Start in the center of the gray face.  Start up the center of the face (5.9) to reach a crack system (look for a small cam placement about 10' up.  Soon you'll reach a right arching crack- follow this up and right to 2 pitons (optional hanging belay here, or before starting the diagonal crack).  A 5.10+ move or two with dishes and poor handholds leads to a slot large enough for a fist size cam.  From here, about 15' of unprotected 5.10 face allows you to reach the next place for pro (both guides say there is a bolt here- but we didn't see one- don't count on it being there).  The climb eases and you'll soon reach a right-leaning ledge; follow this for 15', then climb unprotected 5.9 face to a 2-bolt anchor.  

  Rappel the route with 2 ropes.  Anchors at top of Irish Creme are about 120' to a ledge. It is possible to descend using a single 60m rope by easy down-climbing in a wide chimney. 

  Fun exciting climbing with just enough need to climb above gear to get your attention.

Irish Creme

Lite Beer From Miller

Five Easy Steps

Best Bitters

Wild Turkey

Lowenbrau Light

Milk Stout

Zombie

One Shot

Miller High Life

Margaritaville

Black Velvet

Have a Drink On Me

Enjoyable face climbing following discontinuous cracks. The rock is solid, the protection is straightforward, and there are lots of positive face holds which make the route worth doing. A good route for a beginning leader.

this route appears quite straight-forward, but provides awkward stances under small overlaps which make placing gear sometimes strenuous. There are many good face holds that are not always immediately apparent, which tends to make the route feel stiff for the grade. The crux is under the right facing overlap. 

  There is some loose/suspect rock on this route.

Five Easy Steps is the easiest route to the bolts used for rappel from several of the middle-of-the-wall climbs. Along with the ramp below the bolts it can provide access for top roping these routes. The two pitches described below can almost certainly be easily combined, but I have always climbed them separately. I use Five Easy Steps to introduce beginning climbers to trad. This arrangement allows me to watch my second on the traverse. 

  Pitch 1: Climb up a broken, right-facing corner. From its top, take a sloping traverse to the left aiming just below a small tree (currently marked by a bundle of slings) and to a comfortable ledge with a bush on the left end of it some ten feet beyond the tree. Build a gear anchor at the ledge. 

  Pitch 2: From the left end of the ledge go up another right-facing corner, staying left of the sotol. Continue up and little to the left over broken ground and few face moves to a wide ledge with chains above it.

The Rock and Ice topo shows this route done in 4 pitches. However, with smart rope management it can be done in two quite comfortably. 

  P1 5.7: Start up face holds to gain a ledge. Traverse right (5.7) over a slab to reach the ;left side of a pillar. Jam/layback this to its top, then continue up easy face climbing to a good belay stance near some bushes adorned with poot slings. 

  P2 5.9+: This pitch zig-zags a lot and gets progressively harder. Unless you are comfortable running out sections of 5.7 climbing, it may be best to break this into two pitches. From the belay, follow a ramp up to the right using the hand/fist crack. Near the end of the ramp, gain a steeper ramp which goes to the left. This ramp uses good face holds and thin finger cracks. Near the top of this ramp is a spot to belay off to the left. The final section of the climb traverses back to the right following a finger crack and small crimpers(5.9+). There are a few cracks to choose from while traversing right, the trick is to aim for the blocky boulder summit of this headwall. 

  Beware some loose rock, although for the most part this climb is solid. The final sequence can feel much more difficult if approached the wrong way.

Climb the face past a couple of bolts up to the small roof. Nice holds above the roof make for fun climbing. Above the roof move right placing pro in cracks. Clip another bolt and then finish straight up and slightly left through discontinuous cracks and face climbing.

Starts at an inverted staircase, which looks dirtier than it is. Near the end of the inverted staircase find the crack system out to the right and continue up this to the top.  

  The entire route has good rock and solid protection. Couple this with decent exposure and interesting moves and it makes for a good short route. The crux moves are about halfway through the route, above an old piton. Don't worry, the piton can be backed up. 

  The climb ends at a comfortable ledge. One can either rappel here on a single rope, or continue up one of the walls other routes to the top.

Start at the dead oak on a ledge. This climb follows a left-facing corner system directly up the face from the tree. It deviates from it only where it follows a vegetated crack to the left to avoid an overhang with a seam at the base of it. Once past that, stand up in the crack and continue up the corner. There are a few chossier blocks, but otherwise it is an excellent route on good rock.

