This a very good crack climb up the buttress forming the far  western end  of  Horsehead.

Begin  slightly up hill from the low point of the crag. Start with some 5.9 into the central, left-facing corner/flake system. Finish with a steep fold between the orange and the gray rock, also 5.9.

Rap to the north from the belay pine.

Fall of the Republic

Glue Factory

Dé - Stud Pony

Feeling Loopy

Blondie

The Big D

Preakness

Ponyboy Arete

Kentucky Derby

Funky Gold Patina

Neighsayer

Charlie Horse

Playing Timmy Sticks

Oh Wilbur

Eagle's Beak

Sea Biscuit

Pokey's Arete

Breeder's Cup

Goverment Mule

Hippophobia

Perhaps 150 feet down/west of

Neighsayer

is a clean but low 5th class v-slot. A few feet left is a series of blocks and flakes leading to a nice, left to right curving ____ ending at a fir, 100 feet. It is way presumptuous to say a first -

i.e.

, slings and locking biner on the fir.

Climb the crack of

Glue Factory

, and when that climb leans to the right, step left into the straight up, easy to protect hand crack. It is hard to say that this is the first ascent.

Climb the left-leaning corner up the slab, and through overlaps to the left side of the large roof. Jam across the roof, and out it's right side (crux) into a moderate hand crack. Although the roof is the crux, the climbing below it is quite sustained and fun.

P1:  Start at the dirty corner around the right side of the crag before going up the hillside.  Climb a casual forty feet up the corner before laying back on the visible prow which is the crux (5.6) of the first pitch.  Belay from the ledge above.

P2:  Traverse left from the ledge and begin climbing at the right leaning hand crack that continues 150 feet up.  Pull a 5.9 crux twenty or so feet up, continue up through a casual crack with jugs and chicken beaks into a moderate off-width.  Finish on a ledge below an extremely flakey off-width to the top and walk off, or traverse left along a finger crack to bolts (5.10).

This is an alternative final pitch to

Funky Gold Patina

.

Start on the large ledge with the final, north-facing crack of FGP for a move or two. Stretch out left, and clip the first of two bolts. Continue left and upward with crimps and friction feet to an intersection with a vertical crack. Climb this to an insecure top section (it's possible to continue left at the intersection, but the climbing is not as good).

Make a gear belay or use the belay/rappel bolts for

Neighsayer

.

ONLY THE FIRST PITCH IS NEW, but it makes a nice link-up and a plumb line up the wall.

P1 - 35m - start just left of

Sea Biscuit

and 15' left of the largest LFD. Start in an awkward bulge (crux) and head straight up toward a 12" wide x 8' tall, rectangular, parallel-sided inset. Just under it, move right along an easy undercling. Aim toward and into the large corner under the large roof (shrubs and loose rock were mostly cleaned out). A thin, sharp plate/edge is laminated to the right wall here. Turn the roof directly up the crack/corner at 5.7+ and proceed up the pleasant easier hand crack to the flat ledge and set a belay.

P2 - 35m - traverse

straight

left. A fine couple moves with big exposure, 5.7+ (like the 4th pitch of

Kor's Flake

on Sundance)! Teach out left and gain the delightful 3-star crack of upper

Sea Biscuit

. Take it to a 2 bolt anchor (visible from the ground).

P3 - 20m - climb

Funky Gold Patina

a 4 bolt sport pitch (.10b we thought).

P4 - 40m - walk a few meters to the left and continue up

Funky Gold Patina

in a thin crack above and deep inset, on the west-facing wall. Stem up and finger jam the thin, tenuous crack and seam to the summit, 5.10.  Pop around the left/north side of the summit block, and find the existing summit rap anchors.  2 each x 30m fixed raps drops you at your pack and lunch.

This is a nice direct link-up straight up the wall. Thanks to all the other folks that pioneered all the hard climbing.

Gonna do it for Johnny!! Climb

Neighsayer

, and at the orange overlap 80' up, do exposed well protected moves left onto the arete and follow it until you can step left at the anchors. The climbing isn't difficult, but the exposure is great and the gear is all there, and all trad.

This is a hand crack immediately right of

Breeder's Cup

and 15' left of

Neighsayer

. The crux is pulling through the initial roof to get into the crack. Hands to fists get you to the top. Finish on the last pitch of

Neighsayer

or rap from anchors 100' up.

P1. This route starts with

Eagle's Beak

. After about 60 feet of nice thin hands and hands (5.10+), move left - when

Eagles's Beak

moves right - on a sloping ledge for about 15 feet. After the move left, mount a low angle face with a nice 5.8 crack (described under

Sea Biscuit

), which leads to a set of anchors for

Sea Biscuit

. Belay here, or if you don't have rope drag, I recommend continuing to a nice ledge another 60 feet up.

