Splitter Hands, 5.8+, 2 Pitches

Overview/Approach

An excellent route offering sustained and interesting movement for the grade at Cochise.   Combined with Bowl O’ Clock, 5.9+PG, and approached via climbing Eve of Destruction, 5.8+PG, makes for a good short day of sunny moderate climbing.  Zero protection bolts on Splitter or Bowl which is refreshing for the Stronghold, the ability to climb 300’ routes without needing fixed gear.

The first pitch is essentially the climb, offering up a cool hidden corner that offers some exposure down the east face and gives a full and unique view of Moby Dick on Whale Dome.

Bushwhack up the gully to the south of Bonus Pinnacle, the next gully to the south of the one you use to access Moby Dick on Whale Dome.  This is not a pleasant bushwhack even by Cochise standards, but if you avoid the guide book’s recommendation of staying left and choose to trend right, you will have slightly less yucca and oak scrub to navigate.  Eve of Destruction has a lone pro bolt on it and climbs a seam just right of a water streak at the left south side of Bonus Pinnacle.  You can belay off of a tree at the top of Eve and then 5^th class on the textured slab above on your left to gain the upper ledge proper.  Continue to the base of Bonus Wall to the west.  On return, trend skiers left down from Bonus Wall via 4^th class boulders and cut left to the base of Eve vs entering the bush choked gully below or having to rap the tree above Eve.

Route Description

1^st Pitch- 180’-5.8+/ The local guide (2022) has it at 200’ but as is typical, the guide lengths for most all routes is long by 10-30%.  This pitch is easily led on 60m ropes.  Splitter is located at the far east end of Bonus Wall.  Start up a right facing chossy corner and soon move right onto cleaner discontinuous cracks.  Trend up and right circumventing the roof above on its right side, where your belayer will lose sight of you.  Climb this fun and exposed right leaning corner via great pro and jams to an obvious ledge traverse left to the base of a wide crack that takes medium to large gear for the belay.

2^nd Pitch- 80’-5.8/ Layback the wide crack above with a right foot out on good friction.  At the top, scramble up and left to a bolted anchor several meters below the summit. 

Climbing Sequence

Descent

The guide references two double rope raps to get down, but a competent team, watching their ends closely, can make it down in one double 60m rap to the boulders below the center face.  The ropes will pull much better if done this way vs trying to use the mid anchor on Bowl O Clock (further right).  Make sure to pull them from the center base of the wall as well vs from the east, to avoid rope snag in the 2^nd pitch chimney of Bowl O Clock.  The tat on the summit anchor is close to needing to be replaced.

Essential Gear

Double 60m ropes.  Single to #4, doubles to #1. Wall receives full southern sun exposure.