Adventure Punks follows a massive and obvious left curving arch/corner and ends before the pinnacle of the arch itself.

FA: Richard Harrison, Sal Mamusia, Paul Van Betten, 1983.

Origin of route name: The first ascentionists Richard Harrison, Sal Mamusia, and Paul Van Betten were the self-proclaimed "Adventure Punks," a title reflecting their philosophical bent towards the alpine-inspired concept of bold, ground-up lines with few bolts. (The other philosophical bent was epitomized by the Uriostes, who decided to create routes for safety, enjoyment, and ease of future climbers, adding bolts on unprotectable sections of climbs.) In this route bearing the group's unofficial moniker, each of the five long pitches is 5.10, and the only protection bolts on the entire line were placed later—against the wishes of the first ascent team—on the final offwidth pitch, which was climbed onsight by Richard Harrison with nothing but a single old Forged Friend for “wide crack” protection.

Notes:
- I thought this was an awesome climb. Kenny is an awesome parter. We had an awesome day.
- Kenny led Pitches 1 and 5 while I led Pitches 2, 3, and 4.
- Pitch 3 was my favorite pitch on the route.
- I found both Pitches 4 and 5 to be the technical cruxes of the route, both seemed equally difficult to me (Pitch 4 was more of a mental crux, Pitch 5 more physical).
- For big gear, we had two #4's and one #6. We never used both #4s on any pitch, and the two bolts on Pitch 5 allowed Kenny to backclean so that he was comfortable with only one #6. Perhaps a #5 would have been useful, but we did without that.
- The descent entails four double-rope rappels using the bolted belay stations on the route. You definitely need two ropes to rap the route. The four double-rope rappels are as follows: 1. Top of Pitch 5; 2. Top of Pitch 4; 3. Top of Pitch 2; 4. Top of Pitch 1. The ONLY two pitches you can combine with a rappel are Pitches 3&4; we tried to rap all the way to the top of Pitch 5 to the top of Pitch 3 and came up short.
- This was the first route I've ever climbed in Pine Creek Canyon. I found this canyon to be very pleasant and peaceful.

I hadn't been able to find anyone to climb with for the day, so it was my opportunity to check out the Strip for a few hours. I devoted $20 to the slot machines. I figured I'd loose it all, but that it would be worth the entertainment. I left with $115. What fascinates me most about Los Vegas is the juxtaposition between the glitzy sleepless circus of the Vegas strip and the wild peaceful canyons of Red Rocks, just mere miles apart. 

Known as the "best 5.8 in Red Rocks", this north-facing classic ascends crack and bolted face to the top of a 1000-foot slender pillar.

FA: Jorge & Joanne Urioste, 1979.

Origin of route name: The route is named for the red coloration of the rock and the tower's resemblance to a giant butterfly cocoon.

Notes:
- I thought this climb had an excellent position and delightful exposure with a moderate grade. However, the climbing was a bit repetitive (first half is in a continuous wide crack system, second half is on a juggy face). I think it is the moderate grade which makes this route so popular—although it is indeed a great line, Sarah and I did not feel like this route is significantly better than other climbs we'd done in Red Rocks. Even so, we had a fun day. Any day climbing with Sarah is a fun day.
- The climbing on this route is fairly sustained at the 5.8 level.
- There are a fair number of bolts on this route to protect face sections or sections with tricky or consistently large placements. We were happy with a single rack from green alien to BD#3, plus an extra #0.75 and #1 for when we linked pitches. And lots of slings.
- In the spring and fall, this route is a conga line. But since we climbed the route in late summer, we had the route to ourselves. I wouldn't want to climb this route when many other parties were on it, as the belays are mostly hanging and the rap route is directly down the route.
- The climb is shaded so the temperatures were actually quite pleasant for climbing, despite the fact we climbed it in the late summer.
- We linked Pitches 2&3, 5&6, and 8&9 to climb the route in a total of 6 pitches.
- The original 1979 finish of this route on Pitch 9 goes up and right. This finish was the norm until the last couple of years (as of 2015), when bolts were added to a direct finish going straight up steep chocolate rock to the top. It's steep, but featured enough that it maintains the 5.8+ rating of the route. We did the direct finish.
- To descend, rappel the route using the bolted belay stations. You need two ropes to rappel from the top of Pitch 7 (it's about 38m) and from the top of Pitch 1 (it's about 37m, you can downclimb the last bit though). All other rappels can be done with a single 70m rope (not sure about a 60m).

Sour Mash follows a long crack system on the right side of the wall, offering varied climbing, lots of thin cracks, tightly bolted face climbing cruxes, and an intriguing traversing roof to crack.

FA: Jorge & Joanne Urioste, 1980.

