Returning to Red Rock Canyon
Climbing in Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon with my friend Connor (aka: the flying squirrel) is becoming tradition. We were here in March 2021, and this time my Everest teammate Charley Mace joined us for a few days of romping on the soaring sandstone above Sin City.
The Blind Approach
Red Rock is just a stone’s throw from the Vegas strip, but it’s an entirely different world.
Each day, we hiked for an hour+ to get to the base of our climbs, passing through micro-ecosystems like cactus fields, sagebrush, yucca, and other desert shrubs and plants beginning to bloom to life; Often, we scrambled along washes and bobbed past ponds filled with croaking frogs and minnows darting in the shallow depths.
As a blind person, these approaches are both arduous and beautiful, requiring navigation through some fairly rough trails but also immersing me in surprisingly vibrant desert life. If you survive the approaches, you’re in for a treat, as the climbing is world-class.
Moderate Climbs & Big Days Out
On this trip, we focused on bigger days out on moderate routes, climbing Birdland, Cat in the Hat, Johnny Vegas, and Solar Slab. I loved them all for different reasons.
The sandstone here is unique, covered in a dark desert varnish called patina, which creates little waves and fantastic fins that jut out and make for incredible handholds. Along with classic cracks, there are also knobs called chicken heads and thousands of little improbable dots and bumps that line the walls … literally like Braille!
Birdland featured a pretty spicy traverse, while Johnny Vegas is the most airy 5.7 climbing I can remember doing. Solar Slab, well … let’s just say its name is no accident; despite being baked in the sun, we savored a salted caramel rice crispy treat at the top and enjoyed views with old friends.
