Dragon, 5.10, 5 Pitches

Overview/Approach

One of the last areas to be developed in Red Rock NCA is the congested lower north faces on Mustang Peak.  Mustang Peak is located directly west of the Monument.  To reach these multi faceted walls makes for a decent back country hike up burro (2018) laden slopes.  Since Red Rock is mostly a tourist climbing destination, this entire area will never see much traffic except for a few die hard locals.  That being said, Dragon, 5.10, is a fantastic climb on good rock.  Many of the routes in this area are saddled with a junk pitch or two, but every one of Dragon’s pitches offer good to stellar climbing.

The first pitch has the only real run out section of the climb, the initial face climbing that is needed to access a ramp that leads left into the main corner system.  This is also the only pitch that does not have any 5.10 climbing involved.  The second, third and fourth pitches take you up the wide massive right facing corner with much of the crux climbing coming in way of short squeeze off width sections.  None of the crux sections are sustained.  The fourth pitch is perhaps better climbed in two pitches.  Its upper half, regaining a right facing corner after a rightward traverse from the main corner, offers the most aesthetic climbing of the route.  However, the final pitch offers the most sustained crux of the day, a perfect C4 #4 lay back corner/flake.  Plenty of strategically placed fixed protection helps protect the route adequately.  With the assistance of the nearby Pegasus, 5.12, the raps are relatively clean down the face to the right of the massive corner.

Where ever you chose to park, at Black Velvet’s trail head or improperly at Bonnie Springs (2018), you must make your way to the large alcove below the north face of Mustang Peak.  Mustang Cracks along with other routes in this alcove below Mustang Peak, represent the next climbing area of Red Rock NCA to the west of the Monument.  Parking at Black Velvet’s trail head, you circumvent the Monument to the northwest, staying low on the desert floor.  If you keep tracking the north face of Mustang Peak, you end up below Mustang Cracks.  Mustang Cracks is made up of an obvious crack system up an impressive wall rising above the middle of this alcove.  Dragon is to the far left end of this alcove, climbing the massive right facing corner and therefore offers significantly more shade than Mustang Cracks which is exposed to morning sun.  A beta photo is included showing the progression of the route up this left side.  Scramble all the way up through a rocky drainage to the base of the wall and turn left.  Continue up left to a medium sized pine tree approximately 50' to the right of the obvious large corner.  The first pitch starts at this tree (some scrambling to reach) and trends left (up a white sandstone ramp) belaying in the corner at a fixed rap that might be difficult to spot from the base.

Route Description

1st Pitch- 85’-5.9/ Start just left of the before mentioned pine tree up a short crack leading to a typical 5.9 sandstone face (just to the left of a chossy right facing corner) with varnished holds.  You get one cam and then one rp in before it is run out (2018=no bolt) 5.9 face climbing up to a ledge just right of a leaning white sandstone ramp.  Climb the relatively easy wide ramp (trending left) clipping one pro bolt on the left side of the ramp/wide crack up to a comfortable fixed rap ledge. 

2nd Pitch- 100’-5.10-/ Climb the fun, shaded, beautiful and large main right facing wide corner crack, past two bolts on the right varnished face, up to a chossy mid-section.  Delicately move through this meter or two of choss and continue up a slightly overhanging hands corner to another fixed belay ledge (easy mantel).  This ledge is the size of a comfortable bivy with a matching sized roof.

3rd Pitch- 70’-5.10-/ Enter the clean squeeze chimney/off width in the main corner and climb the C4 #6 crack, facing out for the upper crux squeeze past two pro bolts on the left wall, climbing up to another fixed station at a stance.

4th Pitch- 135’- 5.10-/ The most unique pitch of the route involving a bit of everything.  A meter or two off the belay, slide in deep to place one piece of medium pro.  Slide back out and make another squeeze (heal-toe) move or two up (cruxy) and then do a 180 degree turn from facing out to facing the main wall and stem out to positive features on great rock.  Sling a natural pocket hole and then continue traversing up and right past three bolts as they follow the natural features to a decent ledge with a fixed rap (optional belay stop if worried about rope drag).  Step down and traverse back left on a finger rail past a single bolt and climb over the precarious short white pillar.  Good hidden gear placements await in the varnished start of the right facing corner above.  Make several exposed and dramatic (but surprisingly all there in spades) moves up into the tight hands corner proper.  Climb the moss covered, slightly overhanging, hands corner up to a semi hanging fixed belay.

5th Pitch- 100’- 5.10/ Two options, but the more challenging and consistent with the route is the C4 #4 clean right facing corner finish.  There is an easier option to the right up the face via a crack below the grade.  In the corner use your C4 #4’s and lay back (I consider this section the crux of the route) up the beautiful corner past a precarious block.  Then follow a hands crack that diagonals rightward away from the corner and up to the top fixed rap anchor (chains).

Climbing Sequence

Descent

A 70m rope can get the competent party down, however, we used double 60m ropes.  A clean double rope rap back to the middle of pitch 4.  A clean double rope rap down to a fixed rap on Pegasus (directly out right from the top of pitch 2).  A third (full) double rope rap down to the ground.

Essential Gear

Single to C4 #4.  Single #6 to supplement the bolts on the OW sections if you want to avoid run out.  Double C4# 4’s are essential for the last pitch if you take the more challenging line (#3’s and #5’s will not help on that crux lay back section).  A few extra medium pieces if you want to avoid run out on the hands section of pitch 4.  RP’s are essential for one placement on the first pitch if no bolt has been added to that initial face section.  70m single or double 60m ropes.  This route shades itself nicely in September and therefore makes for a good warm weather climb.  Helmets advised, doubt the route will ever get enough traffic to clean up enough to warrant going without.