Red Rock Canyon is not a very old climbing area in the scheme of things. A small cadre of locals and a handful of visiting climbers have primarily been responsible for the areas development over the last thirty years.
Some of the best climbs in the Conservation Area have been established since the beginning of the new millennium. The super-classic route, Birdland (5.7+, II+) was developed in 2001. Man’s Best Friend, a stellar two-pitch bolted route, was put up in 2005. And the absolutely phenomenal route, Hotflash (5.8, IV), was established in 2007.
A number of shorter one-pitch routes have also been developed all over the Conservation Area. American Alpine Institute guides and climbers were responsible for developing sport and toproping areas like the Wall of Death, the Hamlet and the Existential Wall. Others have established walls like the Ironman Wall and the Back Forty.
There are two types of first ascents available in Red Rock. The first type is the shorter, bolted sport route. And the second type is the multi-pitch adventure line.
There are literally miles and miles of unclimbed rock in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Most of the routes at the peripheries of the canyons have been explored, but there is a tremendous amount of climbing available deeper in the Conservation Area. Institute guides scramble up and down the canyons regularly while doing popular routes and are always on the lookout for a really adventurous line. And while not every new route is guaranteed to become a classic, every new route is an adventure.
We cannot guarantee anything about first ascents. We don’t know how long they’ll be and we don’t know how hard they’ll be. We don’t even know if we’ll make it up the chosen line – but that’s all part of the adventure.
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