Mountain Momma, 5.10c, 6 Pitches

Overview/Approach

The local guide mentions that Torreon has “some of the steepest and cleanest rock in the Sandia’s”.  I concur.  Mountain Momma is my favorite route to date in the Sandia’s (respective of any grade).   Mountain Momma is a cleaner route than average (relative) and offers itself up as a true crack route.  Many routes in the Sandia’s offer more intermittent cracks systems than the sustained cracks of Mountain Momma.   This entire route sets up in good order.  A warm up pitch, an exciting and fun sustained 5.10- pitch, the crux 5.10+ pitch with a hero mantel and a heads up 5.9 traverse to the escape pitches. 

The first two pitches run up what starts to be a right facing corner, becomes a left facing shallow corner and then finishes right facing again.  They are both solid leads.  The first pitch is more 5.9 whilst the second pitch leans  5.10-.  The second pitch is steeper and involves more air under fun stemming moves.  The third pitch is by far the crux and a solid 5.10c lead.  The first section of it is relatively easy but eventually you are slightly overhung on fingers as you eventually make a physical mantle over a small roof.  The fourth pitch is a heady one in that you traverse left past a piton that no longer exists (2020) on small feet with plenty of air below.  But once the traverse is done, I felt it protected better than some comments I read.  It does involve some route finding and the pro is selective.  The final two pitches are easy to combine if proper extension is used.  They both are a bit junkie in rock and aesthetics but are much easier than the first four pitches. 

Mountain Momma is located on the west face of Torreon, a detached buttress overlooking a beautiful section of the famous La Luz trail. From the south end of the main crest parking area, catch the Crest Spur Trail down to the west.  At the first switch back, head northwest on a faint trail (100yds) to a broken corner in the limestone band below.  Downclimb this band of limestone (4^th class).    Hike due west down forested slopes to a significant stand of aspens surrounding a collapsed cabin site (2020) and a prominent point of sorts.  Leave your packs here.  Suit up and head down the steep gully skiers right and circumvent Torreon to the south to the middle of the face.  You are looking for a small block to the right of a right facing corner with a bolt in between to serve as pro that allows you to climb the block for a few meters and traverse left into the corner to avoid brush.

Route Description

1^st Pitch- 100’-5.10a/ Climb up the small block at the base and to the right of the right facing corner.  Traverse left through an old bolt (2020) into the corner and climb it to an old (2020) bolted anchor at a semi hanging stance.  The FA topo shows the crux near the top section, where you start stemming between a crack out left and the wall to the right of the corner.  This pitch is mostly 5.9 with a 5.10- crux move or two.

2^nd Pitch- 140’-5.10a/ This is a more vertical and sustained pitch than pitch one and is no doubt the most fun pitch on the route.  Climb through an old bolt (2020) into the upper corner proper.  Stem and layback up this shallow corner with large movement, high steps and reaches.  Near the top of the corner is a bulge with a fixed nut (2020), climb through this and then trend left up blocky easy terrain passing a fixed pin (2020) along the way to an old bolted belay on a comfortable ledge.  There is bail tat (2020) up and right into another corner. The bolted belay is out of sight up and left of the base of that corner. 

3^rd Pitch- 110’-5.10c/ Another outstanding pitch.  Climb up and right past a piton (2020) on relatively easy ground.  Follow a discontinuous finger crack up to an exciting roof/bulge pull (left heel or leg hook to mantle).  There is good micro gear along with a fixed pin below the mantle.  This involves several meters of steep and pumpy 5.10 climbing.  After the exciting mantel, climb a pure hand crack up to a ledge.  It widens near the end as you mantle onto a comfortable bolted belay ledge and that would be the crux of this section, although not near as technical as the mantle crux below.  The local guide gives both cruxes a 5.10c grade, but the 2^nd one is more 5.10-.

4^th Pitch- 120’- 5.9 PG13/ Exciting and exposed pitch.  Traverse straight left under a series of roofs with solid, sometimes hidden, feet but not much positive for your hands. There used to be a fixed pin which would alleviate the “R” factor.  As of 2020 it is gone.  You can place a small piece in a higher block among the roof’s midway, but its ability to hold a fall would be minimal. You can tension off of it however.  Once on a safe ledge out left.  Start meandering up broken crack systems trending up and right. Initially there are two pins to follow (2020). There is selective pro here and there.  Although the pro after the traverse was described in the local guide as “meager”, I felt it was better than that.  Eventually you climb a bushy left facing corner and traverse up and left to a relatively modern (2020) fixed belay on a comfortable ledge.  Extension and rope management are a premium on this pitch to avoid rope drag. 

5^th/6^th Pitches- 200’-5.9/ These two pitches are the only non-sustained pitches on the route. If proper extension is used, it makes sense to combine them.  Traverse up and right through a piton.  Continue around the arete and climb broken easy ground to a large ledge.  Continue trending up and right into a crack that leads to a shallow and broken chimney system with deteriorating rock, that leads to the shoulder of Torreon.  Sling a block for the belay.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

The descent descriptions offered at MP.com are horrendous.  Several contributors took liberty with many words to describe something that in reality is rather simple.  From where you topped out on the route, head climbers left up to near the top of the formation.  Locate a slung tree just below on the east side.  Rap with a single 60m rope down to its end.  Traverse north past a large tree (stay atop it or end up 5^th classing up through it) and meander up the left top side of a chimney gully.  I scrambled 4th and/or 5th class all the way to the top without entering the gully or needing to use the existing hand line.  If you decide to ascend the steep and bush choked gully itself, there is a hand line in place as of 2020, to help you with the steep finish. Once in the notch atop the chimney gully, walk just a few meters back east to the old log cabin site and where your packs would be if you used them to haul down to that point.

Essential Gear

Single 60m rope. The FA gear call was double #.3-#2 along with micro cams.  MP.com and the local guide says gear to #3.   Next time I would leave the #3 at home and take a double to #2, including the micro sizes.  Obviously off set nuts equate doubling up on micro pieces.  Plenty of loose blocks like most of the Sandia’s, thus helmets suggested. Route gets good morning shade, mostly west facing.