Around The Horn

If you love long, technical routes with varied terrain, powerful moves and beautiful veiw from the nosebleed section of the upper deck, do not miss this one!

As far as we can tell, this is the only two pitch route in Spearfish Canyon (baseball pun intended!)

The first pitch has you hurling yourself over powerful moves on overhung, blonde rock and is believed to go at 5.11c. Get ready to crimp and beg for the next jug! This fairly famous pitch has at least two stopper cruxes, both involving technique and the need to beat a quickly running pump clock. The last ten feet before the anchors seem to shut down most climber's dreams of running around all the bases before completely running out of steam.

After a pumpy/technical battle, gain the first anchors and bail if you are about to barf. Or, if you can handle more innings of ass-kickery, take a few dozen deep breaths and get that heart rate back to normal. The next 20 feet of climbing involves an easy slab that becomes a mental challenge because of the long run out known as "The Second Inning Stretch."

After groveling through the run out, clip a bolt in the steep, black belly, preferably using a shoulder length sling. Gain some more ground on a strange blocky outcropping and clip another bolt over your shoulder. AND NOW THE FUN BEGINS! Navigate and crawl up two small holds (a right hand sidepull and a left hand sloper crimp) to a good right hand side pull and gain some traction with a left knee bar. Using your left hand, reach out and grab a long black and orange rail using pure precision and allow your feet to cut. Allow your body to swing to the left in the correct gymnastic sequence and huck for a left hand juggy crimp, get a leg up to a knob and clip. There is no time to waste! Commit to some sick crimps and reach to the right around the finny feature to a pocket. Hoist yourself up on scary feet and rest on huge holds.

Get it all back and finish with the best five ten climbing in the canyon up a black and blonde arete with big moves and huge holds with exposure that will leave you breathless and begging for more if you send. For some, this is the warm-up for the rest of the crag. For many, it will be a lifetime achievement award. Get on it and be ready to play ball!

AN ABSOLUTE MUST DO! YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!

Thirteen bolts. Open shut anchors. This climb has no perma-draws in place. Extending a few draws helps with rope drag. Use a longer draw on the 5th bolt of the first pitch. A shoulder length sling with carabiners appropriately protects the first bolt on the second pitch (right after the run out) and reduces rope drag. A sixty meter rope will get you up and down this route safely if you tie a knot in the end, but if you own a seventy meter this would be the time to break it out.