On Saturday September 20th, 2025, I climbed another long and classic Tahquitz crack line with new partner Simon Lee. The Consolation offered several pitches of quintessential granite jamming, a particularly strenuous crux, and a few spectacular exit pitches on the venerable Whodunnit (5.9, III).
PSA: I did an atrocious job of photographing this route. Oh well… you can’t win em’ all.
I love Tahquitz Rock. With soaring multi-pitch crack lines on spectacular granite less than one hour from pavement, seamlessly woven into a thriving alpine wilderness, underpinned by a quaint hipster town bustling with small business waiting to serve you organic coffee and homemade ice cream… what’s not to love? I fall further over my heels for Tahquitz with every route. Today I was joined by Simon Lee, a new partner from the insidious internet. Our original objective was The Swallow, a long and sustained 5.10a in the Northwest Recess, just south of Whodunnit (5.9, III). However, after Thursday’s crushing deluge, dark water stains still oozed into the crux offwidth. Soggy 5.10 hand stacking sounded torturous, if not dangerous. The Consolation, one crack system to the south, looked drier. And at 5.9, we’d have a better chance of overcoming any wetness.
Fall is descending upon the west quickly. Temperatures were about 50 degrees at dawn, and no more than 60 when we tied in. Our first two pitches were spent shivering and getting oriented in nondescript terrain. We began climbing on the right side of a slabby pillar, left of the Wong and Long Climbs, and followed a long and wet right facing corner through grungy and vegetated slabs, until it was possible to move left onto a nice ledge system just left of the obvious Consolation crack system. A traverse back right across parallel vertical cracks gained the corner. Instead of belaying at the base of the corner like the guidebook suggested, I decided to punch it through pitch three (pitch two on my topo), channeling my inner Alex Honnold. Well, it turns out I need more than a double rack of cams to safely lead 70 meters of sustained Tahquitz 5.9 climbing. Ten meters from the belay I was stripped down to a single #0.2 and #4 Camalot, a handful of small wires and one quickdraw, with a 5.9 roof still to come. I climbed up to the roof, fired in the #4, and suddenly realized that running out a wet hand crack and arriving at sloping belay ledge with only a half dozen pieces of tiny gear was ill advised. I begrudgingly down-climbed to a tiny no-hands stance at a welded angle piton, crafted an awkward hanging belay with what little I had left, and called Simon up.
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Our third pitch was short, over the 5.9 roof and past the belay ledge, to a roomy stance directly beneath the crux – a slightly overhanging 20 foot corner with two opposing hand cracks. I’ve never climbed a pitch even remotely close to this one. Strenuous simultaneous jamming between each crack, with my arms crossed in an X, led to a committing flaring layback that nearly spat me out. I scored an unexpected arm bar rest between the two cracks, regaining my juice for a penultimate devious bulge above. This final pitch was stellar, but quite the bear for 5.9. Simon struggled. My opinion, seconded by Simon and many on Mountain Project, is that the Consolation crux corner is more difficult than anything on Whodunnit and makes a solid 5.10 candidate. That said, it’s possible the atypical twin cracks mixed with sleep deprivation just confused me.
Simon and I had originally planned to swap leads on the moderate terrain above the crux, but after a physical three pitches of damp, sandbagged, and in-your-face Tahquitz 5.9, he assumed the role of permanent follower. 2025 is Simon’s first season returning to rock climbing after a full 19 year hiatus! In the early 2000’s he climbed 5.12 on bolts, and even soloed up to 5.10a in Red Rocks – far more than I can say. But traditional climbing on Southern California granite is about the least intuitive, and most intimidating, climbing style imaginable. Incorporate wetness, unpredictable grades, route finding and onsighting into the equation and you’re presented a problem which demands mileage, familiarity, and very specific technique to navigate. I don’t blame him for preferring to follow. I would too. The original Consolation ends above the crux, on a low angle ledge system shared by many routes. We finished via the most popular exit, merging with Whodunnit for three pitches of glorious climbing up to 5.9, including a spectacularly positioned 5.8 roof at the 800 foot precipice of Tahquitz. A newer direct variation continues straight up through a 5.10 flaring hand crack capped with a roof, and an easier exit can be made via many routes to the right. We topped out around 5:00PM under splitter skies.
All in all, The Consolation is yet another excellent, adventurous and long Northwest Recess crack escapade on sound rock. Unlike the neighboring Whodunnit, which features unrelenting cracks from bombay chimneys to fingers, and a technical first pitch slab, The Consolation has a singular emphasis on hand jamming. Several variations both above and below the crux corner allow for a modulated adventure, and I suspect the Direct Finish could elevate the route to classic status. This was a very “type one fun” day enjoyed alongside a new friend. I’m already looking forward to climbing with Simon again.
Additional Notes
- The Consolation is located next to Whodunnit. Use that article for orientation.
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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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