The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  Go to the col between North and Middle Rabbit Ears and drop down on the east side all the way to the major gully system in the middle of the east face. Climb up in this gully, bearing left, and if you are lucky, you will find the exit via a rotten chimney onto easier rock. Continue on easy rock until the descent to the rappel point is joined. Incidentally, this great face has a surplus of beautiful lines so far untouchable.

Rotten Chimney

DreamBoat Annie

Awful Buttress

Surprise Buttress

Little Question

Boyer's Chute

South Face Direct

Miracle Route

The Davis Route

West Face Direct

Parabola

Pea Pod

South Face Traverse

Hand Jive

West Face Corner

Chute Route

Sleight of Hand

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  An abortive east face route, which however can be done as a rock climbing exercise. Approach to the col between North and Middle Rabbit Ears, then drop down on the east side to the point somewhat short of the great gully system of the North Rabbit Ear east face where a feasible route seems to go up. Go up two pitches with some interesting small holds moves to the top of a prominent spur. Above this possibly very difficult maneuvers would lead further up the east face. Instead climb up and to the left a bit, then traverse left for a rope length on very steep rock with good holds on the southeast face. A couple good rappel points can be found, and two rappels land you back on terra firma.

P1:  climb the smaller finger and hand crack, the crux, to an anchor.  There was once a fixed anchor.  This pitch was once called the Crack of Silly Walks.

 P2:  this pitch follows the path of least resistance to a belay spot on an easier face near the top of the Chute Route.

This route probably falls under the category of "Adventure Climbs". Route-finding for the first few pitches can be difficult, and the straightforward upper pitches involve grunting through chimneys, wrestling off-widths, clawing over bushes, delicately treading over balanced boulders, and some  lichen covered rock. If all this hasn't sunk in yet, there's the name of the buttress itself... 

  Pitch 1-2, 250ft: Some variations, one of which is climbing 100 ft up a blackened corner to a nice ledge with a small tree. Off to the left of the ledge is a broad sloping ramp. From the ledge, angle up and right following mossy cracks, or traverse right for 50-100 ft and find a weakness in the rock above to gain the "Bivouac ledge", a large vegetated ledge. Many of the routes on the NE face start from this ledge and share the first few pitches with this route. 

  Pitch 3, 60ft: Take the large crack system at the back of the left (North) side of the Bivouac ledge which starts off chimney like up to a small chock-stone, at which point there are some good face holds off to the left which allow escape from the corner. Continue past an awkward bulge to a comfortable ledge off to the left. Build an anchor with small wires using a tiny seam at the back of the ledge. 

  Pitch 4, 60 ft: Probably the dirtiest pitch. Fight past vegetation over stacked flakes which are jammed into the crack-system. After 30 ft, choose between a squeeze chimney stright-up, or a crack system to the right. The crack on the right is dirty. It also is formed behind a pillar of rock which may not be that well attached to the cliff, although you don't realize this until you get to its top. At which point delicate face moves are required to regain the corner system. 

  Pitch 5, 120 ft: Crux pitch. Start up the chimney and gain the large chock-stone, then break onto the face on the right and up an off-width crack. A small seam to the right of the off-width offers some additional holds and protection (piton and old 1/4" bolt). After a rest-stance, the off-width continues up for another 40 ft to the top of the buttress. 

  The top of the buttress is a sharp ridge dropping down into Boyer's Chute to the south. 400 ft of 4rth class scrambling are required to gain the summit.

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  Approach as for any northwest face route but branch right and go to the base of Surprise Buttress to a point where a crumbly little tower leans against the face. Mounting this tower seems a good idea, and two unused bolts above attest to our good intentions. Instead, start up a narrow, vanishing ramp down and to the left. Negotiate steep slabs and occasional vertical or overhanging bits (slings around knobs) until the Miracle Route traverse is reached about 300' above. According to Wohlt, "when in doubt, go left." The Surprise Buttress is a great deceiver about angle. From a distance, it appears to offer a staircase of good ledges separated by moderate angle rock. With your nose against it, the good ledges turn into slabs too steep to stand on, and the moderate angle rock pushes you off.

