Stronghold Dome, 5.7-5.11

Overview/Approach

Stronghold Dome contains more routes per square inch than just about any other feature in the Stronghold.   The majority of its routes are multi pitch and are found on the southeast or southwest faces with several climbing the arete in between.  One of the most popular climbs in all of Cochise is Bee Line, 5.9+*****, and deservedly so as it offers a variety of climbing at the grade via short splitters and corners.  Another stellar lead located not far to the right of Bee Line is Shake n Bake, 5.10*****.  Shake n Bake is one of the best off-width climbs in Cochise.  I took two relatively new off-width climbers up Shake n Bake one day and Abracadaver, 5.11-, the next.  I recall them both thinking that Shake n Bake’s OW was more challenging.  However, most of us who lead a lot of OW would tell you that Abracadaver's OW is more sustained.  That said, Shake n Bake is a great OW climb by Cochise standards.  If you are going to climb Shake n Bake, it would be foolish to not also climb Welcome to the Stronghold, 5.10+**** which starts at the same location.  Completely different style of climbing, bolted face, but an awesome pairing of routes.  Same with climbing Bee Line, you should not skip Abril’s Bypass, 5.8****, or Big Time, 5.10***.  They all three start at the same location on the SW face.  If you are new to off-width and/or chimneys, End Chimney’s, 5.6-5.7, are worth leading for sure.

From the east side, take the standard climbers trail as you would for the Rockfellow Group and Cochise Dome.  Half way up, Stronghold Dome’s east face is obvious across the major drainage to the north.  At a sharp left bend in the trail, look for a climber’s trail that crosses the drainage to the right, about even with the base of Stronghold Dome.  Follow this trail and turn left at the southeast corner of the dome and walk through a large hole to the southwest face routes.  Beeline, Abril Bypass and Big Time start immediately after exiting the hole.  For Shake n Bake and Welcome to the Stronghold, do not travel through the hole, rather work your way up to the obvious OW corner/splitter above on the southeast face.

Routes Listed East to West

East Face, Right to Left

Fly on the Wall- 2 Pitches- 5.10R/

Wishbone- 3 Pitches- 5.8RX/ This is a true RX.  You start the route at the far right side of the east face of Stronghold Dome.  Climb up an easy ramp and trend left out onto the lower face past a fixed rap on the Bounty.  Enter a closed jumbled right facing corner and locate a hidden piton, your only reliable pro as you gain the exposed corner.  Move up this corner onto the slab above.  Traverse straight left out on unprotected slab and sling two chicken heads at your feet.  I left one of them slung with cord for future leaders.  From there make a potentially dangerous factor fall traverse straight left to the left leaning horizontal crack that is Wishbone.  There is a nut nest of sorts above the crack, but it is old and sets up an even more potentially dangerous traverse to reach the crack than the pair of chickenheads.  Dow

That’s All Folks- 3 Pitches- 5.10/

Bounty- 5.11/

The Stand- 5.11+/

Come and Get It- 5.11+/

Apache Tears- 3 Pitches- 5.11R/

Shake n Bake- 3 Pitches- 5.10*****/ One of the few quintessential off-width climbs in Cochise is Shake N Bake. It is located on the southeast face of the Stronghold Dome, the wall to climber’s right of the popular Beeline route.  There are several right leaning wide cracks on the southeastern toe of the Stronghold Dome.  Shake N Bake is the cleanest (#4’s, 5’s and 6’s) wide line starting on the shared ramp below an obvious wide right-facing corner with a roof.  Shake N Bake is the next crack to the left of this corner.  The first pitch is the goods (5.10) and I ran it out past 200’ (linked first two pitches) to where the route exits the arching wide crack for large chicken heads on the upper face.  However, there is a more comfortable belay with a stance in a shallow alcove atop the 100’ crux (start) section.  The third pitch is mostly just climbing and slinging significant chicken heads for another 100’+ to the top.  The only fixed gear on this route is an old rusted (2020) hanger and bolt on the third pitch.  Dow

Greasy Gizzards- 3 Pitches- 5.10R/

Welcome to the Stronghold- 3 Pitches- 5.10+****/ Welcome to the Stronghold is the best pairing at the same grade to combine with Shake N Bake. Its first pitch requires a few pieces of gear, but the crux 2nd pitch and the long 3rd pitch are, for the most part, fully bolted.  The first pitch starts directly below Shake N Bake, ascends a short left facing corner and then traverses left to a fixed rap/belay.  The 2nd pitch makes an exposed, but positive, traverse left onto the next face left.  Then up positive steep ground until the last 10 meters where it becomes 5.10+ slab.  It features fun and cool movement through this well bolted section.  The last pitch climbs sparsely placed bolts on easier ground up to a summit head wall that is bolted.  The crux of this pitch is through this steep headwall.  Fixed belay (not a rap) is located on the leftward shoulder.  From this bolted belay, scramble to the top of the south face rap descent used for the Beeline route.  Dow

