The very steep bolted arete to the left of The Gong Show (the roofcrack). The 4th bolt is in a weird location. The natural line climbs up the low-angle right side of the arete on crimps to a finger jam under the roof, then pulls out the roof from there. But to clip the 4th bolt you have to do a very strenuous hand switch on one of the crimps and lean around the corner to make the clip. It's so far left that it suggests the FAist inteded for the line to traverse left after the 3rd bolt to a rounded lieback crack and then clip the 4th bolt from over there? However, making the span over to the left crack is much harder than 12c if you don't have a HUGE wingspan, and even if you can make the reach this variation is probably a couple grades harder. Maybe 12b for the right var, 12d for the left var (with a 6'2" wingspan!)

In any case, turning the little roof is fun and wild, and has a shallow pod that's just the right size for a pretty good hand jam. Finish up an easy corner and move left around an arete to find the anchor.

Jonny Mon

Tripping Old Birds

Texas Two-Stepper

Scared of Heights

Radioactive Man

Show Me the Monkey

Chicks With Guns

Alpine Fracture Clinic

Sideshow

Wages of Skin

Air Conditioner

Last Exit

Grab a Handful

Strike the Gong

Main Attraction

Gong Show

Freakshow

Anything Goes

Never Say Never

Schlitzy

Milky Way

Social Climber

D.M.Z.

Eavesdropping

Overexposure

Man Overboard

Switch Hitter

Grainstem

Carney Trash

Self-Contained Unit

Barracuda

Hey!

He She

Almost a full pitch of sustained 5.9/5.10- edging and smearing. This is a really nice route, but your feet will hurt by the end if you don't either move fast or wear stiff shoes.

6 Bolts, start at green face below small roof, pull through bulge crux and enjoy technical face climbing above. Slightly runout finish on easy terrain or opt. gear to 1.5". Mussy Anchors.

This is a fully bolted sport extension to the second pitch of main attraction.  After leaving the 5.7 right leaning splitter on main attraction follow bolts at a slight angle up and right through the middle of a blank looking face and out the big roof above. Fun thin face moves with great holds leads to a break before the difficult and hard to read stemming roof. Romp up the cool exposed jugs to the two bolt anchor. One nice flowing big pitch if you start on the recommended spot and sling gear intelligently.  Easy to break it up by stopping at anchors on main attraction or build a gear belay on a ledge right below the start of the bolted uppers. Lower to anchors on main attraction or carney trash with an 80 m. Knot your ends. You could pull someone up to the ledge above with a couple extra 1-2” pieces.

All info herein is just basic information and placed here to tempt you to purchase the Guide Book: "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition by Marty Lewis and John Moynier.  Please purchase the book for additional information and to provide money for future books. Sustained and Wild face. Rappel route or your 70m rope won't be long enough.

All info herein is just basic information and placed here to tempt you to purchase the Guide Book: "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition by Marty Lewis and John Moynier.  Please purchase the book for additional information and to provide money for future books. Pitch 1: 10a**. Pitch 2: 5.11a*. Dihedral to bulge to blunt arete. Gear anchor. Descend to the right.

Climb the first 20ft. of 'Main Attraction.' When the climbing starts getting steeper, head out left onto the slightly overhanging flake feature with good holds and bad feet. When the flake runs dry, boulder your way to the "baseball" knob and rock over onto the slab. Don't clip the bolt out left, but do clip the bolt above your head once you are standing on the "baseball." The ending is a link-up.

All info herein is just basic information and placed here to tempt you to purchase the Guide Book: "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition by Marty Lewis and John Moynier.  Please purchase the book for additional information and to provide money for future books. Pitch 1: 5.9** Fun dihedral to a fixed belay. Lower off or climb 2nd pitch. Pitch 2: 5.9* Pass the roofs, then climb a wide crack.

This awesome climb has it all. Start up a left-trending ramp to reach the first bolt. Then get ready for an exciting hand traverse, a locker finger crack, an exposed mantle, and a bunch of other really fun climbing.

Once you scramble up a 3rd class ramp, negotiate the menacing off-width above by, well, staying to the left and bypassing it altogether. After a few scrambly moves (5.9/5.10ish), step ACROSS the off-width to your right, then face climb excellent rock past a couple bolts, then turn the lip onto some edgy slab. Gain the crack--which is now on your left--then charge up a slammer handcrack till the crack abruptly angles right into a traversing finger crack (the crux) with nothing but glacial polish for feet. Fire the finger crack then finish the pitch with 15 feet of stellar hand-jamming.

