The start is slight right of the bolt line up a flake into a dish. Clip first bolt and move left to the second bolt. It is best to remove the first clip as it will cause rope drag. Move past the bolt using a mantle move. This gives way to the second (3rd) bolt. Climb up to a good stance and clip the third (4th)bolt and the next fun moves. A small crack and a fancy foot work gets you past this fun section. Once above the crack you encounter another mantle and access to the fourth (5th) bolt. Move a little left and climb up to a short ramp and the fifth (6th) bolt. A long run out of around 35' up and right takes you to the rap anchors and finishes the first pitch. The second pitch is on easy but run out rock to the top. There are belay anchors at the base of a large boulder at the top. You may also use the rap anchors that will deposited you at the base on French Route.

Stranger Than Friction

Carpet Crawl

La Dolce Vita

Edge of Night

Real Gravy

Fly on a Windshield

Texas Radio

Stranger Direct

Runamuck

Terminal Orogeny

Deep Prok

Intensive Care

French Route

Prok

Green Death

Elastic Happiness

Mexican Radio

God's Elastic Acre

Ambulance Blues

Amazing Gravy

Happy Radio

Eden

Gravitron

Pummel Jenga

Sixth Happiness

Bold Talk for a One-Eyed Fat Man

Matrimonio Feliz

Itty Bitty Black Streak

Nerdwand

Start below the 2nd bolt of Stranger than Friction and head straight up over the overlap to the 2nd bolt of Stranger than Friction and finish on Stranger than Friction

Where the overlap meets the ground, climb up past the three bolts of Ambulance Blues towards Ripple.  SEE COMMENT BELOW FOR A BETTER DESCRIPTION

Twenty feet to the left of Bold Talk for a One Eyed Fat Man.  Lichen covered rock with difficult route finding due to lichen and algae covering the holds.  Several big run-outs.  Veers to the right and finishes on the anchors for Bold Talk and Gravitron.

The first part of this route is shared with Runamuck. Start on the hourglass flake and climb up to the arch. Protect with gear in the bottom of the arch then climb straight up on run-out rock through the crux to a single bolt high on the wall. Continue climbing easier, but still run-out, rock to the very top of the wall where a double bolt rap station can be found.

This exciting and challenging climb involves multiple 5.11 sequences. Originally, it was sparsely protected by three bolts placed on lead, making it one of the boldest first accents done at Erock. Since then a few additional bolts have been added. As a result Real Gravy is now one of the Backside's better protected hard slabs. Nevertheless, there are places on this route where you must not fall. Don't blow the clip up at the second bolt. Also, long run outs should be expected on the lower angle 5.7 terrain found high on the wall.

This route is located just to the right of French Route.  The route can be identified by the bolt located 10 feet above the overlap.

Start is to the left of Elastic Happiness and to the left of the big oak tree.  First bolt is just over the initial overlap.  It shares start with Amazing Gravy and Mexican Radio.  Hard route with several bold run-outs.  At the 2nd bolt, veer off to the right and follow the next three bolts and head up to finish on two top anchors.  The route has several hard mantle moves.  After reaching these anchors, you can rap down or you can do a second pitch of 5.7 climbing that moves up and to the left to two rap rings.  Texas Radio shares anchors with several other routes on the Shield. There are no bolts between the top of the first pitch and these rap rings.

The arch that makes up the first half of Runamuck is one of the more recognizable features on the right side of the Shield.  To find the start of the route, look for an hourglass shaped flake that leans against the base of the wall beneath the arch.  Climb the unprotected face for about 25 feet to the beginning of the arch (there is a good medium stopper placement here), and the follow it to the right (protects well with a variety of cams up to a #1 Camalot).  As you traverse to the right you will past a couple of bolts on the face below you.  At the end of the arch, place your last piece of pro for a while and turn the corner up into a small, shallow dihedral.  Climb to a headwall with a couple of cracks running through it.  There are a couple places here for small, spotty stopper placements that may or may not hold a fall, but the climbing is fairly positive to the anchor ledge.  You can either rap from anchors along the ledge, or scramble up and over the top.  Fun, thought provoking climb with a healthy runnout after the arch.

Start to the left of French Route and climb up towards a thin flake with grass growing from its top. You may be able to protect with small gear behind this flake, or use the first bolt on French Route for more security. From the stance on top of the flake, climb up through steep crystals and thin moves before reaching the first bolt, the only bolt beneath the overlap. Continue up to a stance under overlap and clip the second bolt before surmounting the overlap and gaining easier terrain. From there, climb a 35-ft runout straight up to the double bolt belay station shared with Stranger than Friction. Optionally continue upward trending right to the top of a wall where a double-bolt rappel station exists (same second pitch as Stranger)

Deep Prok is a typical E-Rock slab climb that starts below the center part of the Runamuck arch.  Start below a bolt about eight feet off the ground.  Clip the bolt and head right to a second bolt under the center of the arch.  Climb to the arch (good 0.5 Camalot placement here), pull over, and work up a small headwall to the third bolt.  After the third bolt, the angle eases a little, but the climbing remains a little thin up to the fourth bolt.  From here the rest of the route is pretty easy.  Head up to a good sized ledge split by a large crack passing two more bolts en route to the anchors.  Either rappel the route, or scramble up and over the top of the dome.

