You Bet Your Life, 5.10, 2 Pitches

Overview/Approach

One of the better moderate route combinations in Cochise is to climb Triple Direct to the very summit of Cochise Dome, rap, and then climb the two fantastic pitches of You Bet Your Life which starts in the descent gully and raps back into it via the route Concentration.   Triple Direct offers three solid face/slab pitches near or at the grade.  You Bet Your Life offers two great 5.10 mixed (trad and bolts) pitches.  All five of these pitches are long.

This route is given a “R” rating in the local guide, but that is only if you intend to tie into What’s My Line at the end of pitch two.  Since those who are climbing this grade in Cochise no doubt have climbed What's My Line a few times, most would rather combine You Bet Your Life with Concentration and/or Triple Direct, etc.   When accessing Triple Direct, 5.10-R***, you simply leave your packs at the base of You Bet Your Life and Concentration and do a short descent along the wall to start Triple Direct on the south face and then on the traditional descent of Cochise Dome, you will walk right back to your packs and can finish the day on these east facing routes.  Fantastic rock quality on this route.

The approach is not well-traveled.  Hike to the base of the south face of Cochise Dome as you would for What’s My Line.  Bushwhack up to the base of the middle of the south face and circumvent east to connect to the descent gully trail.  Ascend this climbers trail to about mid height, looking for a cavernous staging area to the west below the obvious features (photos) that make up You Bet Your Life and Concentration.

Route Description

1^st Pitch- 145’-5.10/ Excellent pitch, one of the best 5.10’s I have led at the Stronghold.  Flakes, fins, leaning finger corner crack, just tons of features with gear and bolts.  I don’t remember how many bolts I clipped, but I exclusively utilized gear in the right leaning layback finger corner near the top, whereas the guide infers there are bolts.  There were none on this crack as I recall nor should there be.  The route is shorter than the guide specifies as well.  Follow the bolts through several flakes/fins.  The crux is a physical layback to gain a small pedestal at about mid height on the pitch.  There is a great hand jam you must transition from to a layback to make this move and therein lies the crux.  The right leaning seam above offers excellent trad climbing, off-sets to finger pieces.  Traverse up slab to the right to a fixed rap at the top of Concentration’s 1^st pitch. 

2^nd Pitch- 115’-5.10/ Traverse back up and left through a bolt and step down on slab to regain the main corner at a flaring chimney position.  Reach a hand crack and face out to mantle into the right facing corner above.  Follow mellow climbing until it steepens at the bolt line above.  Stem up a cool (but closed, thus bolted) double corner system until eventually you traverse up and right to the top of Concentration’s 2^nd pitch rap station.  The crux involves thoughtful moves up through the steep bolted section. 

Climbing Sequence

Descent

Rap Concentration with a single 70m rope, two raps back to the packs.

Essential Gear

70m rope.  Single from #.2 to #3.  Well bolted at the cruxes so you could exclude a few medium pieces if you wanted.  East facing.