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. Original rating for Little Question was "hard fifth" with "5.7?" after it. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  The overhang mentioned in the "location" below can be passed on the Right. Ten feet above it, you can traverse 25' right and then traverse 20' back to the left. (Or you can go a few feet right and up.) Now above you is a large cluttered ledge leading left and on it is a large flake behind which you can chimney. From the top of the flake move up and right along a ramp until you find a break in the overhangs above (about 50'). Climb through the break and onto forth class climbing for about 60' (until you reach the Miracle Route). Now move down and to the left around a corner and onto a huge ledge, the Bivouac Ledge. This first part of Little Question can be done as an alternative beginning for the Peapod of Awful Buttress. 

  Walk along this ledge until you find a fairly clean, blank area above you (about 40' along). Just past this is a gully (part of the Pea Pod). Start up the gully add after about 8 of 10 feet move out and to the right onto the blank area. Angle right toward a crack overflowing with moss. Scramble up and left across the moss and then continue up weaving as necessary until you get to the base of a large, bush-filled crack. Thrutch (thrash and clutch simultaneously) up this crack about 40 feet (just past this point there is a distinct break in the bushes). From here you can traverse left on friction climbing.  Continue left, toward and up a 10' dihedral. From the top of this, edge left around a corner to an alcove. Go left and up to a jam crack.  Above the crack, you will find yourself on a broken knife edge. (The Pea Pod itself is down and to your left.) You are again on the Miracle Route. Finish by moving down and to the right and then back up as you would for the Miracle Route. 

Boyer's Chute was named after Del Boyer who was the first to free solo the route.  

  The feature Boyers Chute Route follows starts as a prominent right-facing corner, becomes a distinct chute for most of the way (even turns into a chimney) then opens up again into a right-facing corner.  

  Pitch 1: Start about 30 feet to the right of the corner on a more featured part of the sloping terrain. The climbing is easy (5.2), but many climbers may want to rope up to avoid exposed slab moves. 

  Continue into the chute proper and up it. This is generally best done unroped. Easy, even walkable, terrain is interrupted by harder but short steps. Low height above ground and the closed, chimney-like confines of the chute make climbing feel fairly secure. The stretch of more consistent scrambling is also only 4th class if that. The chute will fork eventually the right fork looking far more inviting as the left one is topped by a large chock stone about 20 feet up.  The route goes left!  

  Pitch 2: There are two options:  (1) scramble past the chock stone on the right without protection (5.3, but exposed and with a somewhat crumbly feel to the large-enough and otherwise solid holds near the top) or (2) climb on the left and protect in a crack (about 5.6 and close to vertical). Above the chock another stretch of scrambling follows until a 20-foot chimney is reached. 

  Pitch 3: Climb the chimney facing right. Exit is to the left into the broken rocks or climb on the right of them. The second block from the bottom is loose. Belay from two new bolts. This pitch is the crux of the route and may feel harder than the 5.4 rating. 

  Pitch 4: Start all the way left, deep in the corner. Move right on nearly vertical but well featured rock. The path of least resistance will slide a bit to the right, traverse left under the large agave, and continue the rightward slant to a level area with some trees. This pitch is often done unroped by experienced climbers and other variations of it exist as the terrain is generally forgiving. 

  Pitch 5: The easiest way up from the level area is to head all the way to the right as soon as you step up on the rock, then go left to break in the small headwall and scramble left over piled boulders to reach an easy ridge which takes you to the summit. If you rope up for this pitch, you may belay from the area of the boulders. (Low 5th or high 4th).

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  This route simply reverses the rappel route off the North Rabbit Ear. The first 15' are interesting. Above the "spacious scooped out place" one can either follow the-rappel route up over steep open book slabs, or (easier) go through a broken up chimney to the right of these.

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  Approach and climb as in Awful Buttress to the Bivouac Ledge, but now continue to the right and traverse around the corner, dropping down a few exposed feet to do this, onto Surprise Buttress. Run out the rope and camp securely on the top of a little spur. The next pitch moves to the right some 10' and then up over a short vertical stretch, courtesy of some miraculous handholds. Traverse left up and across a smooth slab just underneath a giant loose flake. Around the corner you find a wide, smoothish chimney, which is best done by getting onto its right wall. Then continue on third class rock to the "spacious level area" at the top of the Awful Buttress.    The Miracle Route has been varied by going directly up in an at-first-easy gully at the corner between the northwest face and Surprise Buttress. This runs into some hard chimneys above. It joins the Miracle Route at the "wide chimney" mentioned above. 

