Though we live in Oregon, we’ve made a few trips down to Cochise Stronghold (score card below). Both road trips – a solid 26 hour push each way (we’ve done this on a 3-day weekend once or twice) – and outings involving flying into Phoenix. We’ve had some amazing climbing as well as some disappointments (weather, injuries, more injuriesetc…).

Resources

• Geir Hundal has produced a very nice book of topos which can be ordered on his webiste here – highly accurate and beautifully drawn.
• Tanya Bok has written the most recent guidebook to the Stronghold (two volumes). Full of great photos and nice topos, it’ll most definitely psyche you up for a trip to the borderlands. You can order the books on her website.
• The now out-of-print guidebook to the southern Arizona backcountry climbs by Bob Kerry is available for free online here. In addition to being informative (if a bit dated), it’s also a pretty nice read.

Trip Reports Chronologically

“Magnolia Thunder” (November 2017)

“Cochise Quickie #16” (February 2017)

“Abracadaver“ (December 2012)

“Cragaholic’s Dream“ (November 2012)

“Lazy October” (October 2011)

“Lazy Weekend In Arizona” (February 2011)

“Search For Warmth 2010” (December 2010)

“Cochise Redemption” (December 2009)

“Quick In And Out To Cochise” (January 2009)

“Cochise Roadtrip” (December 2008)

“Absinthe Of Mallet Roadtrip” (December 2007)

“The Shit Times” (November 2007)

“Sedona And Cochise” (February 2007)

“Desert Stuff” (December 2005)

“Escaping The Rain” (January 2005)

Listing By Route And Area

East Stronghold

Steeper, prouder, and more challenging climbs are to be found here…in general. Things can get cold and windy especially up by the Rockfellows area. Charming looking but established ($$) camping. Seems our top choice lines are all located on this side too.

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Nightstalker on The Owl (5.9)

The Wasteland on Wasteland Dome (5.8)

Beeline on Stronghold Dome (5.9)

Endgame on End Pinnacle (5.10-) …older attempt

Days Of Future Passed on End Pinnacle (5.8 A0)

What’s My Line on Cochise Dome (5.6 A0)

Forest Lawn on Bastion Towers (5.9)

Abracadaver on Rockfellow Dome (5.11-)

Malex Of Four Thoughts on Waterfall Dome (5.9)

West Stronghold

Seemingly sunnier and warmer side of the Stronghold. Tightly bolted and longish climbs can be found on the Sheepshead formation (retrobolted by the FAist(s)?). Very charming primitive camping can be found along the west side access road. The multi-pitch routes on the Sheepshead – though fun – seem kind of repetitive after a while. Think there’s only one more line of interest to us on Sheepshead. More to do on some of the other formations. Get your passports ready for the border patrol checkpoint on the state highway just north of the Middlemarch Road junction.

Sheepshead

Peacemaker on Sheepshead (5.10-)

Absinthe Of Mallet on Sheepshead (5.9+)

The Climb Too Tough To Die on Sheepshead (5.10-)

Phony Pony on Sheepshead (5.10-)

Ides Of Middlemarch on Sheepshead (5.10-)

Ewephoria on Sheepshead (5.8)

Not Sheepshead

Moby Dick on Whale Dome (5.8)

Warpaint on Westworld Dome (5.10c)

Mystery Of The Desert on Muttonhead Dome (5.9)

Warpath on Warpath Dome (5.9-)

Cragaholic’s Dream on Squaretop (5.10b)

Tour Buses Welcome on Muttonhead Dome (5.10)

Dreamscape Buttress on Westworld Dome (5.9)

Our Running Score

Early 2002: rained out (part of longer road-trip).
Jan. 2005: Moby Dick (3-day road trip from SLC).
Dec. 2005: Warpaint & Wasteland (part of weeklong road trip).
Dec. 2006: sprained ankle at base of a route. No climbing. (4-day road trip from Portland).
Feb. 2007: Peacemaker.
Nov. 2007: popped shoulder midway up P1 of Endgame. ER & no climbing.
Dec. 2007: Absinthe Of Mallet (4-day road trip from Portland ).
Dec. 2008: rained and then snowed out. No climbing (4-day road trip from Portland).
Jan. 2009: Couple of routes (3-day weekend flying in).
Jan. 2009: Two routes over a weekend.
Dec. 2009: Great fun 2 day (flying) outing!
Dec. 2010: Great three days during a weeklong roadtrip.
Feb. 2011: Quick trip.
Nov. 2012: Quick in & out.
Dec. 2012: Quick in & out.
Feb. 2017: Quickie #16.
Score:
Us: 12
Cochise: 4

The Four Star Superclassics

A short list (OK, only 4…perhaps more will be added in the future) of what we think are the ultimate classics in the Stronghold…stuff we’d travel to climb even if we lived half way across the world. Great climbing, excellent positions, unique lines, and few bolts. Subjective? No, not really:

What’s My Line (5.6 A0) on Cochise Dome. Also known as “The Great Chicken Head Highway.” Though the climbing is not hard, the line sweeps up a beautiful face on one of the most prominent formations in the heart of the Stronghold. Three pitches of steep yet very positive plate pulling – you feel sad once it’s over. Best 5.6 we’ve done anywhere? In a word, yes!

Forest Lawn (5.9) on Bastion Towers. OK so we would not travel halfway around the world for a single pitch route but you should not miss this gem when in the area. Perfect splitter fingers in beautiful and improbably colorful rock! Climbs like a dream too.

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Days Of Future Passed (5.9 A0) on End Pinnacle. A direct plumb line that starts wide and eventually tapers down to nothing…i.e. thin face climbing. When the grade eases up a bit, things get pretty runout. Very memorable four pitches of climbing. The reportedly 5.10 start proved proved pretty damn tricky (but is easily cheated on via a bolt).

Abracadaver (5.11-) on Rockfellow Dome. A direct line up the best looking face in the Stronghold. Expect a bit of everything on this five pitch gem.

Chicken-Heads And Alligator Plates

The chicken-head and its smaller cousin the alligator plate are the iconic Cochise climbing features. These four routes offer probably the best (most moderate?) exposure to those features: What’s My Line (5.6), Moby Dick (5.8), Ewephoria (5.8), Dreamscape Buttress (5.9), and Endgame (5.10a).

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