East Winds Change

This is the left of the two face/slab routes on the big, sunny wall between the the Lower Tier and the Skull Cave. The wall faces slightly downcanyon and bakes in full sun from about noon onward, so get here early!

From the parking, scramble up and left through loose scree to a ledge system at the base of the wall. You can either station yourself on a lower ledge (plenty wide, but no anchors), or have your belayer scramble up with you to a higher, smaller ledge with a one-bolt anchor. In either case, you'll need a 60-meter rope to get back to these ledges, and it's probably a good idea to tie a knot in the end of the rope so you don't end up in the scree field 25 feet below.

This is a relatively new route that's seen little traffic, so expect some crispy-crunchy little foot jibs. Work up the left side of the concave face on increasingly steep, but not especially difficult climbing. At about 3/4 height the route hits a grey bowl: a series of funky moves crossing the bowl and gaining a grey streak take you to jugs and the anchors. Thin and sequential, this is a nice antidote to your typical Rifle jug-hauling and has kick-ass views of the Canyon.

10-12 quickdraws and a 60-meter rope (mandatory!)