 The crux is encountered at an awkward spot only 10m from the oak tree.

 UPDATE: the dead oak is gone. It fell down the hill. Start from where you start for Black Velvet.

This is a steep face climb with Very good pro and Very solid existing anchors. It is a really fun route, and a welcome addition to Southern Comfort Wall. No one knows who developed the route, climbed the FA, etc, but a friend of a friend's sister has a friend whose cousin suggested the route was called Milk Stout.

 P1, 95ft: start to the right of a tree right up against the wall. Climb up and left along the exceedingly obvious line marked by bomber pro. After the 2nd piece, face climb upward past 8 more bomber pro opportunities. Finish on a comfy ledge with two bomber pieces for an anchor.

 P2, 60ft: climb upward to a similar anchor. You can't miss the line.

Start up on good face holds and gain the top of a short crack choked with grasses. The first crux is traversing left into the adjacent crack system. At the top of this crack system strike directly upward toward the anchors using thin face holds. The protection here is difficult to find, but staying more to the right is easier. 

The route shifts back and forth between the inside of the corner and the blocky, cracked rock that makes its right margin. It does get dirty toward the top and there have been some issues with loose rock dislodged from that area. It's been cleaned up, but it's probably still best to set up your belay to the right of the large boulder at the base where an overhang can provide protection.

This route climbs crack systems to the right of Black Velvet.   

  P1: Start up a thin left facing corner.  The crux is about 15' up where the crack thins out and you're forced onto the face to the left.  Above another tricky section takes you to easier ground and a bolted belay.  90', 5.8+ 

  P2: Climb the crack past a fixed pin to a ledge.  The R&I topo showed a variation to the left at 5.8+ but we took the right hand crack, past another fixed pin, to a ramp at the right side of the Black Velvet roof.  Follow this easily right to a rap anchor.

Start at a dead gnarly oak on a ledge 20 ft up the cliff, under a large left facing crack system. A huge roof caps off the final pitch and makes an excellent landmark. 

  Pitch 1 goes right up a fourth class corner onto a large ledge (unless you scramble this part) and then climbs the corner/crack system up to a small belay stance just below a hand traverse left.  

  Pitch 2 (crux) goes out the hand traverse and up a steep layback for a ways. Yucca plants make pulling out of the crack system sticky. Go up one more step to the next level of the broad, walkable ramp and belay underneath the huge roof. 

  Pitch 3 traverses underneath the roof, some spectacular and exposed 5.7 climbing. After turning the side of the roof, follow a short crack system to the summit. 

  To descend, scramble east down past a yucca and oak to a chain anchor at the top of Five Easy Steps. 165' to the ground. A mid-point rap-anchor allows one to descend with a single 60m rope. Keep an eye out for these bolts to your left, on a nice ledge.

The crux is low.  Climb a few steep moves and then run the route out to a ledge up and left.  This ledge is the same ledge where Thin Red Line tops out. 

  Admin: A more detailed description coutesy of Ian Harris: Start in a corner with a small chimney on your right. Climb toward a tree on a higher ledge and then past two pitons, trending left. Be sure to go left of the prominent inverted staircase as this is a different route. Once on easier ground, go around the pinnacle on your right and you will find a nice belay ledge. Continue up and right and you will find the chain anchor.  

  Rock quality on this route is not very good and it is harder than 5.7, I think 5.8+. Rock quality increases and difficulty decreases as one climbs higher.  

  Also, this could probably be done in one pitch to the anchors using a 70 meter rope and good rope drag management, but we broke it up using a 60 meter rope. 

South facing wall located north of the base of the Rabbit Ears Massif. There are several high quality trad routes on this wall. The rock tends to be good quality. There are 3 separate rappel routes which make the descent fairly easy. Bring two ropes to rappel. 

  Lowenbrau Light, Black Velvet, Margaritaville, and Best Bitters all use the rappel chains at the top of Five Easy Steps. This is a 165-foot rappel. If you do hang up your rope, check the bottom section of Best Bitters for retrieval options. The climbing on this part of the route is in a 5.7 range. 

  Wild Turkey and Zombie are best done as top ropes, the pro is not that great. To reach the anchor the two climbs share, rap down from the same chains (the ones on top of Five Easy Steps) and look to your left.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Southern Comfort Wall