Granite Mountain | chossclimbers.com

Go back to Arizona.

Turkey Weekend

Pitch 4 of Candyland.

Quick three-day weekend road trip to Granite Mountain outside of Prescott, AZ. The highlight of the drive was getting pulled over by the Nevada highway patrol somewhere in the great nothingness between Wells and Ely and having our (…OK my) 90+ mph speeding offense reduced to a rural road moving violation. A Thanksgiving Day gift worth nearly $300 and I did not even need to get naked. Climbing Granite Mountain ’s Candyland route (5P, 5.10) on Black Friday. What a terrific line even if the 10- pitch felt harder than 11- pitches at a place like Vantage. A great mix of crack climbing in all sizes (from fingers to squeeze chimney) and a wild traverse under and out of an exposed roof. Loved the place! Quick Mex dinner in some pretentious joint on Montezuma Ave. (food was shitty) and home in the late evening on day three.

Photos

Hey, wanna go for a drive?

Blondie and Shirley on the morning approach to Granite Mountain (1300 miles later).

South (right) and southwest faces of Granite Mountain from the approach trail (Nov. 2013).

Beautiful Arizona (Nov. 2013).

Starting up pitch 1 of Candyland (the crack system to the left; Nov. 2013).

…and into the thick of it on pitch 1 of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Shirley trying some stemming magic around the crux section of Candyland’s pitch 1 (Nov. 2013).

Shirley topping out on pitch 1 of Candyland. Crux pitch and indeed pretty hard we thought (Nov. 2013).

Nice flaring squeeze of pitch 2 of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Shirley enjoying the chimney system that is pitch 2 of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Leading pitch 3 of Candyland – a hand to fist crack (Nov. 2013).

Pitch 3 – very fun climbing. The roof of pitch 4 looms above (Nov. 2013).

Pitch 3 top out. A nice ledge system right below the large roof (Nov. 2013).

Move up to the roof (ceiling?)….

…and punch it for the bolt and improving pro opportunities. What a GREAT pitch and I guess the main reason we wanted to climb Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Shirley turning the corner on the pitch 4 traverse (Nov. 2013).

The exit moves on pitch 4 traverse of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

The final pitch (#5) of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Shirley at the cool belay for the final pitch of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Shirley nearing the top of Granite Mountain – this is top of pitch 5 of Candyland (Nov. 2013).

Unknown climber topping out on the Classic route (5.7) on Granite Mountain’s Flying Buttress. Photo taken from the rap line (Nov. 2013).

Unknown parties starting up the Beaver Cleaver – the exit pitch of the Classic route. The belayer is atop the Flying Buttress (Nov. 2013).

Unknown climber leading the Beaver Cleaver exit pitch from the Classic line. Photo taken from the first rappel (Nov. 2013).

Shirley at the base of Granite Mountain after rapping off (Nov. 2013).

Hiking down through the burnt out slopes below Granite Moutain. Candyland climbs the crack system (right hand one) in the left facing dihedral above (Nov. 2013).

Burnt out cactus (fires of summer 2013) below Granite Mountain (Nov. 2013).

The southwest face of Granite Mountain. The Candyland route (5P, 5.10-) climbs a left facing dihedral system below a semi-obvious roof in the center of the formation (Nov. 2013).

An unknown fruit growing on the burnt out slopes below Granite Mountain (Nov. 2013).

Go back to Arizona.