otherwise would be a more enjoyable route. Hard for the grade

Brilliant!! One of the best routes I've done in Rifle I've done; Present Tense into the extension. Thankfully sent all in one swoop! So relieved. So awesome to climb to the top of the project wall - it feels pretty exposed and wild for Rifle. Pretty neat to look back down onto the canyon wall behind you! Thanks to everyone for the support! <3m.

Really enjoyed this extension!! Nice Simon! Onsighted the top, but have done the bottom (Firearms, 12a) many times before. Really had to fight for it though - was a fun battle. Thanks to Suzanna for the belay. It was cherry on the cake after sending the big-rig today too!

felt a little spicy to me...not sure if that's accurate or if I've just lost my edge a little hah.

a little dirty and chossy feeling, but that's typical for a new(er) route in Rifle, I'm sure this thing will clean up to become better. For me, the climbing felt choppy and did not flow very well, but others really seem to be enjoying it.

painful hand jam down low for me. The top is pretty rad, I think the better line is Modest Mouse off Defenseless. 2g (had done the Modest and Mousetrap years ago).

aka Huggie. As predicted from the very beginning, the first time I stuck the big bassmouth, I went to the top. Also, bonecrusher hold is named that for a reason, luckily got better at grabbing it, but do not recommend it when the right hand hold before is wet... lastly- a shout out to Kat with the send belay, who is partially credited with the dsend by telling me to push harder with my leg on the big move. She was right!

very rifle-esque with cryptic beta figuring. Tough to figure out, but pretty cool that it all works out. The run-out at the end is not so bad either...especially when you get to the second to last bolt and can't see the actual last bolt and think thaaat's the runout, then your perspective changes and it doesn't seem so bad. That said, I wouldn't want to take that fall, but hell, who ever wants to fall from the anchors? 4g.

wow! Did this by complete surprise, my first go felt terrible and I didn't even re-figure all the beta out. So was pleasantly surprised to put this down second go of this year...but this "little" route packs a punch and took me multiple goes over the years. Full on projected this route one year, gave up the next, and tried it only a few times over the next two years. So was quite happy to send this and end the saga. I feel like this 12d should be contender for one of Rifle's hardest! Thanks to Dalia for a fun day and first time sport climbing together!

technically, a pink point!! :) hahaha. really enjoyed this one, muscle-y moves down low to easy terrain to the anchor (a little bit of a run from the last pieces to the anchor fyi, but solid rock and not difficult). Would like to do the rest of the pitches on this one, we did first pitch only.

first pitch only, thought provoking climbing with one short harder section. Used one additional piece of pro (0.75), the first pin looks questionable if you were to fall on it, well the way it cams your biner would be questionable.

first climb in eldo!

muscle-y roof, otherwise engaging climbing below the roof to easy terrain above the roof to the anchors. First pitch only.

nails hard at the top. suddenly very crimpy, and very difficult to clip the anchors. Kind of unfortunate in that way.

my favorite route at pup tent thus far. Short and stout, with some small crimps. sustained and surprisingly pumpy. Broke a foot hold my second go. 3g.

fine climbing for the area, wish it was longer!

nice route!

the headwall is the quality in this route, and it's good rock up there.

easy climbing until last bolt to anchors, requires a one move hand jam and almost forces you to top out the route. Kind of weird, but not terrible.

first route ever climbing in Jailhouse!

liked this route more than the more popular 11d to the right. thought it was nice, interesting climbing the whole way!