Start on Ambulance Blues.  After the first bolt, move to the right instead of moving up and traverse over to La Dolce Vita.  Move up and follow bolts for La Dolce Vita and finish on anchors for La Dolce Vita.  PLEASE SEE THE COMMENT BELOW FOR A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The face climbing standard of the rating at E-Rock, this route has an unprotectable start at about 5.8 to the right end of a ledge. Go left on the ledge which has a thin horizontal crack above it. The only pro this crack will take are two (equalized) slider nuts or RPs of the smallest sizes. Then a few moves left off the ledge to reach the first bolt and the crux section follows. Work out the moves over the steep crystal face past 3-4 bolts. Diagonal up to the right on increasingly lower angle face moves, over to the two bolt anchor above another horizontal crack.  Pitch two is on a much easier run out slab with sparse pro.  

  Descent:   Go right on the large ledge above the second pitch to the rap station above News Wall or rap the first pitch. You can also scramble off either end of the ledge to walk over the top if you are done with the backside.

You must be completely solid at the grade before attempting this route. 

  Prok is a pseudo-acronym meaning "protect at the crack." 

  Start on the low angle slab, right of Prok wall. One bolt is found on the somewhat steeper headwall. This bolt protects the hardest moves of the climb. Continue up and find quality pro in the horizontal crack below the shallow dihedral. A bold runout with ground fall potential ensues after stepping over the crack and following reasonably well featured high quality rock along the shallow dihedral. Above the dihedral there are a few confidence inspiring chicken heads before an opportunity for quality pro is found at the overlap near the top. Mount the overlap and finish. 

  As far as I know the earliest route on Prok wall was Farewell to Arms, which is now known as Runamuck. Runamuck followed the arching horizontal crack from left to right, then continued up from the right side to access the attractive shallow dihedral. The dihedral was left as an unprotected runout. Prok likely went up a short time later. In keeping with traditional principles, the shallow dihedral was left unbolted. Accordingly, this climb carries an X rating. The shallow dihedral feature has since been the subject of retro-bolting arguments. (If the above noted history is inaccurate, please post up or PM me and I'll change it). 

Immediately to the left of Gravitron and before the next part of the large black streak. Set top-ropes on Bold Talk for One Eyed Fat Man.

Climb to the second bolt of Sixth Happiness then right to the third bolt of God's Elastic Acre to finish on God's Elastic Acre.  Use anchor bolts for Texas Radio/God's Elastic Acre.  Can do second pitch up and to the left to the rap rings.  There are no bolts between the top of pitch 1 and these rap rings.  Climbing here is 5.7 but be careful.

Climb the first two bolts of Texas Radio and instead of veering off to the right, follow the bolt line up and to the left to the top.  Finish at the two anchors for Real Gravy.  Here you can continue up to the top and walk off or use the rap rings.  You can also move down and to the left to the anchors for Gravitron and rap here.  Do not rap from Mexican Radio "anchors".  You will not be able to pull rope through after rappelling!  You can set up an anchor on these two bolts and TR Itty Bitty Black Streak, Amazing Gravy or Real Gravy.  You can do a second pitch and can proceed up and to the right to two rap rings.  There are no bolts between the end of the first pitch and these rap rings.  Climbing for this second pitch is 5.7 but since there are no bolts, try to be careful!

From the first bolt of Stranger than Friction, climb up and right to the second bolt of God's Elastic Acre instead of to the left (as for Stranger than Friction).  After the second bolt, move upwards diagonally to the left towards the 4th bolt of Stranger than Friction and then upwards to finish on Texas Radio. At the end of the first pitch, you can build anchors here, rap down or head up and to the left to the top to two rap rings.  There is no protection for this second pitch until you get to the top.  There are rap rings there or you can walk off the top.

Just to the right of where the overlap reaches the ground, clip the first bolt and then move up and to the left.  At the third bolt, move up and to the left and join Ripple and finish on anchors for Ripple.  SEE COMMENT BELOW FOR MORE DETAILED INSTRUCTION.