All info herein is just basic information and placed here to tempt you to purchase the Guide Book: "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition by Marty Lewis and John Moynier.  Please purchase the book for additional information and to provide money for future books. Sporty face to dihedral

All info herein is just basic information and placed here to tempt you to purchase the Guide Book: "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition by Marty Lewis and John Moynier.  Please purchase the book for additional information and to provide money for future books. Start in a dihedral, then rattly fingers lead to an arete. Lower off.

This fun warm-up route is on a small orange face on the far left side of the Gong Show.

Climb up to a ledge above the eroding hillside. Make an unintuitive move out right at the first bolt, then follow a wandering path of least resistance up the golden slab. You will likely use the right-hand arete at some point.

Another big beauty of a sport climb on impeccable granite. Traverses above the lip of a large roof then tackles several boulder problems leading to a full rest below the final roof.  Strike the gong and hold on for glory.

Pitch 1 – Climb up easy cracks, bypassing a sage bush 15 feet up on the left, and continue to a stance just right of the prominent right-facing corner. Step left into the corner, and use multiple cracks to ascend this feature to reach a ledge with a two bolt anchor on the left wall. Do not continue up this corner system; do not go up to another bolted belay station 20 feet higher. 5.8, pro to 4”, 65 feet.

Pitch 2 – From the belay ledge, look down and right, to a ledge a few feet below. Above that ledge is a beautiful straight-in finger crack in an olivine colored wall. This finger crack is the start of the 2nd pitch. Climb the finger crack to an alcove about 25 feet higher. From this alcove, a set of cracks branches off: at a diagonal to the left, a prominent crack system going straight up and curving left, and a crack out right, around the corner. Take the main crack straight up heading towards the lowest large roof. This crack always has additional holds and features that allow moderate passage. Move out the left side of the roof to a stance below a cracked face. Do not head right (into a left-facing dihedral), but stay on the double cracks on the face to its left. At the top of this steep section the angle lessens; move up and left to the left side of the large recess, looking for a stance with a bolted anchor. 5.8, pro to 4”. 140 feet.

Pitch 3 – Step left into the chimney, using protection in the thinner crack to its right, and ascend this feature up to a ledge. This ledge contains vegetation, as well as some large blocks. Move right, to gain some smaller ledges at the base of an obvious wide crack in a corner. As attractive as this corner may look, it is not the remainder of the pitch (if this crack is followed to its end, there will be a huge block with slings around it). Instead move out right, to a crack that leans right. Continue up this crack, passing a loose but firmly wedged block stuck in the crack, to reach the left side of a flat ledge. Ten feet to the right is a set of belay/rappel anchors. 5.7, pro to 4”, 90 feet.

Final note: A route that was recently added to this section of the cliff, “Dirty Love” (5.9-, 3 pitches) starts about 30 feet to the right of the start of “Main Attraction”, but moves distinctly left, and crosses “Main Attraction” on the ledge at the base of the beautiful finger crack on pitch 2 of “Main Attraction”. At the left end of that ledge is a small corner, and this is used to ascend another 20 feet to reach a set of anchors found above the top of the first pitch of “Main Attraction”. This set of anchors is found in one of the photos for “Main Attraction”, and is likely the source of so many people getting off route. Once again; do not go to these anchors, as you will no longer be on the route “Main Attraction”.

Classic wide roof.  Start up a finger crack to the roof where you you jam horizontally on a crack (#3->2->1 jams) until you reach a slung chockstone before the wide section.  Clip the the slings and launch into the strenuous crux.  The sequence is tricky but it's there!  Mellower terrain leads to the anchor.  Rap from here to the Milky Way anchor and back to the ground or take the 4th class scramble the starts next to the start of Tripping Old Birds.

Steep, fun face climbing high up on the wall.  There are plenty of both small and big positive edges, and the movement is really fun and occasionally thoughtful.  Highly recommended if you are in the neighborhood (i.e. rapping down after Main Attraction or D.M.Z)

One of the most classic sport climbs in Rock Creek. Begin at a thin crack between the start Never Say Never and Switch Hitter. The crux is a tricky sequence around the 4th bolt, then good edges lead up to the first anchor. Above is the spectacular, overhanging arete, with very cool and exposed moves near the end. Either bring 19 draws or split the climb into 2 pitches.

All info herein is just basic information and placed here to tempt you to purchase the Guide Book: "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition by Marty Lewis and John Moynier.  Please purchase the book for additional information and to provide money for future books. Pitch 1: 11c** Difficult bulge to slab 20m. Pitch 2: 12b*** Wild technical face 25m. Can be done as one pitch.

All info herein is out of Marty Lewis Guide Book "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition. Purchase the book for additional information.

Milky Way makes tenuous moves up the arete and face passing ten bolts to a two bolt anchor with rap rings.

