Tiger King

Route Description

Tiger King climbs the appealing vertical face to overhanging terrain right of the newly installed (but not yet freed) climb Suttree, about halfway between Suttree and West Face. It begins with a boulder problem section along a layback flake to a small scoop/ledge, and then climbs the thin, sustained tan-colored face above on small edges and micro-crimps to a large, obvious roof band in the middle of the wall. A final crux here leads to a vertical panel and a rest, then tackles a rising hand-traverse left along the purple flake/ledge system that angles up toward the crest of the wall, where it joins Suttree for its final three bolts to a shared lowering anchor over the lip. (The second roof band, above the traverse, looks too blank to facilitate free climbing, while the natural line moves left below it along the obvious break.) The prospective grade is mid-5.13.

Route diagram

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Existing route information

The west face of Hillbilly Rock has seven existing climbs. The leftmost one is Horsefly Hootenanny, a 5.13- on the upper left side of the west face. Then there is Cry Uncle (5.13-), which branches right off of Horsefly. Right again is Child of God, which moves up the prow in the middle of the wall at 5.13+. Right again is the newly equipped (but not yet freed) Suttree, a prospective 5.14. Then would be the proposed climb, Tiger King. Finally, West Face (5.12c) is located down and right 10 feet, while the rightmost routes (Hillbilly Warmup, 5.11d, and West Face Right, 5.12a) are located another 40 feet downhill near the southwest margin of the wall. All are sport climbs, though West Face Right does have some moderate traditionally protected climbing to reach the first bolt.

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Approach

The approach is via NCAR. Take the Mallory Cave Trail to the Mesa Trail; head north to where the Mesa Trail traverses across Skunk Canyon. Head west into Skunk Canyon on the climber’s approach trail, then head due north up the gully east of Hillbilly Rock to reach the south then west side of Hillbilly Rock on an existing climber’s trail. The trail is on durable, hard-packed dirt and talus.

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Descent

The descent is via lowering off the Suttree anchors back to the staging area

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Climb base area

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Reconnaissance work

The route has been inspected on top-rope and on rappel as best as possible, with the shared exit (last three bolts) of the existing climb Suttree having been climbed at 5.12+. Given the steepness of the wall, lack of directional gear (there are no cracks on the lower sections), and proximity of tall trees (dangerous for top-roping) behind the line, no further reconnaissance was possible.

Top Roped / Hazards

The route in its entirety has not been top-roped due to its very overhanging angle, lack of directional gear, and the presence of trees behind the wall you could swing into. It has, however, been inspected multiple times, including on rappel and on top-rope from the neighboring climb Suttree, and the shared exit with Suttree has been climbed at 5.12+. The estimated total difficulty is 5.13. The line has a flake in the roof band at half height that will that need to be cleaned, but is otherwise on solid rock. The line is extremely overhanging—20 to 25 degrees—through the middle and upper sections, and gently overhanging at the start.

Additional notes

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FCC Voting Results

OSMP Decision