It was the second of three days climbing in Red Rocks climbing with Elizabeth Miller, with the goal of getting on some fun moderates. Looking for shady options, I spotted Black Magic and Lotta Balls on my to-climb list—both routes ascend the 500-foot Lotta Balls Wall in First Creek Canyon. I’d never climbed in First Creek Canyon before, and the northeast-facing wall promised shade by the afternoon.

Elizabeth was in, and it turned out to be a great call. We started on Black Magic, saving the slippery “balls” crux on Lotta Balls’ second pitch for when the wall had cooled down a bit. Black Magic climbs the right edge of the wall and offers excellent movement in an exposed, spectacular motion for the grade.

A few hours later, we were back at the base just as another party—Ron and Stephanie from the Tahoe area—was gearing up for Lotta Balls. We took the opportunity to relax, eat, and hydrate before following them up. Lotta Balls is a fantastic route, featuring sustained, enjoyable crack climbing with a short but thin face crux. The second pitch—those infamous polished knobs—is a bit heady but incredibly fun. We enjoyed chatting with Ron and Stephanie at the belays.

I was happy to lead both routes. While neither is particularly hard, the climbing is engaging and occasionally a bit runout, which kept things interesting.

Another excellent day in Red Rocks: great climbing, perfect weather, a solid partner, and friendly climbers along the way. I never needed more than a T-shirt.

This page includes an overlay, time stats, and pitch-by-pitch photos for both climbs.