Critical Mass starts with the 5.10a face/crack Sheer Stress (the holds on this section are polished so it's a bit trickier than it'd normally be).  From the anchors continue up and right past six more bolts to an anchor.  The crux comes 2/3 of the way to the top at a large bulge.  I found all of the clipping stances to be a bit reachy although with quickdraws hung they would be much better. 

  This route feels like a series of linked boulder problems, in that there are a few tricky sections followed by excellent rests. 

  The top of the climb ends with a fun series of slab moves and you can continue up the final pitch of Red Eye (5.10c) to the top of the wall.

Critical Mass

Mr. Bentley

Trailer Park Sunset

Hit the Highway Pitch 2

Red Eye

Arcturus

Shoot From the Hip

Opus

Hit The Highway Pitch 1

Arch de Triumph

Pinhead

Thai Stick

Sheer Stress

No Friction

On the Loose

Anastasia

Sheer Energy

Hard Body

Kashmir

Physical Graffiti

Classic Crack

The Conspiracy (aka Kashmir Direct)

This route lies between Red Eye and Critical Mass.  It ascends up a skiny black streak, using edges and slopers.  The crux comes just after the second clip and consists of a hard sloper move, but some tricky crimps just before are hard too.  Approach from Thai Stick or Mr. Bentley and clip the bolt left of the Thai Stick anchors or the anchors themselves.  The next bolt is a bit spooky and hard to clip.  Finish the route to the Red Eye anchors or into Kashmir.  There is a piton between the last bolt and the Red Eye anchors.

The awesome toprope problem just to the left of Sheer Stress.  Powerful, technical moves make this climb more like a tall boulder problem.  Just getting your feet off the ground is a challenge, and it gets harder from there!  Ascend using low friction slopers and sidepulls and very bad feet until you finally reach a "real hold" about fifteen feet up, at which point the difficulties become more manageable.

This route was bolted by Charlie Egan. It begins from the anchors of Sheer Stress and then cuts up and slightly right. The main climbing starts off a long rail system just below a short face. Commence up the boulder problem, using the left hand arete and small side-pulls/underclings with the right. Then go big...big, big, big. The hard climbing ends at the Pinhead rail.  The natural finish is the one that Charlie added, and climbing the Pinhead finish doesn't add to the difficulty. Another great line by Charlie - Whoop!

Hit the Highway has many approaches, but the best way is to link either Classic Crack or Thai Stick into Red Eye and then into Hit the Highway.  Once you reach the anchors of Red Eye you move up as if into Kashmir, but head left into the obvious overhanging dihedral.  From Red Eye's anchors all of  Hit the Highway is trad climbing.  Once you reach the end of the stemming dihedral you can exit left and to the anchors just before the overhang of physical graffiti (fairly burly move) or you can head up right and follow a dirty, flaring, and blocky section to the actual anchors of Hit the Highway.  Both ways are about the same grade, but offer different hard moves.

Red Eye is an extremely fun and popular route.  It climbs the head wall just above Classic Crack (it can be approached by Classic Crack, Thai Stick, or the walk up approach) and passes through cool huecos, using powerful moves to gain a ledge--the crux.  The anchors are on an obvious ledge up left. 

  The route can be continued up higher (though it is seldom done) by moving right from the anchors and up a blocky section towards Kashmir's first bolt.  From here, stay right and climb the obvious dihedral and crack to the top.  It is roughly 60 feet to the second anchor station. The rock is solid, but dirty, and the climbing is solid 5.10.

Climb up back behind the huge block on the left side of the red wall.  Set a TR on the first anchor you see.  Face climb just left of Anastasia, and right of the leaning arch (Arch De Triumph)

With a technical start and a powerful middle, Shoot From the Hip offers a little bit of everything.  The crux comes roughly half way up the climb, just past the first clip and requires a strenuous lock-off and dynamic move.  However, the delicate start or the tricky top section could cause you to fall too.

A bouldery climb that takes on the face between Sheer Stress and Sheer Energy. Easy column climbing leads to the first bolt and the start of the crux. Clip the first bolt with a single carabiner and ask your belayer to keep the slack to a minimum. The climbing off of the column is very bouldery and stout. After the second bolt, fun 5.10 climbing is all that's left.

This is just the description for the first pitch, which is 3 bolts and graded 5.10a. It starts just above Anastasia (5.9 TR), with your first bolts being the anchor for the top rope on Anastasia.   Climb up on good holds through 3 bolts of climbing through steep rock with plenty of jugs! Climb up until you are even with the Red Eye anchors, and then traverse hard right onto the ledge the Red Eye anchors are on.    Really fun climbing, and well worth doing. We scrambled up around as if setting up a TR, and then dropped the rope down to the belayer and lead the route from there. Follower can climb up one of the TR routes into it.

