You've looked at the Ravens from Rap Rock and wondered if anyone ever climbs up those ominous chimneys between them. The answer is yes, occasionally, and this one at least is really fun. Plus it goes to a cool summit. 

  I'll do this climb again, and I was tempted to give it 3 stars. Also, it stays nice and cool even on the hottest days in Tucson. 

  Pitch one (crux) chimneys up past the overlaps, then angles over left (west) to a group of 3 chockstones for a somewhat enervating belay. There is some ancient webbing here and some manky cams available, but slinging one of the big stones and/or wedging yourself securely is probably the best option. This pitch has very little pro. 

  Pitch two is easy, and spectacular. Climb up and slightly left (facing Raven C), avoiding a chossy corner and reaching better rock on the outside edge of the chimney (this is about 20-30 ft right of "If you bolt it they will come"). Continue past occasional gear placements until the chimney ends, then hop onto Raven C and climb an easy ramp to a tree belay. This is a long pitch. 

  From the tree, continue up the groove (one tricky move) to the summit.  

  (Note: SQL II is a bit ambiguous about the location of P2, but Steiger's guide clarifies that it exits the chimney on the west side of the Ravens. Based on what we did, this seems correct.)

Lightning Streaks

Luke Slingwalker

Epic Commander

On A Wing And A Prayer

El Cuervo

Organized Labor

Left Ventricle

MoMo Buttress

Hails Bails

Little Birds

Capillary Attraction

Shenanigans

If You Bolt It They Will Come

Lemmon Meringue

Ravenous

Right Ventricle

Stint

Hotshot

Swing Set

El Curvo

Raven Maniac

Rantin' & Raven

Block Party

Layer Cake

Pooter Chainsaw Massacre

This one is a GEM.  130ft. that involves crystal pulling (big and small), good sequencing, some spicy bolt spacing, and tops it off with stemming (a little bit at the beginning, and some with great exposure at the end).  A must do if you've made your way down to the Ravens.

This route will take some route finding ability and the discipline to not head for the bolted routes that bracket it. IF YOU ARE CLIPPING BOLTS YOU ARE OFF ROUTE. The easiest climbing and best traditional pro goes up between the bolted routes.

Follow two bolts right over thin holds.  Climb up the difficult handcrack and up to another bolt.  Climb through another thin tricky section and into the left leaning corner which has a lot of steep fun moves on big holds.  Finish on chicken heads and watch for the chains.  I enjoyed the chicken heads too much and climbed above them.  There are 5 bolts total but most of the route is naturally protected.  It is a fun, stout, and well protected line.

The low cruxes are a good deal harder than the rest of the climb.  The upper face is fun.

This is an incredible route. It laid dormant for  years until 2019 when it started seeing traffic. Most likely due to the awkward logistics of climbing it (see below) and the sheer scale of the thing. Star rating reflects the climbing after the approach pitch, which is pretty bad. The climbing that follows might be some of the best on the mountain in terms of rock quality, movement and crux sequence. Don’t underestimate the slab finish on redpoint. You finish at the very top of tower and topping out is a real treat. Thanks to the FA for the hard work and vision. This route is about 170’ from the belay at the top of the approach pitch. Climbing past the crux is basically point of no return (can’t lower back to the belay) especially on a 60m rope. Luckily once through the crux the climbing eases up so going to the chains shouldn’t be an issue. 

From SQIII: “This route starts by climbing the rib 5.9 that forms the right side of the dihedral on the original first pitch of picket line. The anchors are below. You will need 23 quick draws to reach and clip the anchors. If your belayer does not follow the pitch with a second rope, getting off takes some effort.”

 **LOWERING**If you lower from the anchors you will find yourself almost 20’ from the wall in space (and out of rope). Either have your belayer follow you, top out, and rap down the opposite side -OR- before leaving the belay at the start of the route proper, tape a second rope to the end of your climbing rope (we used a 7.5mm tag line and also a standard 9.8mm on different attempts) with a healthy overlap. Pay special care to tape it so that it can run smoothly through the quick draws when pulling. Once at the anchors, pull up the second rope, tie the ends together (your preferred method) and rappel. The second strand will still be through all of the quick draws which will allow your belayer to pull you back in to the wall as you are lowering to clean. Be mindful of your rope, knot and quick draws and plan accordingly. If leaving draws, make sure to either un clip every draw OR plan to tie your knot so that you can pull the free strand and not have to try to pull a knot through 23 quick draws. 

Organized Labor is an intriguing line that overhangs approximately 15ft.  Begin with a strenuous, technical boulder problem to reach and surmount a dihedral.  Nimbly move through featured choss into easier but still pumpy climbing to the chains. 

  As eluded to above portions of this route are choss.  The section around bolts 3 and 4 is particularly suspect.  My partner and I pulled off two softball-sized holds and eroded a key foot during an afternoon of attempts.  Nevertheless after a couple of runs the rock quality wasn't an issue as I knew what to use and trust. 

  If I thought I had even the slightest chance of pulling the boulder problem at the start, I would definitely return to this line.  For now this route is just another reason to train.

Knob and crystal climbing very similar to the route immediately left but with a harder start. Wanders a bit to stay in the grade and the sequences are hard to read from below.

10 feet of 5.6 bouldering gets you to the belay ledge. A little funky at the bottom getting to the first bolt. About 20 feet of traversing right leads to some fantastic airy face climbing. It is 140 feet long so you will have to belay from above.

Original attempt was denied due to hail, sleet and rain, in August!   It was lead ground up on both occasions.