This historic route was used by Harry and Betty Davis for the first ascent of the North Rabbit Ear. It is more technical, steeper, and cleaner than Boyer's Chute, without the slog through loose dirt. A nice beginner route to the summit of the NRE, it protects well and provides great views. 

  Pitch 1, 160 ft, offers the steepest sections of rock. The primary difficulties are surmounting awkward blocks. You may want to split this pitch to reduce rope drag, as the top-out is more technical than the rest. There are two rap stations on this pitch, one about half way up, the other (less obvious) all the way at the top where steep rock gives way to a scramble over a bouldery shoulder with some mountain mahogany. Scramble around until you are on a more westerly facing rock and see an obvious tree-filled gully leading up to the what appears to be the summit.  

  Pitch 2, 140 ft. This gully offers several challenges of its own, and numerous variations. There are some clean slabs and cracks on either side which could make for a much harder route. On some of these cracks, old pitons will be found. 

  An alternative to the "brush filled gully" after "the shoulder" is to head to the left of the gully (after the initial moves, which are best done on the right side). After couple of large steep steps, there is a tree on the left with a bit of a head-wall above it. The head-wall is easily surmounted on the left. Belay from here and then go up the ridge line past another large tree, up the slab beyond it, and on to the false summit nearby, then scramble to the real summit farther north. 

  For a rappel down, walk south from the summit. There are cairns marking the descent route. At this point the location of descend looks extremely unlikely, as the boulders seem to lead to a sheer drop, but you get to a small shoulder below with a ramp leading to the right from it. Follow the ramp, easy 3rd class, to a bolt+piton rap anchors. Rap about 100 feet over an overhang to a broad shelf. The second rappel, protected by two bolts, requires two ropes and reaches the saddle between North and Middle Rabbit Ears only a short distance above the start of Davis Route.   The gully tops out on a sharp knife-edge ridge which meanders east to the summit proper.

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  Approach as for the south-face routes (see Davis Route) but as soon as you arrive at the southwest corner of the mountain, take to easy rock and climb up third class to a sloping ledge on the west face. Put on the rope and traverse left to a slightly difficult little dihedral, which leads up to the sloping ledge above.  

  The next pitch is the crux: smooth, slightly overhanging walls bar all progress up except for a steep section just left of a large unsound looking flake. Climb up this on adequate holds and muscle up a strenuous exit to the right to a bushy ledge. Then head up and leftish over mixed climbing, including a smooth ramp, whose holds reward a long reach, until the Davis Route is reached on the great shoulder on the SW ridge of the mountain. Continue as there. 

  Variation, Class 5.7 

  First ascent: Frank de Saussure and Dave Bailey 

  Go up Boyers Chute one pitch, then exit to the right on steep friction climbing onto the west face. Above this is a very laborious wriggle chimney, after which West Face Direct Route is joined. 

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  Go up to the Bivouac Ledge (see the Awful Buttress description for location) by any of a variety of ways. The route goes up the "obvious chimney" between the first pitches of the Awful Buttress and the Miracle Route. Toddle up the chimney for two pitches to a large ledge (which reaches leftward to the Awful Buttress). From here go straight up the "nasty" chimney or 10' left up an amusing variation. This reaches within 20' of the ridge of the Miracle Route. But no, go up the pea-pod-like crack and up and about a boulder to where you finally meet the confluence of the Awful Buttress and Miracle Routes. From here on you're on your own, buddy.

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  Climb the first two pitches of the Davis Route. Then from the great shoulder, climb up an easy ramp onto the South Face, then continue more or less level across this face on a well-defined ledge. This eventually peters out. (Possible new routes lead off above and to the right from this point.) Take a short rappel into the "spacious scooped out place" on the South Face described under the Awful Buttress descent and descend as there.  

