A solid test piece for the Xwall.Hard moves off the ground gain some steep slab climbing and the first bolt. Continue past a line of bolts and gear. If you plan to top rope this climb, you can stop at the horizontal crack to build a trad anchor. If not, several options exist to finish the climb. Finish out right on I'm Wet's anchor, merge left into Genesis Wave or Anonymous Statement's finish. Note the large horizontal crack can be followed left to anchors as well. 

Crescendo

Genesis Wave

Avarice is Vice

Highwaymen

Pick Pocketeer

Puff Daddy's

Panoply of Possibility

Mind's Eye

Filter Paper

The Mountain Goat

Boundary Line

I'm Wet

First Date

Scout's Slab Paws

Cooler Slab

Anonymous Statement

pH Balanced

Mental Misstep

Sport Route #1

This is one of the pairs of oldest routes at Big Rock. The hardware was ancient and rusty (90's), so they were removed last year. The hangers had silicone behind them, meaning it wasn't done ground up. The bolts were also in confusing locations that didn't serve the route well as the route had an R/X rating. Rap bolting R/X routes doesn't make sense. The original FA party could not be located to inquire it's history. At the request of the land managers, the route was updated and re-engineered.A phenomenally fun slab with some good thin climbing. Start on the lower ledge before I'm Wet. Make some tough moves off the ground to gain the cool dike. Follow the dike up and left past a few bolts before reaching the steeper face. Follow good feet to the first bolt in the steeper section. Make thin technical moves past several more bolts in the white slab before reaching the horizontal crack. Get a piece of gear in the crack and pull onto the apron. Move slightly right below the bulge, clip the bolt, and pull another hard sequence to get onto the bulge. Continue up the thin face past several more bolts, watch for thin loose rock up here. Continue past the old anchor where only one bolt remains, keep climbing until you reach the tree ledge.

Hardest moves might be right off the ground but you'll have to keep on climbing to reach that first high bolt.  Luckily the climbing isn't too bad.  Continue up a water groove past bolts and gear to the anchors.

It may be a bit run out with some delicate gear placements, but it's guaranteed to maintain your habit.Pitch 1: Starts directly below a high first bolt.  Do a little bit of zig zagging for several small gear placements (tricams and slings strongly recommended), but the line heads straight up.  Ends at chains.  5.6, 85', gear + 2 bolts.Pitch 2:  Fun opening moves.  From the belay move up and left with great gear in eyebrows and the overlap.  Find the hidden bomber hold and pull up to the bolt-protected crux of the route.  Head up easier run out lichen-covered slab to another bolt and then join up with pH Balanced for the last bolt before the anchors.  5.8, 110', gear + 3 bolts

From at the base, climb a shallow left facing flake to ledge with a small tree.  Smear and edge your way up a beautiful section of white rock past three bolts before joining on the variation finished of PoP. Continue up two more bolts to the chain anchor at the top.Option - climb the first 2 bolts on PoP, step left and continue up 5 bolts to the top chain anchors.

Scoops and buckets!  A fun route divided into two short pitches to separate the climbing styles.  Most will likely only do the first half (50') and lower from the intermediate anchors.  A funky low mantle crux and a highish first bolt will keep you on your toes.  A 0.5 cam or confidence is recommended.  The optional second pitch is 5.easy beginner trad that takes any gear and drops you off at the top of X Wall.  Can easily be led in one pitch.

This route climbs a cool water groove past some bolts to a bit of gear up high.  Trend left to anchors on Sport Route #1.  

Who knew this little gem was hiding at the end of X-Wall?  A bit of a choose your own adventure.  Three start options, two middle options, and three finish options.  The direct start  (5.10+) is on a white streak just left of Sport Route #1.  Tricky and committing starting moves lead up to easier and more textured ground.  Traversing in from the crack on the left (bring a hand-sized cam), or from the right on Sport Route are both easier.  Move directly up to the top of the pillar feature.  Climbing to the right of the pillar in the wide water groove is tougher, and will increase the lead fear factor.  Make harder, but really fun moves to the jug below the roof.  Decide on one of three finishes:1. Traverse right to end on Sport Route #12. Plug an optional hand-sized piece out left from an awkward, but secure stance, find the hidden jug, and work out the traverse to the flared crack (hard if wet)3. Lower from the bolt under the roof and swing slightly left onto the divots below the flared crack (fun, easy, and will bypass wet streaks after a rain)An extendable sling is recommended for all finishes. If going left, move up through an ocean of possibility and lichen to the anchors and chains.

