The Rotwand Rock Climbing

Shunned and feared, the Rotwand is a sizeable, accessible Eldo cliff that gets virtually no traffic, probably for good reason. It is the eastern most cliff in Eldo, directly across the river from the main parking lot. It is ostensibly named after various Rotwands (Red Wall) in Europe, but the name is really a phonetic word play and testament to the quality of the rock. To get an idea of what you'll be dealing with, visualize the loathsome rotten bands of Rincon and the West Ridge and then imagine a 200' high cliff comprised of nothing but. Considering how nerve-wracking and downright dangerous the climbing there tends to be, the cliff sports an astonishing number of routes. Rossister considers virtually all of these routes VS.

Rotwand advisories: In my (limited -- two Rot routes) experience, 50% of holds are suspect -- handholds regularly break off. There can be lots of gear, but more than half the good placements are in shattered rock and you really don't want to test them. Route finding is tricky, kind of like Hallet Peak but with terrible rock and of course, there will be no no chalk to mark the way. As you might expect, there is plently of loose rock; in 2003, we threw and knocked several non-negligible chunks off of "the most popular route on the Rockwand" which had been established by Kor in the 60's. Bottom line prereq: have your shit together.

Reasons to climb at the Rotwand: 1. No waiting in line; in 20 years of Eldo climbing, I don't recall seeing anyone else on it. 2. Climbing there is a very intense, focusing experience.

(Calling Steve Levin.) Open invitation to any old hands to weigh in with any Rotwand lore?

Ever wonder what was the purpose of that little gazebo above the lower Rotward? Examine page 78 of Godfrey's & Chelton's Climb! where Ivy Baldwin's low wire was attached. That may represent the highest usage day for the Rotwand ever!