The first of the grade! Thanks to Emily for the send belay, Jon for the change of foot beta which made the big move higher percentage, and all those who gave the in-between belays and encouragement. Happily surprised to have wrapped this up this season! Definitely went through a little mental battle and felt I was close much earlier in the season. And although it's the link-up, I think I like it better than Sometimes Always (and yes, it's def harder) Never been SO scared on the headwall! I thought I was going to punt!

gawd, I'm such a sandbagger. 11d? Nah, we'll go with 12a and give props to Emily with the good beta! Really not a bad climb! A good crimpy section low to easy climbing above, makes for a potentially good warm-up.

powerful and sustained to a techy dihedral. Tried this thing maybe a couple times in the years past? Finally committed to it this year and surprised myself by climbing to the bass mouth a couple times, only to realize I hadn't figured the transition into the dihedral very well. oop! Thanks to Jason Smith for the send belay. 7g?

really debated on what to call this thing. Polish Sausage or it's given name by Darek Krol - La Superlune. Either way, a route worth doing. I think I climbed if after a crimp broke in the crux section? A tough, sustained sequence, but warms up the crimpers well, making this a good warm-up for the morning project. Felt just as hard, or maybe harder than "Dirt." Yeah, definitely feel like I could repeat Dirt again before repeating this thing, hah. I'll give 'em both 12c. 3g.

Really fantastic, single crux route. If you can heel hook, then I think this thing is 12c, if you can't, then it's 12++. Thank god for Kat (belaying) and giving me the truth, "don't punt now!" after passing the crux and close to blowing it on the 5.11 part. haha. thanks for telling me as it was Kat. 3g.

I actually really enjoyed this route! Maybe not one I would recommend to everyone, but thought it was interesting and thought-provoking the whole way with some really cool moves (like straddling the arete!) Not so dirty either, a little bit of poor rock at the top, but very manageable. Very rifle-like with some weird/funky climbing. 2nd go.

So amazing! I definitely think the upper crux is the crux, the lower boulder problem wasn't as much an issue for me, but was repeatedly shut down on the big move. Tried it in the spring, took about a 3 month break and was able to dispatch it quickly 3rd go in the fall. Thanks to Sarah Shaw for the belay and "convincing" me the conditions were good, bah!

phenomenal. Forever 21 HK. Such an incredible route, wish I could share my excitement with you and tell you how much I enjoyed this route!

so relieved to finally put this one behind me. Just had to believe and try a little harder. Thanks to everyone who helped me a long the way and stuck with me through the "epic-ness" of this route, and my emotional roller coaster. So many thoughts on this one. But the main one is: if you're going to clip the crux draw up (Rob), be sure to unclip it on the way down so us "shorties" don't have to skip the (low) crux draw - memorable for sure! And thanks to Luke Olsen for the Dave Pegg beta and spirit to give me a little boost to go for it and skip that draw. Daniel Brechner for the belay. Tomer for the honesty/heckling of telling me to try harder. And Pawel for all the support during my first year trying this and putting up with my ups and downs.

this thing flows so well! More tries than I wished to count falling off the top, but a great fitness route! Awesome. Just needed my boo there for the send belay! His 2nd day in Rifle all season :/

Did the two other routes that share the start or end with this one, so technically a redpoint. 1g. Really nice upper climbing, hard slippery start.

impossible looking boulder problem low, but surprinsgly read the beta correct and was able to manage through it. Nice climbing at the top! Fingery boulder problem though. Would not repeat. The start to the right into the top is probably a better route.

yeah. it's good.

Some nice climbing on this and the 10a - good day finally climbing with Diana for the first time!

Nice! A punchy crux, and keeps you thinking all the way to the top.

way better than I expected, although the bottom crux was a little unfortunate. Would do again, and good rock up higher! Follows the same pattern as Czech M down the wall

waaaay better than I thought it was going to be, was always intimidated by this route for some reason. Excellent, steep warm-up with big holds the entire way. It's not such a pile!

Punchy at the bottom with some stellar 5.11-ish climbing to the top. Great route.

This route grows on you, my first try I wasn't so sure, but then it just gets better and better. Hard crux, sinker L knee bar with cool moves to exit it. Didn't expect to do it this go, with the crowd watching and my heart rate unable to decrease. Also the warmest temps I had climbed it in. Psyched to have managed to do it this season. Thanks for the killer test-piece Dave! 9-10g.

great beta from pawel! A little more sporty and run-out than the rest at the crag, gets the blood pumping. Almost took/fell, but realized I could downclimb the crux going to the anchor and was able to (barely) recooperate, find a different foot and pull it off. Glad I didn't throw in the towel like I wanted to/almost did! Good day - with a send of my project and a no fall day.

good one with some good rock at the top!

a little dirty and some polished holds - but awesome. bolts aren't exactly where you always want them, and this route keeps you thinking and trying a little harder than you were expecting. A little further spaced bolts too than is usual for the crag, but good climbing!

