Basalt Therapy

If you've done everything else on the Winter Wall and are looking for some spice and adventure, take a look at this route. ~170 feet of gear protected climbing with three supplemental bolts up rock that doesn't see much traffic should get your attention.

The climbing is actually quite nice with potential to be better with traffic but the protection isn't the greatest requiring a cool head and lots of hold-testing.

Start up about 15 feet left of Pale Face where it looks reasonable to head up towards a roof about 25 feet up. Choose your poison to tackle the roof--the left crack offers good protection but hard moves while the right crack looks to be a bit easier but has virtually no pro. Maybe even stay to the right of the roof altogether as shown in the RC:NM book? We chose the left crack.

Above the roof work your way up and into the right crack getting pro while you can and eventually enjoy a big sigh of relief when you clip the first of three bolts. Above the bolt, enjoy the climbing up the very shallow dihedral on steepening rock placing some gear when you can and clipping two more bolts.

More fun but cautious climbing continues up the shallow corner through some small bushes and dirty rock to a small roof. Beverly's Jemez Rock book shows the line going left past this roof but you don't want to do that unless you like hard and unprotected climbing. Instead, turn the roof to the right being careful not to pull off the very big block that forms the bottom of the roof. Easier climbing above through another small roof takes you to the two-bolt/chains anchor. You won't see the anchor until you're about 20 feet away.

Start about 15 feet left of Pale Face where it looks reasonable to head up. We started a bit left of that on some steep but positive rock directly below the roof 25 feet up.

I appreciated a double rack of camalots from .4 to #2. Two #3 camalots would not go unused either. A set of small wires and some draws for the three bolts. Two 50m ropes required to rap the route.