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4800 Hits
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75.81% Score
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6 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.12630°N / 115.49013°W |
Route Type:
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Trad Climbing |
Season:
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Spring, Fall, Winter |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.10d (YDS) |
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Number of Pitches:
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7 |
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Overview/Approach
Although I am quite confused by the name of this route, I was pleasantly surprised with its finish. The first couple pitches lent me to believe I was just on another of many scouting trips of sub-par routes at Red Rock. However the final two pitches were extraordinary for the area and made up for the lackluster middle section. The first pitch was a fun pitch as well.
1st Pitch- 30m- 5.10d
6th Pitch- 20m- 5.10dClonus is a medical term referring to involuntary muscular contractions, a neurological disorder of sorts. The landscape on approach to Straight Shooter Wall is littered with an orange blossomed ground cover that I thought surely would be named Orange Clonus when I Googled the name. But that was not the case.
Joe Herbst and Tom Kaufman established Orange Clonus in 1977, which gives the route seniority by Red Rock standards. However, it has avoided much traffic over the years which was evident by loose holds here and there. The belays are all gear or tree belays as well which can be unusual for Red Rock. There is no fixed gear on the route beyond the first pitch. The first and sixth pitches involve the crux moves of Orange Clonus and the last pitch is the most enjoyable (hand and fist crack to the top of the route). The middle pitches are best soloed in my opinion. The rap is via trees and bushes down Beer and Ice Gully.
Head up as for the very popular 5.9 single pitch route, Straight Shooter. From the Pine Creek trail, turn right at a well cairned climbers trail to ascend the right ridge of the lower rock band below Straight Shooter and Brass Walls. Follow the ridge up and back left to below the route Straight Shooter itself which is a well chalked up finger crack. Continue left to the left edge of the Straight Shooter Wall and right edge of Beer and Ice Gully. Locate the bolted first half of the first pitch in a set of hidden multiple corners.
Route Description (s)
600’+/-, 7 Pitches, 5.10d1st Pitch- 30m- 5.10d/ This pitch conjoins two separate corners. The first is bolted and involves several awkward moves at the grade. Smearing your left foot high allows you to lunge a bit for the hold. Then you break through a small roof to another corner to the right that allows you to place smaller gear at will in the corner, but they also added a few bolts out on the left face. There is a decent tree belay at the top of this corner.
2nd Pitch- 30m- 5.6R/ Move the belay right to avoid the trees and climb up the wide crack on the left. Did not really seem run out to me.
3rd-4th Pitches- 80m- 5th/ If I did this route again, I would remove the rope for this section. Run up the easy chimney and then follow the ramp up and right to another short easy chimney. Cut back left into it and at the top, walk through a sandy bushy ledge to the base of a white dihedral.
5th Pitch- 20m- 5.8+/ Climb the multi-faceted corner to the top of the dihedral and set up a gear belay at the base of the finger crack up and left below the flaring chimney crack above.
6th Pitch- 20m- 5.10d/ This is the crux pitch of the route. Start into the flaring chimney climbing the crack as it narrows to fingers. There is a rest out left right before the last couple hard moves. Re-enter the crack and either lie back or finger lock your way up and onto a ledge above which is below a roof and crack out right. Set up a large gear belay in that crack.
7th Pitch- 25m- 5.10a/Perhaps the best pitch of the route. Pull the roof with a hand jam onto really good rock. Continue the hand jam to the top of the feature where a huge ledge awaits. This is the first pitch that truly uses the majority of the gear you brought. Do a medium cam belay on top.
Climbing Sequence
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