Leftmost route on the main wall.  Crimpy vert. climbing.

Rising from the Plains

Cowboy Killer

Pocket Derringer

Crazy Horst

Horsewhipped and Hogtied

The Rustler's Cache

Tres Hombres

Western Side Step

[Redacted]

County Ten Purring Champ

Chaps

Adi-Goddang-Yos

Last Man Standing

Big moves on pockets through smooth face to cruxy bulge. Soft for the grade.

Pocket Derringer is no classic, but its probably one of the better 5.11- routes on the Main Wall.  This route bakes in the sun for much of the day, but a large pine tree near the base provides a brief period of shade for the crux bulge at around 1pm in the Fall months.

Begin up the short slab with easy moves on prickly incut edges.  Follow a pair of good pockets up the bulge, where a crux right-ward traverse on shallow incut dishes leads up onto the slabby headwall.  Follow good pockets up the easy white slab to a final short bulge.  Good jugs lead over this to the anchor on a ledge.

Crazy Horst is a short cruxy climb on nice gray stone that is a bit uncharacteristic of The Wild Iris.  The dark rock is sharper than most, and a bit dirty, perhaps due to moisture.  This route was once given an "R" rating, but it has recently been retro-bolted.

Thin moves lead up the short slab to a stance under the bulge on tan, prickly rock.  Start up the bulge with a big jug, then make long reaches between mediocre pockets.  Once over the bulge a few more long pumpy reaches lead to easier terrain on the slab.

Begin under the black streak, as for Tres Hombres, doing a big move to reach the arcing seam. Traverse left, good holds in the seam give way to a boulder problem as the wall becomes vertical and the traversing ends. After increasingly technical moves, a difficult clip, and one of  the most perfect crimps at wild iris, the crux ends at a good 2 finger pocket. I really can't overstress how amazing (and miniscule) the crux crimp is. You'll know it when you get to it. Probably a 10 move crux. The last two bolts are fun big-hold territory.

Has more sustained crimping than your average Wild Iris route. Only one mono, and a sequence can easily be devised that avoids it.

Formerly known aas "project on these pages and in the guidebooks. We liberated it. No one knows who's project it was, though Paul seems likely. Hard bouldering through the bulge then a dynamic move on the headwall.

Tres Hombres is a nice little boulder problem route on the far right end of Rising From the Plains.  This route is somewhat unusual for a The Wild Iris 5.13, in that it doesn't climb an enormous roof or severely overhanging wall.  The cliff is essentially veritcal, with a slight tilt at the crux, and the climbing is rather technical on tiny sharp crimps and the odd pocket.

Begin with easy moves up the black streak.  A non-trivial 2-finger crank leads to another sinker pocket to clip the 2nd bolt.  Head up & right, clip with difficulty, and execute the boulder problem crux.  There are multiple ways to do this crux, but both will involve a tweaky pull off a shallow, comfortized two-finger pocket.  A Sharp incut diagonal edge leads to some good pockets and a large jug at the 5th bolt.  From here a few juggy moves lead to the chains.

A 5.8 at Wild Iris that actually overhangs. This climbs the overhanging corner and flake at the far right end of the wall then onto the face.

Start with a mini boulder problem up the bulge with big moves off of sharp jugs. Gain a rest by the second bolt and climb the slab to the top. Somewhat sharp and not the best 5.10.

Climbs the black streak,with bigger pockets to start and then thin harder climbing through the vertical section.

Originally done by Paul Piana in the early 90s.  A key undercling broke, making the crux significantly harder.  BJ Tilden re-FA'd this a couple of years ago.  There is a very small crimp that is mandatory now, so if you don't like the sounds of that, stay away from this one.

Goes up the middle of the steep wall of Rising from the Plains.  Start on a vertical pillar, clip a first bolt and get to a large horn.  Clip number two here then make two undercling moves with a left heel to get to a good 2 finger with the left hand.  A long draw on number 3 helps to clip from here.  Next go to a right mono, straight up to a left 3 finger, then a big move to a great finger bucket.  Clip number four, breathe, then comes the crux.  Your left hand grabs the crappiest crimp you can imagine actually holding onto, then undercling with the right hand just beneath (used to be a jug and it was 13a/b before it broke).  Get your right foot up in the clipping jug, then surf out to a left hand side pull.  Set your left foot and then move dynamically to a good jug to the left of the last bolt.  Easy moves from here lead to a one bolt anchor with a leave it biner.

If you are as perplexed by the name as I first was, it is adios (good bye in Spanish) interrupted by some swearing.

Another of The Wild Iris' fine power routes, Last Man Standing offers a bit more to sink your teeth into than the typical "over before you're warm" roof encounter.  The low roof gets things going with dynamic, bouldery moves, that sap just enough strength to keep the gradually easing headwall in doubt nearly the entire way to the chains.  While this is certainly the realm of the campus junky, good footwork and a wee bit of stamina are necessary to link the route.

Start as for "...Hickock", scrambling up the juggy boulder to the crook of the roof and the first bolt for both routes.  Bust right via a cool match to a good incut pocket.  The dynamic crux requires a precise lunge to the sinker pocket ~16" down & right of Hickock's third bolt.  Once this pocket is latched, the real climbing begins, with a rising traverse to the right.  Good footwork is the key to a series of very long reaches between good holds, and a couple of sharp pockets.  A good rest to the right of the bolt line will help with the pumpy, steeper moves just below the anchor.

If you prefer more sustained lines, this is one of the better options at The Wild Iris in the 13- range.

Description

Protection

Routes in A. Rising From the Plains