Origin of route name: The name of the route hangs on the end of a long chain of routes with whiskey themes (like Dream of Wild Turkeys and Early Times). They all relate to "Black Velvet" which is the name of a particular brand of whiskey.

Notes:
- I thought this was an excellent route with varied climbing. Nathan and I had a really fun day climbing together.
- Climbing midweek in late summer, we had the entire Black Velvet Canyon to ourselves—a rare and peaceful experience.
- Even though we climbed this route in late summer when temperatures in Vegas were 100°+, we were actually quite comfortable on the climb. The wall is shaded after mid-morning (shade was creeping up the left corner of Black Velvet Wall by 8am, and the entire wall (Sour Mash is on the right side) was in the shade by 10:30am). Also, we had a nice breeze.
- We linked Pitches 2&3, 4&5, 6&7 to climb the route in a total of 4 pitches. As a result, the climb went pretty quickly.
- We swung leads, where I led Pitch 1 and 4&5 and Nathan led 2&3 and 6&7.
- Pitch 6 was our favorite pitch on the route.

La Cierta Edad features a great, fun mix of climbing styles, from slab & crimp climbing to chimney climbing.

FA: Jorge & Joanne Urioste, 1981.

Origin of route name: Like many of the Urioste routes, the name of this route has deeper meaning. Literally, "La Cierta Edad" is Spanish for "The certain age"; according to Joanne, it's deeper meaning is "The age at which social opinion doesn't matter." This sentiment stems from the fact that in the age of early route-setting in Red Rocks, the Uriostes were often derided for their style of adding bolts to unprotectable sections of their routes.

Notes:
- I thought this route was excellent—not only does it have a nice variety of climbing, but the chimney, corner, and wide crux are all pretty unique sections. Sarah and I had a great afternoon together.
- Sarah led Pitches 1 and 3 and I led Pitches 2 and 4 and 5.
- We both felt that the 10c wide crux (#5 cam) on Pitch 4 was just a single move, well-protected, and not all that hard once you figure it out; we agreed that overall Pitches 2 and 3 offered the most challenging sustained climbing on the route.
- For big gear, we had two BD #3, two BD #4, and one #5; this allowed us to sew up the wider sections on the route. The large gear was especially useful on Pitches 2, 4, and 5 (I placed the #5 on all three of these pitches, and I think I placed all of the large cams on Pitch 2 and at least one of each on Pitches 4 and 5). We could have gone with a single #4 though, if I had cleaned my first #4 in the chimney which I ended up unclipping due to potential rope drag.
- You can choose to exit the route at the big ledge 2/3 of the way up Pitch 4, or you can continue on to Pitch 5, which is a 5.8 wide crack in a corner. We climbed Pitch 5. It's always more satisfying to climb the full route, especially when the climbing is worthy (which it is, I thought Pitch 5 was really fun climbing).
- To descend, you rappel to climbers' right of the route, down the Unfinished Symphony corner. Most route descriptions call for two ropes for rappelling, so we brought two ropes. However, we had heard rumors that you could rappel with a single 70m by using intermediate rap stations. Indeed, we confirmed that you can rappel to the ground in 5 rappels with a single 70m rope. Rapping with a single rope rather than double ropes means you can climb with less rope weight, and also minimizes the chance you will get a rope stuck in one of the many rope-eating flakes on the wall...

Dark Shadows (Pitches 1-4) climbs a steep and shaded dihedral on varnished walls so black and polished that they shine.

(We also toproped Pitch 4 of Edge Dressing (5.10b) and Pitch 3 of Chasing Shadows (5.8+) while rappelling from Dark Shadows)

FA: Nick Nordblom and Jon Martinet, 1979 (complete 1000-ft route)

2018 Update: I enjoyed the first 4 pitches of this route so much that in March 2018, I climbed the Full Dark Shadows route (5.8, 12p, 1300') to the top of Mescalito (click link for trip report). It was an awesome adventure, and I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent and sustained-at-the-grade climbing on the upper pitches.

Origin of route name: The route is named for the steep, dark, and ominous dihedral capped by a huge roof that comprises the first few hundred feet of the route.

Notes:
- I thought this was an awesome route, probably one of the most aesthetic and interesting and enjoyable routes I've climbed. I just loved Pitches 3 and 4, where the slick black varnished walls are broken by just enough cracks and huecos to keep the grade at 5.8.
- I had an awesome climb climbing with Joanne. Who wouldn't!
- Joanne led Pitches 1 and 2, and I led Pitches 3 and 4.
- This is a popular route, but yet again we were the only climbers on the route, or in the area for that matter.
- This route is shaded so a great choice for a hot day.
- The route actually continues several hundred feel to the top of Mescalito, for a total of ten pitches and 1000' of climbing. However, most parties only climb Pitches 1-4, since this allows for a convenient single-rope rappel (4 raps) to the base, as opposed to a rather nasty and infamous descent from the top of the route.
- Someday I want to go back and climb this route in its 1000' entirety. Joanne and I started too late in the day for this to be a reasonable option.
- As long as there's not a line-up of climbers trying to get down, you can easily toprope a couple of pitches on the way down (the 10b Pitch 4 of Edge Dressing and the 5.8+ Pitch 3 of Chasing Shadows).
- Soaked ropes are difficult to avoid on the last rappel.

