Group Therapy is a popular 800′ 5.7 just north of the super classic Tunnel Vision (5.7+ R, 800′) on the Angel Food Wall. While the climbing was nowhere near as memorable as its neighbor, we still thought it a great day.
Winter is over! Good riddance. 2026 was a tough one, and while I feared missing my first April ski season in 11 years would leave me directionless, I actually feel liberated. Bobbi and I departed Teton Valley for the Mojave Desert the last week of March, to begin an environmental consulting project in Southern California on April first. After a stopover to see friends and family in Salt Lake, we had five days to both climb and finish work errands in Las Vegas. We opened the outdoor climbing season as we often do, by racing up a long moderate with a short rope, light rack, all smiles, and low stress. For the most part, that’s how Group Therapy played out.
Group Therapy tackles the most obvious weakness on the proud Angel Food Wall, featuring a nice diversity of face and crack climbing at a moderate grade. The route’s keynote feature is a wildly intimidating square cut roof which somehow, someway, goes fairly at the 5.7 grade. The first four pitches were classic Red Rocks plate hauling, with one particularly neat 5.6 off-width and a few juggy cracks linked by easy but runout face climbing. The crux roof was exceptionally unique, with an off-width start quickly widening to a comfortable chimney. You never really “pull” the roof, but rather squirm through it. This pitch is high quality but seriously lacking in protection, probably why Group Therapy flies under the Red Rocks 5.7 radar. For the sixth and final pitch you have three choices. The original route exits the crack system via easy traversing slabs south, while two parallel cracks provide harder direct options. We climbed the right most of these cracks, with a few 5.8 moves waning to yet another easy wide crack.
I did not take any time stamps from this day, but our car to car time was in the realm of a gentle half day. Contrary to some opinions on Mountain Project, we did not think Group Therapy was anywhere near as good as the neighboring, and undeniably classic, Tunnel Vision. I guess folks averse to wide climbing may choose Group Therapy over Tunnel, but by any sane metric Tunnel Vision is timeless, and Group is largely forgettable. However, if you’re in the market for a fast paced 5.7 and don’t mind running out squeeze chimneys, this route could be your cup of tea. We did not carry the #5 or #6 cam recommended in the guidebook, but I’m positive they wouldn’t helped much on the crux pitch. A #6 could seemingly be walked up the pitch two 5.6 off-width, but if you’re solid at the grade I found the movement secure.
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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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