Use stressful hand and fist jams to make progress up the dusty arch. One big move about half way up leads to easier climbing afterwards. The climb is rated 5.7 in the Olson guidebook, but I think it deserves a little more than that.

Climb the upper headwall of sheer stress.  Crimps and hard lockoff's take you to the top.

Uber slick rock, cryptic sequence, reachy moves, over in a about thirty seconds...all these things would describe Thai Stick perfectly.  Super popular route just right of Classic Crack, mostly because it is the only bolted route on the bottom half of the Red Wall's popular left side.  Ascend via polished sidepulls and stemming until reaching the first ledge at twenty feet, at which point the climbing becomes 5.8.  This route is very difficult to figure out on the onsight attempt, due to a surplus of unnecessary holds and very low friction to help you pop off.  Once wired, it feels rather easy for the grade due to its brevity, particularly if you are tall.  Makes for a logical, direct start to the route Critical Mass above it.

This is the mega classic thin crack/corner to the right of Classic Crack on the Red Wall. 

  Pitch 1 - A balancey mix of face and liebacking gets you through the first twenty feet, which is the crux.  After this a fun mantle and easier but engaging climbing takes you to the bolted anchor. 

  Pitch 2 - Traverse right to a large block then follow the hand and finger crack through the overhanging upper wall to the right of Pinhead.  The last ten feet are surprisingly steep and give the route an exciting, perfectly protected crux finish.

This route packs in easy crack climbing, a bouldery roof, and a slab into a compact 50 feet.  Start on the leaning columns (the cracks here eat small to medium nuts) and move up to a roof sequence protected by two bolts.  Pull through the roof on good holds to the slab above, which provides 10 more feet of climbing to the anchors.

very short but interesting top-rope set up to the left of classic crack.  Ascend via two thin crack seams up over a boulder and to the ledge at the anchors. Crimpy, balancey and a good short climb on the Red Wall at Broughton Bluff.

A short, popular TR with an interesting flare section.  This route sees a lot of traffic, probably due to the ease of setting it up as a Top-rope.   Climb a slabby section following edges & thin crack to a good stance below the obvious flaring pod.  The crux sequence up & through the pod can be tough to figure out at first, but after figuring out the moves, this is easy for 5.9 and over quickly.   After the pod a few more easy moves take you to the anchor.

This is a fun climb with mixed protection.   Climb up to the top of a free-standing blocky pillar.   Commit to the moves off the pillar and onto a ledge below a short crack.  Once above the crack, reach the first bolt out on the left, and continue face climbing up and to the left to reach the anchors. 

  This climb can also be linked up into the 2nd pitch of Sheer Stress to make an enjoyable long pitch.   Do this by clipping a long sling on the last (3rd) bolt, and then, instead of heading left to the anchors, skip the anchor bolts and head up right to join with Sheer Stress P2.   Use slings on the upper pitch to reduce rope drag.

A technical route with a demanding and interesting crux, Hard Body offers continuous climbing with little rest until the chains are clipped.  Like the name implies, you had better be a hard body, for the crux requires some body tension.  P.S. It is said that climbing this route in 80's style lycra will do you good.

Linked up with Thai Stick or Classic Crack and then Red Eye, Kashmir offers a long route with a good pump.  Not extremely difficult for the grade, it offers good position and great moves on the beautiful orange buttress.

Wow!  This is a true trad tick.  Physical Graffiti starts with fun, but tricky face climbing which then leads to the cool overhang near the top with a zig-zag crack splitting the middle.  A difficult exit over the roof holds many sequences; find yours.

This short but "classic" crack has purportedly become harder over the years due to glossing from continuous traffic.  Nevertheless it is still a great climb with quality moves.  A nice feature of this climb is the overhanging rock above it protects the climb from rain. 

  The climb begins on a small platform.  Ascend a wide crack that quickly narrows to finger size.  Top out using the crack or traverse left onto face holds.  

  Rappel or do 5.1 walk off to the left.

A major destination of the area. A complicated mixture of bolts and gear, with some that are purely one or the other. A low ledge system defines the top of the most popular climbs on the taller left side, while crack columns and technical/awkward face climbing define the smaller right side. Some of the best pure crack climbing at the Bluff are represented by Classic Crack, the overhang of Physical Graffiti, and the second pitch of Sheer Stress. On the other hand, some clip-up gems like the first pitch of Red Eye, the striking line of Critical Mass, and the short tricky Thai Stick provide a very different experience. With a little attention to detail, this wall will keep you coming back for more.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in (3) Red Wall