Sept 5 - Joanne, her friend Kevin, and I spent the day deep in a canyon exploring some new rock. While Kevin and I took off climbing, Joanne cleared a 300-ft swath along the base of the wall to open up even more sandstone cliffs...

Sept 6 - Joanne, her son Danny, and I returned to the same area to explore some more new rock above the swath that Joanne had cleared the previous day. We found some great sections of climbing. I had a blast climbing with Joanne and Danny. The Uriostes are the coolest people.

Black Track follows the crack in the center of the buttress, hand-jamming to a short offwidth finish. Left Out follows an impressive crack beside the left arete of the buttress with strenuous and sustained climbing, a great toprope after Black Track. Big Foot is just a bolted face climb to the right of Black Track.

Notes:
- I was staying with the Uriostes for a few days. On Labor Day Monday the family (Jorge, Joanne, son Danny, his girlfriend Mili, and the dog Pepper) decided to go cragging at Willow Springs, and invited me along. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with this special family.
- We first led Black Track (I led the 5.9 crack to first set of anchors, then Danny led the 15-foot offwidth to finish the pitch to the upper anchors). Then we set up a toprope on Left Out and Danny and Mili and I lapped this a couple of times while Jorge and Joanne toproped Black Track. We also toproped Big Foot just because it was there. Then we went home for fondue. What a fun day.

The Fox is an Indian-creek style right facing corner a few hundred feet above the desert floor. A fantastic pitch on perfect desert varnish.

FA: John Williamson and Bob Logerquist, 1970

Origin of route name: (Reference: mountainproject): The route was climbed in 1970 by local high-schoolers John Williamson and Bob Logerquist. "It was pretty intimidating," recalls John. "We did it a few times on top rope before we got up the courage to lead the thing." John and Bob named it "The Fox," which was in keeping with several other route names that referred to children's stories. The nearby "Riding Hood" and "Over the Hill to Grandmother's House" shared a similar reference to children's books. Soon afterward, John left Las Vegas to attend college. At the time there was almost no other climbing activity in the area, so the ascent was essentially unknown to climbers who were not personal friends of John or Bob. Over the next few years climbing activity picked up considerably as Joe Herbst began to make a more systematic exploration of the area. Interestingly, Joe's early activity started mainly in the south part of the range, while John was working from the north end, and the two climbers never met. One of Joe's apprentices was the later-to-be-famous Red Rock guide, Randal Grandstaff. A young Randal accompanied Joe on the first ascent of Tunnel Vision in 1974, and soon emerged as an accomplished climber in his own right. At this point the story becomes a little muddy. In the middle 1970's, Randal claimed a first ascent of the Fox dihedral, and apparently named it the "7th Wave." This was the first name that Joanne Urioste heard when she arrived in Las Vegas at about that time. Some other climbers who were active then also recalled the "7th Wave" name. In the 1990's, Randal was still claiming a first ascent when he was talking with author Todd Swain. Randal made his claim with such vehemence that Todd recorded the route as "first ascent: unknown" in order to not step on Randal's toes. The thing that makes the situation sticky is that, even in the 1970's, Randal had developed a reputation for exaggeration about his exploits, so many local climbers simply did not believe him. His case was not helped by the evolution of the name: was it still 7th Wave, or was he now calling it the 8th Wave, or something else? Some of the locals expressed their doubt by putting up a route that was facetiously named "No Wave," (this was the first couple of pitches of the route that was later expanded to become the Bighorn Buttress in Willow Springs). In the late 1970's, John Williamson returned to Las Vegas. By chance, he met up with the Uriostes and did a few climbs with them. It was, coincidentally, on this trip that they teamed up to climb the now popular Olive Oil. John told them of his early climbs, and pointed out the Fox dihedral. Since John's ascent predated any possible Grandstaff ascent by several years, Joanne credited him with the first ascent and used his name, "The Fox," when she authored the 1984 guidebook. Before the 1984 guide gave the Fox name any kind of official status, there was a period where both names were circulating, and the one you heard was dependent on whom you heard it from. Since the Epperson photograph in the Supertopo guidebook dates back to early 1980's, it is probably safe to conclude that the route name came from someone on the Randal Grandstaff side of the story.

Notes:
- The route is north-facing and shaded, perfect for a warm day.
- Danny and I headed up to do a couple of laps on The Fox in the afternoon after he got home from work. The route is easily toproped by scrambling to the top of the formation from the left side. We toproped it and both climbed it twice. No falls or hangs. What a fun way to spend a couple of hours!