And I Helped- 2 Pitches- 5.10+/

Reen’s Arete (Direct Start)- 5.10+/

Reen’s Arete-180’- 5.7R**/ Scramble up the long leaning boulder against the southeast corner of the Stronghold Dome.  MP.com and the local guide give two start options, but the FA’s intent (and more classic) is to traverse right through a willow (not an Oak as the local guide suggests) growing out of a crack and head directly for the well featured arete.  You get one solid piece in on the traverse and then again at about the appropriate height on the arete via a short right facing corner on your left.  Then clip the lone bolt on the route which is directly on the arete.  Pay attention and you can get another small piece in a tiny slot further up on the arete.  From there it is mostly slinging chicken heads until you merge with Bee Line and can place a larger cam in the small roof.  Continue to the shared belay with Bee Line.  A good 2^nd pitch (150’) to add is what MP.com calls a 5.9+ bolted route up and right.  This pitch is not even close to 5.9 much less +.  I thought it was a fun 5.6 when I first climbed it. It might be 5.7 though which makes it a great pairing with the first pitch of Reens. Near the top of this pitch you get hero moves on elephant ear sized chicken heads which is always fun.  Single to #3.  120cm slings for slinging.  Route gets sun from early morning until late afternoon.  Dow

South Face, Right to Left

Bee Line- 2 Pitches- 5.9+PG*****/ The guide states “Beeline is one of the finest crack climbs in the Stronghold” and I wouldn't disagree. Cragaholic’s Dream (5.10+) rates higher for me for sure, but at the grade Bee Line is as good as any other 5.9 including Forest Lawn (of the Rockfellow Group). However, for the grade (5.9+) Forest Lawn is more sustained. There is a full-page photo of Beeline in the Cochise Stronghold East guide published in 2017.  The main pitch offers variety, starting with a wide flake and eventually hitting the crux at a tips splitter below the first roof. The stem move right at the top of this splitter (crux move) via an under cling offers excellent movement and exposure. From there the climbing gets easier up an arete and through the 2nd roof section. The second pitch is uneventful albeit run out (where the PG comes from).  The MP.com posting talks about doing this route in three pitches, but that makes no sense, it is a two-pitch route.  The rap stations down the southwest face make it easy to reach the ground with a single 70m.  Dow

Abril Bypass- 2 Pitches- 5.8****/ This is an outstanding overlooked route on Stronghold Dome, however I can see why it was the last route for me to complete on the dome.  It is sandwiched between two of the better routes on the south face, Beeline and Big Time.  From the ground it does not look all that great, but it has a cool chimney section at the grade up high.  Climb the massive right facing corner.  Climb past a tree and into the corner proper.  Continue up the widening crack.  Enter the chimney and chimney up placing a solid #3 and #4.  Local guide calls for gear to #6, but if proficient at the grade, single to #4 will be plenty.  Turn around a time or two and squeeze out at the top of the first pitch of Big Time to rap chains.  To make this a two-pitch route, continue up the left face from a wide crack placing a solid #.75 and #4 before making a fun exposed move at the grade traversing up and right over the corner to the upper face of the dome.  Follow a few bolts from there passing an anchor or two to an easy hand jam finishing crack to the top rap anchor at the top of the dome.  Big holds on the upper face.  Dow

Big Time- 2 Pitches- 5.10***/ The local guide has Big Time at 5.10 and Mp.com has it at 5.10c.  I never felt a 5.10c move, therefore I concur with the local guide.  Big Time is a great pairing with Beeline, 5.9+ and Abril Bypass, 5.8, for a good morning or afternoon on Stronghold Dome.  It starts just to the left of where Beeline and Abril start by climbing up a left leaning weakness placing a piece of gear and then crossing a bolt to the right (where Mp.com considers the 5.10c to be, but it felt more like 5.10a at most) to access the major arete formed by the right facing corner that turns into a massive left facing corner above.  You climb an off-width section for a few meters clipping bolts on the arete and then stem out left to the arete proper for a few moves at the grade through bolts.  Pass a small roof and misc anchor of some sort and continue to the lower (and newer) of two rap chains (2023) at a stance.  The 2nd pitch is a runout 5.8 pitch up the obvious pillar that forms the left side of a wide chasm near the summit.  You get gear early but then run it out to a bolt on the pillar’s arete and run it out again on easier ground to the fixed rap chains above.  Mp.com does a poor job at describing this pitch.  The local guide does much better in this circumstance.  Dow

Stage Fright- 5.11+/

End Chimneys- 120’-5.6-5.7PG**/  I have soloed these routes.  They are worth doing and great for the budding OW leaders out there.  The right one is more aesthetic and is the 5.7.  You are mostly walking the left rail until into the chimney and then pull out right onto large plates to finish at the shared rap.  The left one maybe has a bit more chimney to it, less OW, and pulls out of its chimney up and left on plates that act like a ladder to the shared rap.  A 70m rope just makes it down.  Dow