The bottom "first pitch" of this is pretty fun and a good warm-up. Just a little awkward past the first anchor

One cruxy move/section with some bad feet and you don't think it will work out, to some run-out but easier terrain above this! Excellent stone.

varied climbing, long too. good warmup if everything else is busy

it's ok - a bit dirty and short with questionable rock. The one to the right is better. Would do this route again tho.

flash cred to Pawel. Shitty climbing down low kind of spooked me for the rest and I was never able to fully relax/enjoy. Do some backcleaning on the bottom tho to save on rope drag. Middle section is good, and the top section is better. Good one that doesn't get done a whole lot.

Hard start (some painful, not so fun for me, slot/finger jams etc) leads to easier climbing, thought provoking.

super good! Would do again.

not my favorite. Hard start to easier climbing. Might get better with traffic - otherwise feels dirty, and the rock quality is not so so

Great route! And the top (that shares with the top of Triceratops) climbs differently than expected when coming from this direction. Has a few hard, sneaky moves in the transition. Great though! did when the top crack was wet, which was a bit exciting.

Nice climbing with some small holds at the top.

Holy guacamole!

nice extension of the 5.10. the crux is short-lived, and then back into some shoddy rock.

cold, cold, COLD fingers! So painful.

some cool, big holds on this thing. Scary bottom through choss.

nice and long.

A little spicy and sporty. Tread lightly through the crummy rock at the beginning to better movement and quality that's worth the scary first few bolts. Really nice "building" climb, as it climaxes at the top. Fought hard for this one, psyched to have energy to do so. Straight forward and pumpy.

Harder than the 11b (fleece pocket) down and to the left, and with a lot of smaller holds too. Climbing is ok, a little dirty in places.

Fantastic warm-up with all good holds, fun climbing! I downrated to 11a, but I'm trying not to be such a sand-bagger, but really feel this thing could go at 10d. Either way, great climbing!

All the climbing is great, but the bolting/line seems weird and presents with terrible drag...as a result detracts from the experience. Would recommend/do again if you brought long slings, and then it would get an additional star. Had a hard time rating this one - the start is pretty muscle-y and powerful, but then is easier terrain with a long reach to the chains. 11d is probably a bit too much of a sandbag...Could be 12a. Likely 12a.

nice, short, packs a punch. A little dirty in the gray streak dt water run-off, but not a deterrent. Pumpy. would do again as a 2nd or 3rd warm-up.

a collective send! With up and down climbing on my part trying to figure out the start...thanks to some good gals and encouragement, I was able to squeak this one out. Fun day with Leah and Emily!

big moves on big holds. Not a bad hold on this route. Really fun and an excellent warm-up. Don't even think this thing touches 12a. Wanted to give it 11b, but I don't want to be too much of a sandbag. 11c at most.

Shitty bolting job, take runners to decrease the rope drag or it's heinous... and/or you'll snap your ankles if you fall at no fault of your belayer. The climbing is ok, just poorly bolted which detracts from the entire experience for me. Potentially three long runners and clipping/unclipping strategically might make this a worthy venture.

Good route, would totally do again. Likely has the highest concentration/number of cool holds to grab on the wall - there were like 4 really neat holds! Wooot! Questionably 11b, I don't want to be a sandbagger though...but it's on the b/c teeter totter.

One of the best at the crag so far. 4g.

Really great route with all of the best climbing of Velociraptor too - really cool finish. hard to take a OS/F grade since I had already done the bottom once before, technically a RP I suppose.

slimy, slopey crimps. sustained and with good movement. 3g.

