South Rock, 5.8-5.11

Overview/Approach

(above photo, Stacy top roping Eagles Nest)

The first feature you see from the trailhead, just meters away from where you park, is South Rock.  Its south face has steep routes on textured granite. The west face has just two routes.  Mosaic is the largest climbing feature at Tres Piedras and therefore has more established routes and sits just behind and parallel to South Rock.  Middle Rock is parallel as well and sits just behind Mosaic.  All three walls feature sunny south facing routes.  Eagles Nest, 5.10-, was my first lead at Tres Piedras and just so happens to be the best pure trad lead I have found at Tres Piedras to date.  The 5.9-5.10 routes just to the left of it pull over a cool looking roof shaped arch that is easy to locate in the middle of the wall.  All four are worth doing and essentially work off of the same belay spot.  They also share the same rap station which is directly overhead of South Face Right, 5.9.  The only one of the four that cannot climb to it directly is South Face Left, 5.10+.  South Face Left offers two interesting roof pulls at the grade.

From the trailhead, South Rock's South Face takes less than 5 minutes to reach.  However, it is not the most popular feature at Tres Piedras, Mosaic is.  So often times, you should have it to yourselves.

South Face Routes

Routes Listed Left to Right as you Face the South Wall

Zig Zag Man- 5.9/

Airy Scary- 5.11-/

Agent Orange- 5.9+/

South Face Left- 80’-5.10+/ This double roof route is given a 5.10+ grade in the “Rock Climbing New Mexico” guide and MP.com labels it 5.10-.  It is definitely a 5.10+ as the FAer’s called it.   A much more challenging route than the three routes it shares an anchor with to the right.  Easily pull over the arch to start and then follow the bolts through two roofs.  The second roof requires more dramatic moves at the grade but both are steep pulls.  This is the most difficult route to TR from the shared fixed chains, but some extension placed by the leader can make it possible.  Three bolts and a couple of pieces of gear protect the route well.  Dow

South Face Center- 80’-5.9/ This route is more interesting than South Face Right in that you pull over the arch down low and end up climbing some crystal holds plus a short dihedral up high.  Can still use the shared chain rap for top roping as long as you set a directional with the top pro bolt.  As with the route to the right, 3 bolts and two or three pieces of gear protect the climb well.  Dow

South Face Right- 80’-5.9/ The “Rock Climbing New Mexico” guide labels it “difficult for the grade” and MP.com calls it 5.9-.   It is just an average mostly bolted 5.9 route, no less, no more.  Two pieces of gear plus four bolts keep it well protected. This route is the most in line with the shared fixed chain rap above.  Crux was not overly notable but the more difficult moves on this collection of routes in the center of the wall are up higher.  All three of these partially bolted and unnamed routes to the left of Eagle’s Nest are worth doing.  Dow

Eagle’s Nest- 80’-5.10-/ Eagle’s Nest is given a 5.10- grade in the “Rock Climbing New Mexico” guide and MP.com labels it 5.10a despite most of its members’ ticks resulting in failure or avoiding the crux. The steep stemming finger crux near the top easily involves a solid 5.10 move or two.  The rest of the route is below grade.  The route protects well from bottom to top with no bolts.  You can set up a TR or rap from the shared chain anchor to the left that serves the mixed routes to the left.  The FA of this route traversed left before the crux through an old Eagle’s next supposedly.  Obvious straight up and down crack in the middle of the south face and to the right of the large lower roof. Single rack from #.1 through #1 plus wires or off set cams.  Dow

Alias the Martian- 5.10-/

Static Cling- 5.11-/

West Face Routes

Routes Listed Left to Right as you Face the West Wall

Surface Tension- 5.11-/

Yikes Dikes- 5.8/