This thing may be short, but it is a giant. For sure one of the shortest and hardest routes at The Ravens. It takes the center of the orange streaked, upward swooping feature directly across from Swingset and Raven Maniac. The intro boulder clocks in at around V7 and takes you directly into a pigeon pose rest after clipping bolt three. Once your fingers feel ready, move up, clipping one more bolt before setting up for the second boulder somewhere in the V5 range with some incredible sequences and movement. Then you'll want to keep your head on and fight pump while pulling long, powerful moves on large holds. Route finishes with a cool run to the chains on lie backs to a victory jug. Although its hard to tell, the route hangs over almost 15 feet.

 This route was done ground up on hooks. Austin and I took every fall (many) times and I'm confident the bolts are right where they need to be. 

A perplexing and engaging line that left me utterly destroyed but eager for a rematch.  While the ratings suggest otherwise I personally found this line to be harder than Block Party. 

  Stem past the first bolt before fully committing to the face. Levitate over miniscule crimps and nonexistent feet to a left arching detached lip.  Follow the weakness left, pulling the lip, to gain access to a series of jugs followed by a rest.  After recovering overcome a baffling section of slopers and edges to reach a rail with two flakes.  Make one final move to reach larger features on Fortress-like rock.  Follow spaced out bolts to the chains.

While not a destination in and of itself, Shenanigans makes for a pleasant aperitif or digestif to a day of climbing at the Ravens.  From a ledge move left up to a pocket near the second bolt.  Continue straight up featured undulating rock to a small roof.  Pull the roof using gratuitous jugs to reach a scoop containing the chains. 

  The first bolt and the anchor are shared with Teamsters.  Shenanigans follows the direct, featured path while Teamsters traverses to the left.

This route was bolted old style from hooks when needed and are pretty far apart by today's standards.  The route is steep enough however that you will probably be fine if you took a long one.  The crux sections have bolts right where you want them so the odds of falling a long way are slim.  The climb wanders around and goes past the anchors for Rantin' and Raven.  Use these for the second rap to the ground.  Remember the route may wander a bit to get to the next bolt.

Steep jugs leads to thin crux at the top. Great climbing all the way.

As of September 2018 the second pitch has several 1/4 inch leeper hangers for protection.

Located in the cool shaded chimney between Raven B and Raven C, Right Ventricle is a wonderful long and varied pitch.  To reach the chains one must stem, overcome overlaps, savor restful jugs, and trust micro-feet.  While two short sections of imperfect rock slightly detract from this line, the biggest hindrance to this route is its high caliber neighbors.  Never one for moderation I say climb the entire trilogy: Block Party, Capillary Attraction, and Right Ventricle (in that order).

Fun route that is fairly sustained with a low and a high crux.

This three pitch climb is fun and well protected when necessary.  It's a little tricky at the end of the second pitch as you have to move the belay up and left of the chimney.  This means you have to tie off a big rock on the big ledge at the top of the second pitch then third or 4th class up and left to the anchors.  You could climb to that point and belay your partner up the second pitch from there but the rope drag might be bad.

This route has 140 feet of stout climbing and overhangs 7 feet.  Two distinct cruxes one low and one high.  If you lower from the first set of anchors you miss the second crux and you can lower the grade. Take a 70M rope or tie a knot when lowering them to the half way anchors. Almost dropped someone when I did not tie a knot.

Easily one of the best routes on Mount Lemmon. This seemingly endless route doesn't have a move harder than 11+ but it is has 130 feet of overhanging 5.10 and 5.11 climbing which makes it one of the most sustained at any grade on the mountain. The first set of anchors is for a single rope descent. If you stop at the first set of anchors you are cheating yourself of a great experience.

Rantin' and Raven is 70ft of technical face climbing.  Despite its comparatively short stature this line is packed with thin, devious, hard climbing.  Numerous restful stances can be had with a bit of creativity, allowing both the mind and body to regroup. 

  The rock between the second and third bolt shows signs of a broken hold.  I am unsure if this is a recent development or not.  In its present condition the route still goes but may be slightly harder than the established grade.

Found in the awe inspiring chimney between Raven B and Raven C Block Party rises 95ft.  Start from the prominent chokestones and stem for 25 feet on dubious rock to the first bolt.  From here continue to stem, clipping the second bolt, before finally committing to the vertical face of Raven B.  Delicate, interesting, and sometimes mentally committing moves lead to a no hands rest.  Savor this rest before engaging the crimps and edges of the crux.  From the undercling trend right on Fortress-like rock to the chains.

3 separate headwalls, each a bit harder than the last, give this route a unique mulitlayered feel.  Slightly overhanging, each layer serves up fully engaging climbing that's sweet, technical and pumpy.      5.11 climbers should take time to savor the frosting between each layer.      

Pooter Chainsaw Massacre climbs better than its unfortunate name suggests.  The extremely featured face requires deciphering to unlock varied movement. A nice warmup for the neighboring routes or as a destination itself, Pooter Chainsaw Massacre's only flaw is being surrounded by longer and harder routes. 

  Interestingly a stud past the anchor shows that an extension was considered.

The Ravens are between Rappel Rock and the Fortress and are closer to the latter. There are four towers that jut from the hillside.  They run from SSE to NNW.  A variety of routes adventure to sport can be found here as well as some great summits that can only be reached by climbers.  Depending on which side of a tower you climb routes can range from 100-200 feet long.  Some of Mt. Lemmon's longest most sustained single pitch sport routes (140 ft.) are found here and should not be missed.  The towers (A, B, C, & D have routes on most sides so if you want shade you can usually find it.  The Murray Wall is at the upper end and is not a tower. It has a number of routes 5.11-5.12 that face west.  The approach may seem long by Mt. Lemmon standards (25-40) but it is well worth it.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Ravens