Cool climbing, but daaaaang. it's scary and insecure for about 3 moves. yiiiikess. thank god for bolts and not placing gear because i definitely would have preferred to eat fried lizard gizzard than climb this thing. Sad I didn't have more quickdraws to continue up the extension, because I never want to do the bottom again! woo. scary.

good holds the whole way and it's fun! just get a high left foot in the crux and it helps dumb the move down. would def do again. A bit soft for the grade. Probably more like 11c.

a good second warm-up, with good holds and the right amount of pump. beat my expectation for quality with the description of "trad-esque" and only having two stars. would do again.

Nice varied and technical route. good day climbing with mark and bruce.

One of the last warm days - climbing into December. Holler if you think the first pitch was the hardest! Fun day with Pawel in the monument, it's pretty cool to have this place in our backyard. Classic, novelty route by a man who fulfilled his dream to marry his love on the top of a tower by drilling rebar and cutting out steps into the rock to allow guests to be there

He was indeed a Master. This route is great - sustained, short and to the point with some good funky Rifle movement. Thanks to MF for the beta on my first go and saving me the HA of figuring it all out. Borderline 12d.

cruxy diehdral section, probably cheated it by going out left and around bulge, although it really didn't feel "off route." tricky either way though. The bottom of this route is excellent.

newer route on right side. big blocky holds on steeper terrain to one thin crimp section in middle. Was rated 10d originally? yowzers. I was thinking 10a (go do Pryor and you'll agree), so I'll settle at a compromise of 10b. Either way, it's a nice addition to the wall with some bigger holds and it isn't polished ...yet!

my gawd! why are these all so hard? what a joke at 10a. thought I was going to pitch multiple times, haha - sustained, technical, slabby!

They didn't mess around with the grades back in the day! so hard.

add about 3 grades (at least) to all of these routes in this area when you're getting ready to try and you'll feel mentally prepared then

yikes. slab climbing is hard.

way better than I was expecting. Good stone and movement with a few hard moves in the middle. would do again.

If you want a crux that will make you hurl, go try Ledged assualt. Probably didn't climb this the way it was initally done, but with new chalk/holds exposed, and climbing it in the most natural line, I had to give it a downgrade. One of my favorite two routes on this part of the wall though.

Favorite of the 11b's on this wall, and easier too.

Rad route. Would be more popular if it was in a different part of the canyon - one of my favorite 12a's in the canyon. foot slip on first go, 2g.

hard. and not that great, although it gets better the higher you go.

Nice face climbing, wish it was longer. Definitely worth the "long" hike to go and do though!

Really good route, surprised it only gets two stars in the book. Kind of a gnarly boulder problem at the top with a small razor crimp - if it wasn't for that this thing would get done way more often.

Nice extension, should just end higher since the top really doesn't add much and seems like a more natural finish. Did the bottom 5 years ago, and had never been back on it...so I was pretty happy to essentially re-onsight/flash (with some of Pawel's really vague beta) the bottom and also send the top in the same go too!

great route on excellent stone. Didn't live up to all the hype about how hard it was, Speciman up the canyon is waaay harder. 4.5g.

technically a redpoint since I've tried this once before, but really felt like a flash thanks to a couple of nice guys on the ground giving some much needed beta. Pumpy little booger!

nice addition to the wall, worth getting on

Whoa. Haven't tried this hard even on my project! Has an old school feel - really hard and tricksy. Glad to have the beta, and glad I didn't grab the draw (tempted like 6x) because I never want to do this route again. I tried so hard I thought I was going to throw up. Despite that said, really good climbing though (minus one reachy move)!

hard start leads to jug hauling

first two goes on this felt so hard, so I was happy to dispatch it fairly quickly. Sometimes not caring/lowering expectations really does produce results! 3g.

Superb. Tough little route. Took me more goes than the Anti-Phil! 10g-ish?