Start and climb the first two bolts of Texas Radio.  Traverse to the left to the 2nd bolt of Real Gravy and climb to the top of Real Gravy

Climb to the 2nd bolt of Elastic Happiness and then left to the 3rd bolt of Texas Radio to the top of Texas Radio.  Serious penduluming fall potential into flake of Elastic Happiness when traversing from 2nd bolt to the 3rd bolt of Texas Radio.  Fyi, this is the crux.

It is a unique start of God's Elastic Acre without using the start of Stranger than Friction.  Start to the left of the beginning of Stranger Than Friction but to the right of Stranger Direct using the face.  Should start right below the first bolt of Stranger than Friction.  Keep out on the face, well to the left of the beginning flake for Stranger than Friction. Move up over the overlap and up the face to the first bolt of Stranger than Friction.  Then move up and to the right, to the second bolt of God's Elastic Acre.  Follow God's Elastic Acre up and to the left.  Use the 4th bolt of Stranger than Friction and follow Stranger than Friction up and to the right to the top of Stranger than Friction. Here you can build an anchor and top rope multiple routes or head up and to the top.  Between the "anchors" for Stranger than Friction and the top, there is no protection.  So, be careful. 

VARIATION:  At the cross-over the route and head left to the anchors of Texas Radio/God's Elastic Acre to the top.  You can build an anchor system here and TR other routes or you rap from the top of the first pitch.  Use the anchors for Texas Radio/God's Elastic Acre to belay from if you are heading to the top and the two rap rings.  Rap rings are up and to the left of the anchors in the "gap" between two horizontal slab "eyebrow" pieces.

To the left of Real Gravy.  Find the obvious big black streak.  Gravitron is on the right side of this black streak.  Pull over the overlap and follow the sparse bolts with run-outs to the top.  Go up to right and back up to the left for the 2nd bolt.  Then back to the right and up to the left and upwards to the anchors.

This is the direct start to God's Elastic Acre. It begins to the left of Stranger Direct. It moves up the face to the left of Stranger than Friction where it joins Stranger than Friction and God's Elastic Acre at the 4th bolt. From there it veers up and to the left to follow and finish on God's Elastic Acre. You can do a second pitch of climbing as for all the routes on the shield or you can build an anchor and lower down to repeat or do other routes.

Start on Elastic Happiness and climb to the 2nd bolt, then traverse up and to the left to the 5th bolt of Texas Radio.  Finish on Texas Radio.

Taken from the Dome Drivers Manual : "From the first tree left of Gravitron, climb sustained 5.10 crystals past the overlap and the first two bolts. The crux is the 25-foot bulge leading to the third bolt. This section starts with steep edging and ends with small crystals. Climb left to the forth bolt and then embark on a 45-foot run-out of 5.9+ to the fifth bolt. Just above is a double-bolt belay with a ledge stance." 

  This is an outstanding pitch that really isn't as scary as the description sounds. It's all there, however, a cool head is necessary to avoid a very nasty fall! 

  An added bonus is the opportunity to toprope the very serious Gravitron from the anchor.

Start on the first bolt of Pummel Jenga and up to the second bolt of Pummel Jenga and then up and to the left towards the 2nd bolt of Elastic Happiness.  At the 2nd bolt of Elastic Happiness, join Elastic Happiness.  Continue moving up and towards the 5th bolt of Texas Radio and then up and to the right to the anchors for Texas Radio.  A bit run-out and extremely thin between the third and 4th bolts (2nd and 3rd bolts of 6th Happiness).  There is the usual 35 feet between the last bolt and the top anchors.  From the top of the 1st pitch you can rap down, build an anchor and use it to TR other routes or you can head up and to the left to two rap rings.  This second pitch is 5.7 but has no bolts so be careful.  The great thing about this route is that you can do it even when the algae covered area is wet at the start of Elastic and Sixth Happiness.

Toprope from Real Gravy/Mexican Radio Anchors and climb the small black streak to the left of Real Gravy.  Finish on anchors for Real Gravy.  Do not use the holds of Real Gravy

Starting on Ambulance Blues, traverse right to the third bolt of La Dolce Vita and belay from third and 4th bolts of Bold Talk.  In theory the 2nd pitch could continue traversing the wall to eventually reach the top of Texas Radio.

The Shield is the largest and steepest area along the Backside of the Main Dome.  It is home to most of the difficult, run out slab routes in the park.  The wall is basically divided into two sections.  The right side (from Nobody Like Bryant Gumbel to the obvious Runamuck arch) consists of shorter routes in the 5.7 and 5.8 realm.  This somewhat confusing area has also been called the Prok Wall in honor of all of the routes with "Prok" somewhere in their name.  Almost all of these routes require gear with the occasional bolt here and there.  Protection ranges from nonexistent to good.  The left side of the wall (from Fly on a Windshield to Carpet Crawl) boasts steep, bolted slab routes in the 5.10 to 5.12 range.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Shield