rev. 1/25/08
The Needles (Sequoia National Forest)
compiled by Clint Cummins
Route descriptions for Piranha, Shikata Na Gai and Road to Perdition
courtesy of Michael Reardon.



Magician Upper West Face

1. Garbage Disposal 5.7/5.8

Block by Liquid Sky

2. Reaganomics 5.9, south face, 100' L of Hot for Teacher
3. Hot for Teacher 5.11+, east face, 1x at base of LFC, 2x on top

Magician West Face

4. Liquid Sky 5.11 *
5. Harlem Shuffle 5.11 A0, 50' R of Liquid Sky
6. West Side Story 5.11
7. Double Trouble 5.11+ *, double ropes, friends, nuts
8. Shitfire 5.10, 2p, pro to 4"
9. Great White Direct 5.10
10. Sidewalk Magic A4
11. Black Magic 5.7/5.8
12. Silence of the Clams 5.10, thin lieback to hands over a roof
13. Magic Dragon 5.8
14. Strange Brew 5.8, Magic Dragon and variations
15. Twist of Fate 5.10a, thin, on Horse's Head
16. Siege of Troy 5.8, starts on east side of Horse's Head

Magician East Face

17. Heart of Gold 5.10, 4p
18. The Dulldrills 5.10d R, 4x
19. Lumpy the Fish 5.10a R+, 1x, copperhead
20. Hocus Pocus 5.11a or 5.10b A0, 10-14x
21. Poof 5.7, 3p
22. Frustration with the Redhead 5.10/5.11, 4x, to pine tree

Djin Needle Southwest Face

23. Severed Ties 5.10b, 1x (retro)
24. Sundance 5.10b
25. Alladin Sane 5.10+
26. Hangman 5.9-

Slab below Djin Needle

27. Song of the Lorelei 5.10+/5.11-, 4p, crux leaning squeeze, pro to 4"
28. Candelabrum 5.7, 4p

Charlatan West Face

29. Lady of the Needles 5.7
30. Valley Guy 5.10a
31. Northwest Route 5.7/5.8
32. Northwest Detour 5.10b, dirty, vegetated
33. The Prescription 5.11c R, retrobolted
34. Spooky 5.9 *, ow or lieback, #4 or larger Friend
35. Gemstone 5.10c, 5.10b thin crack to 5.10c arete with 3x right of ow
[see East Face for continued routes]

Sorcerer West Face

36. Sorcerer notch route 5.11?, 2x
37. Pinhead 5.10d, many RPs
38. crack right of Pinhead 5.11?, 1x by crack, 4x bolted arete finish
39. Slight of Hand 5.10a/b, 2p
40. The Raven 5.11b *, 2p
41. Stars and Stripes Forever 5.8, 5.6 R on second pitch
42. F___ the Rod Broke 5.9, left chimney finish to Stars and Stripes
43. easy route 5.6
44. Northwest Salvage 5.7, flakes right of Stars and Stripes Forever
45. another easy route 5.6

Wizard West Face

46. Lethargy p1 5.10a *, 5.10a thin
47. Lethargy (full) 5.10b R *, p2: 5.10b R face (thin/shallow pro)
48. Northwest Chimney 5.7, or finish on Yellow Brick Road 5.9 *
49. Detour Left 5.10b
50. bolted arete (Wizard) 5.10c, 7x, 5.10a R to reach first bolt
51. Yellow Brick Road 5.9 *, p1: pro to 4", p2: pro to 5"
52. Emerald City var. 5.6 R, knobby face R of YBR p2; occasional pro
53. Just Layback and Relax 5.10+ R+
54. Zombie 5.10d R, aka The Curse

Sorcerer's Apprentice

55. Jughead 5.10c R, 3x on p2, 5.10c R up high
56. Danse Macabre 5.9 *, or finish on Broomsticks
57. Broomsticks 5.10a, pro to 2"
58. Love Potion #9 5.9 *
59. The Seven Year Itch 5.10b/c, 2p, joins Love Potion #9, stayed on arete high
60. Piranha 5.12c *, 6x, small wire, TCU, on NE face
Sport climbing at the Needles? It's true.
This ultra classic was done in true style and the altitude will
definitely be a factor in the send. Starting right of Love Potion,
shimmy up the 5.7 offwidth and clip the first bolt.
Then head right for another bolt past sharp crimpers.
Push farther right for a rest, then jump back left and follow
the bolt line up. No gear needed, but be careful of the
loose block just below the anchor.
61. Parasite 5.13a *, 12x, on NE face

Wizard Southeast Face

62. The Demon (aka Spellbound) 5.10, 5p, 5.10 ow on p1
63. The Caduceus 5.12 R, arete, 2p
64. Nearer My God to Thee 5.10b R
65. Pentagram var. 5.9 R, right var. to Nearer My God
66. Thank God var. 5.8
67. Wizard SE arete 5.11, 2p, 7x on p2
68. Golden Needles 5.11 R+, right side of SE arete in slippery water groove
69. Shiver Me Timbers 5.12c *, wild double cracks, extra #1-1.5 Fr.
70. RFC with bolts pr., upper east face
71. Wizard/Sorcerer Gully East 5.8 A2

Wizard Upper East Face

72. The Force 5.11b, RPs, 5x
73. Magnum Force 5.11c, RPs, 5x

Wall below Davy Jones' Locker

74. aid crack A3?
75. wide crack 5.9?