From the top of the boulder tree ledge, step up to a small ledge.  Smear your way up black rock to clip the first bolt.  Continue up on smears, edges and dishes past a few more bolts.  At a small cedar tree near the top, clip the ring with a longer drawer or runner and continue up past 2 more bolts to the chain anchor.  

This is one of the pairs of oldest routes at Big Rock. The hardware was ancient and rusty (90's), so they were removed last year. The hangers had silicone behind them, meaning it was unlikely done ground up. The bolts were also in confusing locations that didn't serve the route well as the route had an R/X rating. Rap bolting R/X routes doesn't make sense. The original FA party could not be located to inquire it's history. At the request of the land managers, the route was updated and re-engineered. This is a fun slab with good movement all the way up. Still a little spicy, but not death defying.Start just downhill from Mental Misstep at a black slab. Climb up the face until you can reach the groove. Follow the groove until you reach a larger horizontal. Get some thin gear here. Move slightly right and over the bulge past some more tricky slabbing. Get another piece of gear in the upper crack. Finish on the same anchors as Mental Misstep. Be mindful of the small tree below the anchor so you don't kill it with your top rope or while rappelling.

Get on it after a dry spell (at least 2 days).  Follows the obvious discontinuous crack system at the left end of the pine ledge. Slab up about 25' to a micro cam placement at the base of a crack, or continue up 10 more feet to finger-sized options.  Protect here and make the runout to where the crack begins again.  Reasonable placements from here on out.  Move directly up to the large left-angling flake, and follow it all the way up as it channels you through a tree gap, a step up, and run out low angle slab to the top of X-Wall.  Named in memoriam for the first ascensionist's father who was an avid outdoorsman and mountaineer.Tree webbing belay; walk off or rap.  Possible to rap off with one 60 meter, using two rappels and the anchors on Scout's Slab Paws.  Knot your ends!  A 60 just makes it to the intermediate chains.

Sweet and clean line with a quartz groove, face climbing, and a mini roof step.  Most will use just bolts for lead pro.   

Fun face and wide groove climbing. The route often stays wet for a while when the water tables are high, thus the name. Follow bolts up the wide black groove. Step up onto an overlap and follow the white wide groove to a bolted anchor. Lower here or continue up the easy jaunt to the top. Another couple bolts leads to the top anchors.

Climb the left arching crack, past on old bolt, to a water groove.  Follow the deep water groove past bolts and the crux to a belay spot on the left.  

Starts on the low angle slab before the tree ledge and below the right-facing overlap.  Commit to slab moves before gear is had in the overlap. Continue right and up into the open book corner.  Avoid placing gear in the flexing blob-like feature that looks like Snuffleupagus. Contemplate the crux sequence from a good stance below the bolt.  Head up past one more bolt to chains.  Mostly 5.5ish climbing with a couple of cruxes.

Named for Naturaland Trust’s land manager Wes Cooler, who is the coolest! The route is pretty cool too with a face climbing crux, then a roof crux.  Run outs are on easy terrain (and slightly heady getting to first piece).   Start on left side of pine ledge on a slab by face to a brow 25’ up with first pro.   Head up face past two bolts protecting cruxes.  Continue to the obvious cleft in roof for final crux.

Climb the long white slab past bolts and gear to an anchor at 180 feet.  Good, long, fun pitch.

Undercling your way off the ground and up to the first bolt.  Continue up the water groove past several more bolts.  Finish to the right on an older set of bolts or continue up the face to anchors at the top.  This upper section can seep.

A couple of thin moves off the ground lead up to the first bolt and a fun bit of easy climbing.  A couple of final steep moves lead up to the anchors.

X-Wall is a fun, well featured wall that faces SE. Many routes here have a tendency to seep for several days after a rain. All routes are easily top-accessible by walking to the far left of the formation and scrambling up through a notch. Walk back climbers right and descend back down when you can see the anchors.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in X-Wall