Bob_Clarke Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 My wife and me made a long weekend trip to Red Rocks and just returned very late last night. We stayed at Sam’s Town on the eastside of Las Vegas that is one of those all-inclusive places that have shops, a bowling alley, 18-cinema theatre, a great sports betting pit. Also included are the obligatory retired folks sitting in front of the slot machines 24 hours a day smoking cigarettes while being hooked up to an oxygen bottle. We hit town Friday afternoon and went to the Gallery for a few sport climbs to soak up the warm sun. Saturday after sleeping in, we stopped by a local Starbucks (it’s good to see Vegas ramping up on the number of corner Starbucks shops) and headed to the Panty Wall for some great slab climbing. There was a 5.10c slab climb next to panty prow (an awesome 5.6 route) that was unusual for Red Rocks and technically demanding. Next a stop at Fixx Cliff where I did Free Base, a 5.11 crack/face route that was incredible. A must do. Then to the Dog Wall for some 5.10 & 5.11 face climbs. All in all a nice climbing day. Saturday night I met a friend of mine from California in the sports pit for a great Cuban cigar and put $100 bucks on Philadelphia to cover the spread on Tampa Bay. Easy pick, Philly had a bye week and Tampa isn’t playing sharp. So Sunday morning we get an early start and head into Oak Creak Canyon to take a run on Levitation 29. Now this is a fabulous climb. I would agree that this is the best climb in Red Rocks (I haven’t done The Original Route) at any grade. Every pitch is long and sustained. The crux is wild. We got back to town very late and my hands were sanded down and sore from crawling over the boulders to the approach, the climb and the walk out. Cashed out my wining ticket and bought steak dinner for everyone except my vegetarian wife. Yesterday I thought a nice climb of Cat in the hat would be nice with my wife (many of you have posted that it’s a great climb) and the fact I was a little bit tired and we had a plane to catch. So a nice short hike in and the climb turned out to be just as everyone had described, and I must say that it’s an incredible route for the grade. BUT. Rappelling the route was a nightmare. Stuck ropes, traffic, there was a party of three that had a guide and he felt it was necessary to tell everyone a better textbook way of doing everything. Note to any guides out there, that no one asked you your unsolicited opinion. We marched out to the car, drove straight to the airport where my hands were checked for explosive residue six times (I still had black hands from pulling rope on the rappels) and onto the plane. Back to work in a daze. I’d rather be climbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Ropegun2002: We marched out to the car, drove straight to the airport where my hands were checked for explosive residue six times (I still had black hands from pulling rope on the rappels) Glad to see our government is looking out for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitz Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Bob, Did you see the bulldog couple down there? B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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