A fantastic route that splits off the original line - Cryptic Egyptian. I think this route is fantastic, really good movement, building pump - I just couldn't give it three stars because of the very uncomfortable undercling/pocket Egyptian move. Was sending when Lee's dog was hit just outside the cave- a terrible sound and day ensued. So happy that Chaco was found ~4hours later. The whole canyon breathed a sigh of relief.

hard start to cool pockets/jugs!

Ants they do crawl all over the wall all in the dirt and up in my skirt they'll send your project and if you're not careful too next thing you know they'll be climbing on you!

pumpier than it looks. Not a bad route if only it were longer.

Hardest 5.9 ever!!

Easier than the 5.9 (canine).

intricate, subtle, and kind of involved for 12a beta. Pretty cool the way it all works out. Not a bad addition despite the joining of Quickdraws to the left. 2g.

Harder, not the most fun start to better climbing above!

Really nice route minus the henious short-lived crux..maybe we did it wrong, but the rest of the climbing around this is really good!

Holy slippery! Not bad, deceptively pumpy. Would have been nice 25 years ago. Prefer Motley Cruise over this one.

In the top 3 favorites on the anti-phil wall! Such an overlooked, and under-climbed classic! 2g.

shorty short.

On the Religion wall. Tough start with some slopey ledges!

holy small crimp - difficult boulder problem getting off the ground (or boulder) makes this a difficult one for the grade. Can't believe this thing used to be 5.9. What a joke. Gotta love the sand bagged Rifle. Harder than the 11b to it's right.

Really a prettty good route - would give it more stars if it were longer!

The face climbing before the crux is some of the best on the entire wall in my opinion. And who knew - a little change of beta and badda bing badda boom!

Although more intimidating, I think this route is loads better and a little easier than it's more popular shared start with Speaking in Tongues. Hardest part if the bottom that it shares- and where they split is where it begins to become fun - LOTS of rests, a little awkwardness, but really cool to get to the top of the wall!

Rise of Woman. 8g. (+5g?)

Great addition to the area! Not my "style" as it's fairly continuous, punchy, and relatively short. Fantastic movement tho!

A route with mixed feelings - should be rebolted to climb the obvious weakness/line...as a result if you wish to climb out right (like most do), you have a difficult time clipping the fourth, making it a bit exciting. I'm climbed straight up which makes it a bit more difficult with it's slopers and left hand windmill move. The top is is classic though regardless, forgiving the bolt botch at the bottom. This thing should be classic. (2,2=4g).

Aye - not bad, not the best. Worth doing at least once tho.

With a name like that, you'd expect it to be better. Not great. Dirty. Glad I groveled through it on my first go.

Not as good as it's neighbor (Noble Wife), but still worth while and surprised it's not more popular. With more action/cleaning this thing should be on the radar!

Fun and juggy.

This thing is hard to grade because the climbing isn't too hard until a defined crux 2/3 height. Not a very fun crux, but at least it's over quick. 2g.

Definitely worth doing , this route is fun. Not any harder than the 11a to the right, haha.

Don't expect to waltz up this thing - kind of hard for 11a...also was overgripping because of the fractured looking rock (more solid than it looks) and some choss.

climbs better than it looks, a bit scary with the choss undercling block midheight. Hope that thing never goes while someone is climbing on this thing.

oh you're rock climbing on this one from the ground. Sustained and technical.

Worth doing if you're hiking up to this choss tower anyway.

say pumpy! 2g. (1,1).

ew. not the worst, not the best.

Thanks for the great beta and a great day Kim!

bad first bolt. powerful start with some really cool holds a long the way!

Last route at the crag! Did the right (original) start variation. 2g.

Nice slab climbing

Sorry, you're definitely doing some moves and climbing but not 10d. Good route

Super!

Doesn't look like much, but this shortie has good movement and packs a punch. 3g. (1,2).

some polish on this one

Nice route that climbs more like a sport pitch

Fantastic long route, and not a City of Rocks sandbag either.

Whew! Almost threw up on my flash attempt from trying hard and being scared. Sweet line. 3g.

first route at the City, and boy did it get my blood pumping. The start is intense and is the crux and is kind of difficult to protect- but the upper face/crack climb is lower angle and easier and soo much fun! Thanks to Rosie and Pawel for a fun weekend!

