Tunnel Vision is the most unique route I’ve encountered in my climbing career. Four pitches of wild chimneys and wide cracks lead to the namesake “tunnel pitch”, a 30 meter diagonal bombay chimney which passes through an incredible varnished tunnel almost dark enough for a headlamp. This is three dimensional climbing at its finest, and a must climb for the grade anywhere!
Despite having recently escaped the crippling heat of Las Vegas summer for the only slightly cooler Southern California, the Alpine Peanut and I found ourselves back in the devil’s den for a Labor Day meetup with Carl Osterburg and Bailey Haus. They live in Salt Lake City, making Vegas a logical midpoint. And while we wanted nothing more than to hide in the nearby mountains of Idyllwild pretending the desert doesn’t exist, best friends supersede all.
Yep, I know – we could’ve went sport climbing at Mount Charleston. With road access to 7000 feet, sky high pine trees and a lifetime supply of bulletproof limestone, it’s the ultimate summer refuge for Vegas climbers. However, Carl and Bailey had never been to Red Rocks. And while limestone pockets can be found just about anywhere, multi-thousand foot stretching walls of premier sandstone decorated with spectacular black varnish and patina, underpinned by a diverse desert ecosystem, can not. Multi-pitch climbing in Red Rocks is the heart and soul of Vegas climbing, and contrary to prevailing wisdom, pleasant temps can be found in summer. The key to success is two-fold: picking a route in full shade, and having the fortitude to either wake up heinously early for shorter routes on south or west aspects, or power through a cripplingly hot approach for longer routes on east or north aspects. I prefer the afternoon approach strategy, waiting for the sun leave rather than racing it’s arrival. I’ve never cared much for racing nature in the mountains.
Our route du’ jour was Tunnel Vision on the Angel Food Wall, a six pitch Red Rocks classic accessed via a gentle sub-one-hour hike with minimal vertical gain. Bailey is newer to multi-pitch climbing, and Carl, despite a long history of climbing, hasn’t spent much time in the vertical plane the past few years. I would be the rope gun, and the trusty Alpine Peanut would round out our four person team. Our goal was to find a shaded moderate adventure that encapsulated the magic of Red Rocks climbing. Much like Grand Teton National Park, the overwhelming majority of 5.8 and under Red Rocks routes face south. Finding high quality north facing moderates steep enough to get shade early isn’t trivial. Fortunately, Tunnel Vision was a gold mine.
Line of sight tactics worked well for approaching, large features on the Angel Food Wall made finding the base easy, and by 11:00AM the route was in full shade. The guidebook denounced 5.7+ cruxes were a bulging hand traverse 15 feet off the ground, and a sustained squeeze chimney on pitch three. Unfortunately, both offer either uninspiring or no protection, raising the leader qualification bar. Tunnel Vision would be an extremely poor choice for the 5.7 leader, or anyone uncomfortable with regular long runouts. However, for those with a healthy skill margin, sturdy head, and chimney familiarity, or a friend with such abilities to sacrifice, this route is all time. Pitches one, two and three follow a multi-hundred foot gradually narrowing chimney system with incredible geometric climbing on varnished honeycomb huecos. The crux is pitch three, a classic old-school 5.7+ squeeze with a sustained 40 foot runout. Followers, or vagabond leaders willing to wager life and limb, can stem the outside on flaky sandstone at an easier difficulty, but I preferred the painful security of arm bars and knee locks in the deep recess. Above pitch three the steepness and difficulty relents. The namesake “tunnel pitch” comes on pitch five – a true spectacle of mother nature reminiscent of caving. The diagonal 100 foot tunnel is so dark I almost wished for a headlamp, and while viable lead protection is entirely absent, a gentle grade of 5.3 on bulletproof rock keeps matters civilized. I’ve truly never climbed anything like pitch five, and perhaps never will again. Emerging from the tunnel to find a splitter hand crack stretching skyward was the ultimate reward. This final pitch was excellent, a 70 meter rope stretcher out an exposed roof, capped with a heroic, once again runout, knobby slab. The whole team was smiling ear to ear after every pitch, except Carl when I forced him to simul-climb through half of pitch six, while I was very runout high above. I wouldn’t have pulled such a stunt with most partners, but Carl and I go way back. He may insist it was “sketchy”, citing a lack of recent climbing, but when someone has bouldered V8, can do 14 pullups, and has a time honored head for big exposure in the mountains, they’re just not going fall off a patina jug buffet – especially with the person who took their engagement photos on the other end of the cord.
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All said, Tunnel Vision was a spectacular adventure. The rock quality was flawless. Every pitch was memorable. The runouts were exciting, positioning incredible, and every belay ledge, save for pitch two, was big enough for a dance party. As a party of four moving casually, we climbed the route in roughly nine hours car to car. There’s little more I could ask for in a Red Rocks moderate. And of course, doing it with best friends is the ultimate treat. Do not miss this one!
For more information on Tunnel Vision and the Angel Food Wall, including the approach and descent, consider buying the Red Rocks guidebook by Jerry Handren, or see Mountain Project.
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DISCLAIMER
Ski mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing and all other forms of mountain recreation are inherently dangerous. Should you decide to attempt anything you read about in this article, you are doing so at your own risk! This article is written to the best possible level of accuracy and detail, but I am only human – information could be presented wrong. Furthermore, conditions in the mountains are subject to change at any time. Ten Thousand Too Far and Brandon Wanthal are not liable for any actions or repercussions acted upon or suffered from the result of this article’s reading.
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