Update (Nov 2015): There are now rap chains on top. With rope stretch, a 70m might make it, and double ropes certainly would. Also, after I posted this overlay, it was pointed out to me that in addition to the walk-off on climber's left of the route indicated by the arrow in my overlay, there's also an easy and fairly obvious walk-off that comes down the other side.

The Nightcrawler follows the corner system on the right side of the Hourglass. The clean-cut corners on the third and fourth pitches are the best of their grade in Red Rocks, sustained and well-protected on superb rock.

FA: Jorge & Joanne Urioste, 1978

Origin of route name: I asked Joanne and Jorge where the name of the route came from. Joanne said that it was an ode to the fact that they were always crawling out in the dark after long days exploring new rock. (Headlights of the time were just too heavy and cumbersome to bring on climbs.) Also, Jorge recalled how on at least one occasion when they were establishing The Nightcrawler route, they slept overnight on the ledge near the top of the second pitch.

Notes:
- I loved this route. Superb and sustained and challenging crack, chimney, and corner climbing to the top of a cool formation. And Rico was an excellent partner!
- Rico led Pitches 1, 2, and 5 while I led Pitches 3 and 4.
- While both Pitches 3 and 4 are rated 10c in the guidebook, for me Pitch 3 was a much harder lead. On Pitch 3 I felt a bit overextended on the stems, making it a tedious lead. On Pitch 4, I felt pretty secure with the fingerlocks and layback moves, and was able to relax and enjoy the climbing a lot more. That said, Pitch 3 was a more amazing pitch than Pitch 4.
- The original route stops at the top of the Hourglass after Pitch 4. But above the Hourglass is a splitter handcrack, which you can climb to a bolted station 80' above to tack an extra pitch onto the route. We climbed this extra pitch. Good pitch but sketchy rap anchors.
- We found the bolts at the belay stations for Pitches 1-4 to be all relatively new and in good shape. However, we found that the belay station at the top of Pitch 5 had not been rebolted. As of Sept 2015, there are two old bolts and a sun-baked old sling for rappelling. MountainProject has a bit of discussion about this belay station—it seems that as soon as someone sets up a nice sling and carabiner for rappelling, a thru-climber will come by and clean it. I suppose a more permanent option would be to add a chain anchor to this station.
- We found that the protection bolts on Pitches 3 (7 bolts) and 4 (2 bolts) were also in good shape, except for one of the bolts on Pitch 3 which had pulled slightly out of the wall (it's below a cruxy move so I assume this bolt has taken a few lead falls). There are a couple of original Urioste bolts remaining on the route but newer bolts have been installed close to them.
- Although Brownstone Wall faces east and gets baked in the morning sun. the corner was in the shade by 9:30 to 10:00 am, so we had a pretty comfortable climb despite the 100+° temps in Vegas.
- To descend, most parties rap the route (there is an option to continue climbing to the top and walk off but I don't think most climbers do this). Two 60m ropes will certainly get you down. A single 70m rope will also get you down, but will leave you with a bit of low 5th downclimbing on the last rappel. An 80m rope (if you own one or are lucky enough to have a partner named Rico who owns one) is perhaps the best option, allowing you to climb with only one rope and leaving you with only one move of downclimbing.
- We had a double rack to #2 cam, a single #3, a single #4, and a set of nuts including DMM offsets. We also had a few extra small cams. We found we didn't need the double #1 or #2, but the small cams were definitely useful on Pitch 3 and the #4 was definitely useful on Pitches 2 and 3.

Winter Heat Wall: A few of the popular trad/toprope routes on the varnished face of the north-facing Winter Heat Wall.
Atman: A classic shorty up a splitter crack.

Notes:
- I joined Sarah and her friend Kyle for a day of cragging at Winter Heat Wall and Yin and Yang Cliff. We climbed three routes on Winter Heat Wall and one route (Atman) on Yin and Yang Cliff. All the climbs were in the shade. We toproped all of these routes except Couldn't Be Schmooter, which Kyle led.
- I wasn't too impressed by the routes at Winter Heat Wall. It was mostly face climbing around cracks with the occasional interesting move. For me, for cragging to be worth it, it's got to be pretty darn good. Also, it's hard to measure up with the preceeding series of fantastic multipitch routes in Red Rocks....
- We stopped by Yin and Yang Cliff after Winter Heat Wall. Now here was the darn good splitter crack cragging I had hoped to find! We toproped Atman, which was great fun. I really wanted to climb Yin and Yang too, but Sarah and Kyle wanted to head back to the car. Just when the cracks get good we leave. Huh. Oh well, it had been a phenomenal 11 days of climbing in Red Rocks!