Use the thin edges on the face with your left hand while slapping the arete with the right hand. Feet stay mostly on the thin edges on the face with an occasional heel or toe hook around the arete for balance. The latest addition of the guidebook says nine protection bolts but there are ten.

A bit of face climbing leads to an offwidth in a steep corner capped by a small roof, some face climbing, and a cozy flat ledge to finish.

A fun finger crack with some face moves.

Start at the top of the slab finish of

Main Attraction

. Scramble over an off-width section to a ledge shortly above. Go up through a section of hands with an obvious rest. Locker jams take you to another rest and optional face moves to the top. Belay far back of the edge with a gear anchor.

Start the same as Wages of Skin but instead of stepping right, continue up the corner. Then lieback and face climb up some fun flakes, clipping 5 bolts. The final crux section is a series of small roofs near the top that will test your endurance and jamming abilities. However, a solid handjam is never far away, making the climbing easier than it first appears.

3 descent options:

Scramble to the top and walk off to the right.

Rappel to the ground with 2 ropes.

Make 2 single rope rappels using the pitch 1 anchors of Show Me the Monkey.

Up the hill right of Sideshow is an arete with a line of bolts going up its polished face toward an obvious hanging anchor (chains + mussy hooks). Pitch one of Overexposure goes up the crack in the dihedral just right of the 11a arete.

Once you approach the roof overhead, there are two possible ways to finish: undercling the roof or dance along a seam that angles out left at your feet.  The seam takes you to the arete, whereupon you finish on the last 6 feet of the 11a line (but NOT 11a climbing here).  Belay on the hanging anchor or build a gear anchor up higher on the slab under the edge of the roof (3-4" crack).

Pitch 2: Exit left under the roof and make a super airy step out over the void to a sloping slab and reach around the corner for a bomber hand jam.  Pull a few steep moves straight up...and here is where the route-finding puzzle begins.

I found most of the next section of rock in all directions to be very dirty with many giant loose talus blocks jumbled all around.  Going around a corner up and right appeared feasible and looked like it could lead to the supposed wide crack finish, but the rope drag would be horrendous, so I nixed it.

Going left leads into a super vegged-out gully that offers no real climbing until a few moves at the end.  This is one ending.  Instead I climbed somewhat straight up and made some steep and scary moves up more solid but dirty rock to a ledge (fixed nut at date of this writing) from which I could move left into the gully up higher and finish pulling the final bouldery moves (protection very so-so).

Rivaling even it's amazing neighbor, Anything Goes, this is a great rock climb. The crux is long and complex, and the climbing throughout superb.

Begin by climbing the first pitch of Never Say Never (11d) or Anything Goes (12a). The former is a bit easier but perhaps creates more rope drag. Both are excellent. Either way, to reduce rope drag/weight, I recommend pulling the rope and dropping it back down to your belayer from the intermediate anchor or just bringing your belayer up to this point and climbing the route as two pitches.

From the ledge, move right and up to gain a flake system. Exciting climbing up this leads to a tricky and extended crux sequence traversing left that ultimately concludes at a stance. From here, easier face climbing leads to an anchor shared with Never Say Never at the top of the wall.

With an 80m rope, you can just make it down to the ground with stretch (knot your ends). With a shorter rope, lower twice.

Start same as He She but after the 4th bolt move left to an open dihedral. The crux is a couple feet of blank rock in the dihedral which can be liebacked or stemmed. After that move left around the arete and continue to the anchor. 2 single rope rappels will get you down.

At the toe of the wall (just left of the start of Main Attraction) is a rounded arete with a couple 5.11's on it. The one to the left is a bolted 11b (Grainstem). Make an insecure start and then climb to a stance. Step left to a knob and finish up the fun discontinuous cracks.

All info herein is out of Marty Lewis Guide Book "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" 3rd Edition. Purchase the book for additional information. Discontinuous cracks. Lower off.

Another nice sport climb about 30 feet up the hill (to the left) of Grab a Handful. Lots of sidepulling.

At the toe of the wall (just left of the start of Main Attraction) is a rounded arete with a couple  ~5.11's on it. The one to the right is 10d-11a. Make a bouldery start with scant protection to reach a stance bellow a nice finger crack. Fun jamming and stemming leads to a difficult finish over a bulge with 2 bolts protecting.

IMHO: I tried to TR this Route it seemed heck-a-hard.

A little contrived. Lower Off

Start up a lieback crack just down and left of Sideshow. This excellent climb is long and sustained. Which section is the crux will likely depend on your strengths and weaknesses. Either bring a tagline to rap to the ground or make a single rope rappel over to a ledge on the right from where you can scramble down.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Gong Show Wall