P1:  (5.7) Layback crack, then face climb right to a large flake then up a tough to a pinnacle.  The belay should have at least one bolt.   P2:  (5.8) Face climb right and up to a thin crack.  Climb the crack to a left facing corner.  Layback the corner and belay below blocky overhangs.   P3:  (5.7) Short pitch up a wide crack to a tiny ledge blow the crux and belay.   P4:  (5.8+) Climb a crack up through an overhanging trough, the crux.  Traverse right below a huge overhang on easier terrain to cracks which skirt the overhang on the right.  Belay near a large flake.   P 5 & 6:  Easy fifth and fourth class to the top.  Sign the new register.   Rap:  see recent descriptions on other routes which top out.

This attractive corner system on the West Face of the NRE is as good as it looks. It has two beautiful and challenging pitches in the corner system that are definitely worth the trip. It is also pretty distinguishable on the West Face making route finding pretty simple. 

  P0: Un-roped scrambling up a left trending ramp system gains a broad ledge system underneath the west face corners. Continue to scramble up the right-trending ramp underneath the corner up to the base of the corner system. 

  P1: 5.10, 100 ft. The first 100 ft of the corneer system passes two bulges and then under-clings left under a roof to gain a ledge/belay. Each bulge is a mini-crux of increasing difficulty, kind of like a V0 boulder problem. The final undercling under the roof is fantastic, with very thin footholds.  

  P2: 5.10+, 120ft. Climb directly up the crack/corner above at 5.9, passing an old piton. At the top of the corner is a slab under a roof/overlap. Place a high-piece of gear near the roof, then down-climb to a small seam/weakness in the slab and make a difficult balancy move up the seam to gain a ledge belay to the left of the roof system. This move felt PG-13, as the protection was off to the side and a big swing/poor landing on the slab below is feasible. 

  P3:200+ ft. Easier (5.6-5.8) climbing meandering around the headwall above to the right eventually gains a large shoulder which is where the Davis Route is joined. From here continue up the final part  of the Davis Route (5.4) to the summit.

The description below, found in NMSU archives, was created by the legendary Southwest Mountaineers. It is at a minimum twenty years old, but likely dates as far back as 1970s. The rock itself may have changed since that time. The rating system certainly has. For comparison, the Davis Route is listed in the same document as 5.3 and Boyers Chute as 5.2. So please treat what follows as a rough guide to an adventure, not as a solid and current info. If you do climb the route, sharing of what you learn would be appreciated. 

  This is a pretty, short, sharp route. Go up Boyer's Chute to a dihedral-crack system on the left wall of the chute which seems to lie back a little toward the top. The first pitch goes up 40-50' to the top of a sloping ledge on the right part of the dihedral. (It's best to belay here because of rope drag on the next pitch.)  

  Next, cross the dihedral and take to a vertical bit on its left wall with just the necessary holds. About 30 feet up, go right into the dihedral and belay from a nice little standing ledge about 50' above the belayer.  

  On the last pitch, climb the right side of the dihedral, using good footholds on the left side at a crucial point. Climb left and join the Miracle Route about 50' above the belay. The climb finishes at the "spacious level area" above the Awful Buttress. Go up a pitch and return by a rappel down into Boyer's Chute as for Awful Buttress.

This is a fairly intricate crack climb that hosts a few exiting crack to face transitions at the top of pitch 2 and the start of pitch 3.  

  Pitch 1 5.8   Pitch 2 5.9   Pitch 3 5.10   Pitch 4 5.10+/11-    Pitch 5 5.2

The largest peak of the Rabbit Ears group, the North Rabbit Ear is a complicated assembly of chutes, faces and buttresses. Some of the faces are sustained and steep, while others offer moderate routes and top-out far from the summit, which can be an additional 800ft of 4th class scrambling. The convoluted nature of the peak and somewhat vague descriptions of the routes from the Ingraham guide combine to make for an excellent exercise in route-finding and general mountaineering skills.  

  This peak once boasted to be the most climbed peak in the Organs. There is little evidence that the peak gets the attention it once did, the approach trails undetectable, the route descriptions out-dated and the summit register bare for the past 4 years. However, the peak maintains its allure to local climbers, and offers a huge array of climbing possibilities; low-fifth class solo routes, meandering moderate routes up its many buttresses,  and untapped possibilities of its steeper lines.

Description

Routes in North Rabbit Ear