Continue to the large ledge with a section of vertical, golden face via great holds past four bolts, to a copious ledge, and make an anchor (hand size and smaller). A #2 or 3 Camalot fits nicely before the first bolt.

P2 (or 3). Climb a left-leaning hand to finger crack on the north facing wall.

Scramble off to the east, or rappel as for

Neighsayer

via two, 30m rappels.

This is an outstanding trad route to a classic Colorado summit.

P1. Start in a right-facing dihedral with a clean handcrack to a small roof at 25 feet, 5.9. Best to traverse left some 50 feet up into a cool but blocky chimney. Belay on a nice ledge on the left, 120 feet.

P2. Do a great 5.10 finger/hand in a right-facing dihedral, then huff up the hand to OW 5.10-, #4 Camalot or bigger, then onto the summit block finish, 100 feet.

Scramble off to the east.

This is the low angle slot to the right of

Glue Factory

. I am sure we weren't the first to climb it, but all of the loose rock is removed now, and it is a fun moderate addition to the area. Start in the low angle corner which is deceptively harder than it looks and the crux of the climb.

Just right of

Neighsayer

is a parallel crack system with a flake in it about 30 feet up. Climb this system into the rightmost dihedral above to the top of the formation crossing the final pitch of Eagle's Beak. Both pitches have 5.9 cruxes, and the flake at the start of the first pitch is a little spooky sounding but seems solid.

About 20 yards left and slightly downhill from the start of

TDS

is an overhanging finger crack. Climb the finger crack up and right into the shallow right facing dihedral (10+/wild stemming). Continue up the peerless dihedral through the overlap (crux/fingers). Once through the overlap, climb through the upper slab (10c/sporty) using the crack left of

Tijuana Donkey Show

.

P1. Climb the finger crack beneath the large roof with a pillar at its start.

P2. Traverse right under the roof and into the chimney and climb to its top.

P3. Climb the open book dihedral to a belay below the obvious offwidth crack that cuts through the eagle's beak.

P4. Escape right along a ramp to the top of the ridge, or do the last pitch of

Neighsayer

.

It is possible to combine the last 2 pitches into one.

Climb the wavy slot with one bolt at its top, clip the bolt, then fire overhead and left into the wide crack which tapers to hands and flaring fingers for 40' to the anchor just beneath the large roof.

Jam the hand crack that leads into a shallow, right-facing corner. Move up the chockstones, and mount the golden block beneath the roof. Climb right out the roof, and set a belay or fire up the puzzled face to the two bolted hangers right of a small prow.

Get ready to channel your inner gumby and ride old Pokey! From the bolted belay above the first pitch of

Neighsayer

/

Kentucky Derby

/

Breeder's Cup

step left and approach Pokey's Arete.

You can place a finger-size cam in a crack to the left before committing to the arete above. Climb up the arete using slung chickenheads, bolts, and a few cam placements.

This can be rapped in two single rope raps with a 70m.

Breeder's Cup is the direct start in the obvious plumb line slot beneath the chimney that forms the second pitch of

Eagle's Beak

. We climbed this as a fabulous direct link up that follows P1 Breeder's Cup, P2

Eagle's Beak

, P2/3

Neighsayer

to the top of the formation. There are also new bolted anchors at the very top of the formation as of 9/1/11 which can be used to rap to the ground rather than walking off to the east allowing more time to climb.

Thirty feet right of

Neighsayer

is a left-facing corner capped by a roof.  This short but stout 5.10 route steps left after the roof and pulls over a slashing crack. Belay and rap from the obvious tree.

Hippophobia is a varied and interesting full-length route that can be done in one long pitch with careful rope management or else two shorter pitches. It still has some dirt in a few of the cracks, despite cleaning, but the key moves and protection are all good.

Start with an obvious, fun, flake crack past a small pine eight feet up. Continue up this crack system and place gear high, then traverse left across slab with your hands at the level of a small, arching overlap (crux). Two good nuts can be placed in the middle of the overlap, but a high piece on the right is probably adequate pro—be sure to clip with a long sling. Climb the right-facing corner with crack-face moves to an alcove with a small bush. Belay near here or continue up then left to a shallow crack leading to the left center of the big roof system at the top of the cliff. Step right (tricky) and climb a slot through two bulges to an easier finish and belay at big pine on top. The lower crux is 5.10-something, and the upper part is 5.9-ish.

Rappel with two ropes from the pine. If you have just one rope (60m-plus!), top out, scramble down the ridge about 100 feet, and rappel from bolts at the top of

Feeling Loopy

and

Glue Factory

(a little tricky to reach the bolts). If you have two ropes, it's best to rap from the pine.

Description

Protection

Routes in Horseshead