Sour Mash, 5.10a

1st Pitch- 150’- 5.10a/ As before mentioned, Jerry Handren’s book has a misprint of this pitch being 5.8. It is 5.10a via Supertopo.com and in fact is the 2nd most difficult pitch of the climb. You can either belay at the base of a low 5th class wall, or solo up to the next ledge to allow for less rope drag for the leader. The climbing starts up at a flake on your left, then moves over easy ground into the steep blank left facing corner above. There are two bolts helping to protect challenging 5.10a lie back moves and then a crimpy 5.10a traverse left. Once above this traverse, easy climbing leads to several areas where you can build a station below a roof above with a tree in between. Sour Mash, 5.10a, 6 Pitches, Black Velvet Wall, Black Velvet Canyon, Red Rocks, NV, April, 2008