Short and sweet! Might be a little bit of a CoR sandbag at 11a, hard to tell. Would get more stars if this was a longer route, but it's still really good tho!

Looks like a turd, but climbs better than it looks for the total of 12 feet of climbing you do. The low crux is actually enjoyable, just wish there was more to this route.

great route with varied climbing. tried this a few years ago and thought it was pretty difficult, so pleased to put it down first go this time with P-dawg's gansta' beta.

fun jug climbing!

great route with a fun pocket section in the middle. A little spooky with the ledge below, but still worth getting on! 2g.

beautiful climbing - in the entire 35m of climbing there is one hold that was slightly painful. Blew the "feeling good" send go with a bump of the foot, and then on the actual send pulled out some serious try hard. Stellar route. 18g??

A fun alternative day with an adventurous twist; did this with Pawel before a friend's wedding. Great views of the Salt Lake valley. Couldn't give it easier than 5.5, but soloed this in my approach shoes, so likely easier than that. The descent was almost harder than the actual climbing ..

a true geriatric journey climbing it in the near dark when you can't see your feet. Good eye Cory!

Great beta (and tick marks) Pawel! This was a fun one and definitely worth doing. Sustained with a few hard pulls.

A little choss never hurt anyone...until it hits you. And let the pump build...

very nice! Definitely a bit harder than Hooked on Estrogen...think the grades on those two may have gotten switched. Liked this one for the multiple cruxes it had. 2g.

Tried this once a couple years ago, glad when you come back and it feels a little easier. 2g (this time).

Nice one! Cool top!

Definitely worth doing when there is a line-up on eighty feet! Very nice meandering climbing. Has some cleaning up to do, but if you're careful then I don't believe this route is a danger (as it used to be known as).

Not bad for a two star route. Powerful boulder problem at the start; enjoyed the upper bit. 3g.

Not sure what all of the hype is about. Ugly start on Primer, to nice mid-section climbing. The upper crux is cool, but a bit reachy. Noble Wife is more worthy in my opinion.

Not a true flash since I have done the bottom of C&P a lot. Ok climbing, if you've done a lot of the other routes, then it's worth doing. Extending/unclipping is recommended to reduce rope drag.

Whew, summer is soo hot! And there are some small holds on this thing; liked it more each time I tried. The top (last bolt) is brilliant! 3g.

Tough little booger.

The subtle foot placement is what I think made the difference for me with the knee-bar feeling good or bad; but really the key is to yell your own name through the crux and then it's not so bad. :)

Didn't love the crux so much, so I was glad to hang on.

Pretty rad.

Really cool upper headwall. This thing definitely deserves three stars in the guidebook, and maybe even four stars after it cleans up a bit more. Get on it!

Love it! Not sure why this only gets 4 out of 5 stars, and kind of pissed that no one has recommended it to me before. I think this route has great movement and very cool climbing! Thanks to Holly Sewell for the belay in the lightning storm. 2g.

Really surprised by this 3-star gem; did the crux in a really cool way and really enjoyed the "spooky" diehdral/face climbing. And it really wasn't very spooky. 2g.

Fantastic route! Happy this one came together -thanks to the FA. The top was difficult for me with compression/slopey holds, but great movement. Thanks to the guy who gave me killer boulder problem beta and to Bill Ramsey with the send belay!

12b is so hard in this canyon; psyched to send my pseudo three-year proj, haha! Very nice route, but not sure it is in my top 3 for the nation; thought Noble Wife at the Ruckman was just as amazing.

A nasty, kind of unpleasant low crux leads to nice headwall climbing. It's nice to have the draws hanging on this one.

This thing has a relentless top. Thanks for the excellent beta and for the send belay Michaela!

superb! Always been intimidated by this route because of its reputation, but psyched I got on it with Jason (thanks for the good beta!) and happy to put it down so quick. 4g.