Rage Against the Dying Fire, 5.10c, 9 Pitches

Overview

“….sure to be a classic in the Sandias. Pitch after pitch is pure and beautiful and logical. Monet had his brush, Rodin his clay, and Keith and Wendy have the Shield” and “classic mix of excellent cracks”, several quotes of excess praise featured on mountain project.  I have climbed in excess of 5000 routes in N. America and approximately 30 multipitch routes in the Sandias to date and Rage Against the Dying Fire is not and never will be a “classic” by anyone’s standards, even within the Sandias.  Is it worth doing?  I say that about 65% of the climbs I get on and would say the same of Rage.   However, there is not sustained climbing at the grades given to each pitch nor is the climbing memorable with the exception of a few features on the final lead.  Also of note, most, including myself, have chosen to make this nine-pitch route, as laid out by the FAer’s into a reasonable five-pitch route.  It involves approximately 900+ of climbing and is fairly straight up and down.  The biggest tribute to Rage is that it allows a much better descent to the base of the Shield via its nine single and clean 70m raps over the route.  Once on the ground, you move a few meters to climber's right and start climbing, passing back up eight of the rap stations you just used, to the top.

As before mentioned, the preferred descent is simply to rappel the route form the top of the shield.  Finding the slung tree to start the rappels will be the crux, but it is not overly difficult.  A 70m single rope makes nine raps straight down the route except for the final rap which is on a bolted route just to climbers left of Rage.  If you combine the first two pitches, you will pass all the rap stations as your belays on the way back up the route.  As with the conventional approach for the Shield, hike from atop the crest to the summit of North Peak via a well-established hikers trail.  Locate a well-traveled climber’s trail from the summit that descends a short limestone band to the west and trends skiers right.  Stay with the trail until it takes you to the ridge along the top of the shield.  Trend back left along the top of the ridge and locate a slung tree towards the south middle section of the Shield.  There is a fixed static line from top to bottom in place as of 2021.  The rap line is well north of this fixed line. Once down on the ground, move climbers right to the right side of a 20’+/- separate rock formation and locate the left facing corner in the photo provided.

Route Description

1st– 2^nd Pitches-200’- 5.10b/ The first pitch is graded 5.10b and contains a move at the grade as you pull the right side of the roof.  Start in the left facing corner on water worn rock.  Climb up to the roof, protect in its underside, make an exposed move out right and prepare to pull the roof via a height dependent reach.  If tall enough, you can protect the pull with a small cam.  The second pitch, 5.9, is nondescript in comparison.  Climb easy but loose ground up a pillar of sorts (past a small tree) to the base of a hand/finger crack seam.  Climb this to the 2^nd to last fixed rap you used on descent.

3^rd- 4^th Pitches- 200’- 5.10a/ Both pitches are rated 5.10a by the FAers.  As pitched out here, this will be the least interesting lead.  The bolt line directly above the belay is a different route.  Rather follow the ramp up and left to a bolt, clip it and start trending back right.  Pass your 3^rd to last rappel and continue to the next on a large belay ledge.

5^th- 6^th Pitches- 215’- 5.10c/ Extend well on this combination to avoid rope drag.  The 5^th pitch is graded 5.10c and the 6^th 5.10a, but in reality, I consider the crux move of the pair the entry mantle in the short wide crack below a small tree near the top of pitch 6.  The 2^nd most challenging move is also on pitch 6, the roof pull on the short right facing corner. Start out in a short left facing corner.  Move right a short distance along a diagonal and spy a pair of bolts on the hanging face above.  Climb through three bolts total to another fixed rap.  Move left and up the right facing corner.  Pull over a small roof with good fingers. Continue up to a short slab area, place pro and then traverse right to the bottom of a short wide crack with a tree at top.  Make an awkward and dirty mantle into this wide section and then easily climb to yet another fixed rappel. This wide crack finish is neither an off width nor chimney problem as the FAer’s suggest.

7^th Pitch- 110’- 5.10a/ Up to this point, the best pitch of the day.  Traverse right to a steep hidden crack and mostly hand jam to the next belay ledge and fixed rap situation below the most unique feature on the route, the serrated left facing corner. The best reason to combine the 8^th and 9^th pitches vs the 7^th and 8^th pitches is the amount of hand sized pro both take.

8^th- 9^th Pitches- 215’-5.10a/ This final lead offers by far the best varied climbing on the route.  Climb the fun left facing corner.  Start by making a few face moves through a horizontal and fixed wire (2021) to make the base of the serrated corner.  Climb the well protected corner to its top and pass a fixed rap (shorter than the 27m posted by the FAer’s).  Continue up the final pitch via a right facing corner that leads to a roof.  Pull the exciting roof with solid small gear below and over it.  Good feet make it easier than it looks.  Continue straight up over another bulge and trend right and up to the slung tree where you started your rap down the route.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

(see approach)

Essential Gear

70m single rope.  Single from #0 to #2.  Double from #.4 to #2.  A few wires and/or off set cams.  Combining the first two pitches seemed to take most of this rack.  I appeared to have plenty left on my harness at the end of the other leadss, despite combining the rest of the pitches as well.  A dozen 60cm slings and a few draws if you are going to combine pitches as described above.   Although stated on Mountain Project as southwest facing, we encountered early sun in Sept and when viewed on Google Maps, you can see how this part of the Shield faces more south than west.  For the most part, full sun exposure.