Waterfall Dome, 5.2-5.9

Overview/Approach

We were climbing on Waterfall Dome in January 2022 whilst Scott Ayers was still working new lines at this moderate destination near the top of the climber’s approach trail to the Rockfellow Group from the east.  Waterfall Dome makes for a decent rest day and staging area for the bigger walls and routes that lay above.  We used it as a stepping stone to warm up and get our gear up high as we eventually made an interesting assault on several 5.10’s on Cochise Dome’s east face, followed up by similar graded routes on End Pinnacle, Chay Desa Tsay, Rockfellow Dome and Bastion Towers.  One of the better weeks’ worth of climbing I had done in Cochise over the past ten years.

Waterfall Dome has the easiest collection of routes in the Stronghold, ranging from the Stain, 5.2***, to Cosmic Purity, 5.9***.  As of 2022, the local guide has nothing graded higher on the wall.  One of the best routes I led on Waterfall has yet to be named or published, located just to the left of Klingons.   Cosmic Purity is a very good route at the grade as it stays engaging throughout.  Cascading Cosmic Cataract no longer carries a PG or R rating as the local guide suggests.  It is well bolted and worth climbing.   Splish Splash is my favorite lead on the wall offering the most sustained climb of the group with trad gear placements and cool features.   A 70m rope serves you will on this wall. We never had to walk off with a single 70m in hand.

Take the climbers trail from the east side as you would for the Rockfellow Group.  Near the top, crossover the white waterworn rock (thus the name of the dome) to the north and to the base of the wall.  It is a benign approach by Cochise standards but still gets you away from the crag crowd that sticks to bolted walls not far from their camps below.

Route Descriptions (Listed Left to Right facing this SE facing Wall)

The Stain- 5.2R***/

Waterfall Cracks- 5.7**/

Malex of Four Thoughts- 5.9PG**/

Klingons- 115’-5.9**/ The local guide has this route as 180’.  We rapped it with a single 70m from a fixed rap anchor.  There is no reason to go to the top of this formation for all of these routes.  Klingons is easy to decipher as it has a great looking finger seam near its top.  You start off aiming for twin intermittent cracks.  Then a diagonal crack leads to the stellar finger seam.  Fixed rap atop that.  Single to #2 with wires and/or off sets.  There is an unnamed sport route (2022) just to the left.  Scott Ayers was there that day and told us he had yet to think up a name.  It is worth doing as well. Dow

Cosmic Purity- 5.9***/ Great route!  Just to the right of Klingons.  Begin in a left facing corner leading to a roof, pull the roof at the grade or below.  Trend up left up the face below the grade to reach a pair of right leaning varnished cracks.  Start off in the lower one and at midway climb directly up to the upper one.  Excellent stemming and crack climbing at the grade over a small roof to a fixed rap.  You cannot top rope Cosmic Purity but can rap it with a single 70m with just a few meters of easy down climbing.    Dow

Roaring Rivulet- 5.8PG/

Something Dumb- 5.7PG/

Cascading Cosmic Cataract- 5.8*/ This route has been fully bolted now, removing the PG/R rating published in the local guide as of 2022.  This revised bolted line might be more 5.9 than 5.8, but is worth doing in any regard.  The best way to do it is to lead Splish Splash to its anchor (200’) and then rap down to the fixed rap anchor at the base of Cascading CC, pull the rope and lead it back to that same anchor, then make two single rope raps back to the ground.  Dow

Splish Splash- 5.8**/ My favorite route of the bunch (and most challenging).  The main part of the climb is the right facing double corner to a roof out on the buttress.  Climb below grade face moves to the base of the corner.  Stem up the corner, mostly staying in the left of two corners.  Good gear.  Near the top you climb the right side of a fat arch feature to a fixed rap.  Make two single rope raps down climbers left.  Dow

Drizzling Dribble- 5.8+R*/

Trickle- 5.9-*/

Descent

You can rap the Trickle with a single 60m rope (but 70m is reccomended for a more efficient day) and most routes have enough stations around to get you down one way or another depending where you are at on this relatively small wall. You can also walk of the summit to the west of the Stain.