Taza and Dos-Teh-Seh Domes, 5.6-5.11

Overview/Approach

Taza and Dos-Teh-Seh (DTS) Domes are not distinct enough from each other to be separated as climbing areas on the eastern side of Cochise.  Taza’s east face has four routes and DTS has six established routes on its northeast face as of 2024.  These two Domes are close together and are really just faces separated by a small gully vs domes.  The preferred approach and exit is exactly the same by making two single rope raps atop DTS’s SE end and exiting by climbing one of several routes up to the same rap anchor.  You rap directly over a route on DTS named Ride My Face to Chicago.  To reach Taza’s face is just a few additional minutes bushwhack, after the rap, climber’s right.  The approach and lack of quality routes/rock make this one of the least visited published destinations in the Stronghold.  There is not an approach trail up to the ridgeline where the rap is, rather just a few cairns to follow.  Rock slabs make the bushwhacking bearable. 

Dancing on Autodestruct is the best moderate of this group featuring a long, diverse and sustained 5.9 lead by edge face climbing followed by a corner to a traverse to an exposed pull up to a chickenhead, then finishing on a hand crack into a cool cave with great views for the belay.  On DTS, Is That Guy Kidding, 5.8PG, is a good side pull face climb at the grade on good stone.  Sharing the same belay spot, Jesus Thinks You’re a Jerk, 5.8, is an outstanding chimney and face climb.  This route is a stout lead at the grade.  Bolts protect the wide, but it is strenuous for the grade.  Jesus, That Guy and Ride My Face all can be used for exit pitches to reach your packs atop the wall.

To reach the rap-in anchor for Taza and DTS Domes is one of the more difficult to locate in Cochise with no better description than could be found in 2024.  I was on Murray Dome (to the north) just two days before with Scott Ayers and asked him why I couldn’t just cross over and scramble up to the base of these domes from there.  He seemed to think it would be the bushwhack from hell, so I never tested that approach.  It would be considerably shorter in my opinion if it works.  The rap in approach is as follows.  Hike up as you would for the Rockfellow Group.  At the top of the established trail, as soon as you land the creek bed above the waterfall area, turn right and head north up hill.  DTS sits directly atop the ridgeline that extends from the top of Waterfall Dome.  Therefore, stay as straight as you can up the ridgeline heading north, on the left side of the ridge proper.  There are plenty of rock drainages and slabs to make this approach fairly easy from the bushwhack perspective.  If bushwhacking too much, move hikers right to locate more slabs.  The domes are indistinct from the approach.  You cannot see their faces.  Near the top of the east-west ridge which connects with the north-south ridge that you are following, are the summit blocks of DTS.  To the west is a face with unpublished bolted lines.  There is a gully that descends below that face.  I am sure you could take it down and turn right to access Taza Dome fairly immediate.  However, the most efficient descent is to locate the fixed rap atop the east face of the bouldery summit of DTS.  Make two single rope raps to the ground on a bolted line named Ride My Face to Chicago.  Several routes begin near the base of Ride My Face just to the left uphill into an alcove.  Taza is a short scramble northwest.  Dancing on Autodestruct on Taza is easy to identify with its corner to large roof.  The local guide, as of 2024, indicates that the approach rap is a double rope rap, but there is a mid-station for a single 60m rope rap x 2.

Route Descriptions, Routes Listed Left to Right as you Face the East Facing Walls

Erica’s Love Grotto- 5.6R/

The Idiot Bastard Son- 5.8PG/

Gross Man- 5.11-/

Jesus Thinks You’re a Jerk- 120’-5.8**/ If not for the lack of quality rock in the chimney section, this would be a more worthy route.  After the approach rap, scramble up hill to the south to an alcove directly below a right facing off-width to chimney corner.  Start facing the corner via an off width move at the grade or two, flip back to face the wall and face climb up to the chimney section and start clipping bolts (3) as you stem and/or chimney up the wide.  Eventually commit back to the right wall and after a hand jam or two, face climb to the approach rap atop the wall.  A few small and medium pieces along with three bolts protecting the wide crux.  Route goes into shade by noon in the winter.  Dow

Is That Guy Kidding, or What- 65’-5.8PG*/ If longer, this route would get more praise.  It features side pulls galore on stellar rock.  The published PG rating is for reaching the first bolt. After that there are three well placed bolts along with gear options.  Trend up and right to the mid-rap station on Ride My Face. This short route offers cool sustained climbing at the grade.  Draws and a few small pieces of gear.  Route goes into shade by noon in the winter.  Dow

Ride My Face to Chicago- 5.11/

Would You Go all the Way- 5.11PG/

Clowns on Velvet- 5.10PG/

Dancing on Autodestruct- 165’-5.9***/ This is one of the few routes at this destination that makes the approach worth the trip.  It is long and relatively sustained at the grade with a variety of climbing skills mixed in.  Scramble and bushwhack northwest from the bottom of the approach rap to the obvious main face of Taza Dome.  There is a nice grassy platform directly below a low angled right leaning ramp.  Rope up and scramble up the ramp and attain the face on your left that forms the left side of the large left facing corner.  Face climb the steep face on good edges following four bolts as they meander up the face to join the corner at the left end of a roof.  The rest of the route is all gear.  Stem into the corner with some cool exposed climbing placing a #3 and/or #4.  Continue up the left facing corner and traverse left across a small arch to the right facing/right leaning corner above.  Climb this corner for several meters.  You can place a horizontal #2 to protect a committing move up to a chickenhead on the upper face.  Pull over the chickenhead to a hand crack.  Climb the easy hand crack to a comfortable belay in a small cave.  There are small gear placements available between boulders in the ceiling.  There are no fixed rap stations atop Taza.  To continue climbing the routes on DTS you must circumvent back to the approach rap atop DTS Dome.  Approach shoes recommended for the trip back over to the rap.  Single from micro to #4. Mix of slings and draws.  Route receives sun from morning to past mid-day in winter.  Dow

Trouble Every Day- 5.8/