Fire Wall South Face

76. Firewall - L side of S face 5.11 A0?, 9+ x
77. Firewall - middle of S face 5.11?, 5+ x, starts on L side, or in tree
78. Firewall - wide crack 5.9?, starts with short ow
79. Firewall - bolted SE arete, may be 2 routes here

Fire Wall East Face

80. Spontaneous Combustion 5.12c/d *
81. Pyrotechnics 5.12c/d *, traverse, 2x
82. Pyromania 5.13b *

Sorcerer East Face

83. Devil's Dinette 5.10
84. Jones Crusher 5.11+
85. Iron Maiden 5.12+, thin, hard to protect
86. Davy Jones' Locker 5.12b or 5.10d A1 *, 5 x #2.5, 2 x #3 Fr., #1-5 Rocks
87. Duty Now for the Future 5.11d, 3x to roof
88. Pieces of Eight 5.12c *
89. The Avenger 5.12c *, 6x, small gear
90. Wailing Banshees 5.11a/b, stemming
91. Scirocco 5.12a *, 15x total, second pitch has 25' runout on arete
92. Tradewinds 5.11b/c, 8x
93. Don Juan Wall 5.11b *
94. Don Juan Wall lieback var. 5.11c
95. Ice Pirates 5.11b
96. Thin Ice 5.10b *
97. Atlantis 5.11b *
98. Lost at Sea 5.11a, via Thin Ice traverse
99. Bon Voyage 5.11 or 5.11+
100. First Aid (Crimson Sky) 5.11a

Charlatan East Face

101. Horrorscope 5.10b/c R
102. Bad Fortune 5.11c or 5.10 A1
103. Fancy Free 5.10b *
104. Superstition 5.11c, RPs
105. Persistence 5.11+, 2p, p1: grey streak on slab 4x
106. Gobsmacked 5.10+, 2p, p1: grass + 1x, p2: 2x, undercling

The Blockhead East Face

107. Captain Nemo 5.12c
108. Walk the Plank 5.11d
109. The Barnacle 5.11c/d
110. The Barracuda 5.11c/d
111. Dogmatic 5.11+ TR, flakes, lieback, undercling to sloping top

Witch North Face

112. Witch - North Face 5.5

Witch West Face

113. new route (Witch) 5.9, RFCs to pine tree, just left of North Chimney
114. North Chimney 5.7/5.8
115. Pizazz 5.10a, runout move to reach start of crack from chimney
116. Pegleg 5.11d R *, aka Hang 'Em High
117. Ankles Away 5.11d *, p1 is 5.10d R
118. Airy Interlude 5.10a *, pro: extra #1.5 Friends for the traverse
119. Hairy Interlude 5.10c
120. Igor Unchained 5.9 *, #4 Fr. for first belay
121. Vanishing Point 5.12+, 4x, incomplete
122. Shazam 5.9
123. The Entity 5.10c * or 5.10+ R, tiny stoppers at start
124. Spook Book 5.10d *
125. Wicked 5.12
126. Innersanctum 5.9+ *
127. Innerforce 5.10a, traverse connects Innersanctum to Brute Force
128. Brute Force 5.10b A0
129. Gorilla Warfare 5.10+, squeeze to hand
130. Red Snapper 5.11a, gear to 2.5"
131. Red Phosphor, connects Red Smapper to Phosphorescent Flow
132. Phosphorescent Flow 5.10a R *
133. Witch Doctor 5.9 *
134. The Pit and the Pendulum 5.10b A0 or 5.10+ *, pendulum/traverse version
135. The Pit and the Pendulum - direct chimney 5.10+ *
136. Green Tide 5.11a, 9x, slopers, runout near the top
137. Witch SW Gully 5.0?
138. Wicked West of the Witch 5.10+, 3x, then left and runout
139. Terrorvision 5.11b/c *, arete

Necromancer NW/West Face

140. Black Rabbit 5.10a
141. new route (Necromancer) 5.11?, 5x, L side of upper West face
142. Secret Agent Man 5.8, dirty crack system, lower L side of West face
143. Silver Threads 5.10, friend #3.5 or 4
144. new face route (Necromancer) 5.11?, bolted face right of Silver Threads p1
145. Tree Route 5.10b
146. short face right of Tree Route, slings visible

Necromancer South Face

147. Billion Dollar Babies 5.11b R+, left side of flake
148. No More Mister Nice Guy 5.10c R *
149. Ivan the Terrible 5.10+ R+
150. La Vache Queirit? 5.11c

Necromancer East Face (peregrine nesting, avoid January through July)

151. Predator 5.12, on fin of rock between Witch/Necromancer

Witch Southeast Face

152. Shikata Ga Nai 5.12a X, follows obvious line/arete under Nautilus
Start with 100+ feet of 5.10 scrambling through bushes/trees with the
occasional smear move. At the big ledge, follow the 250+ foot gorgeous arete
(12a X). No cheating and going onto the face holds with buckets (not to mention
that there are a few loose holds there). This finishes right near the base of
Nautilus. p3: 100 foot arching low angle crack (5.9?) to a ledge. From here,
stay on the ledges until reaching the base of p4, an obvious line of tufas
that stretch for 200+ feet up to 5.11. p4 is about 200 feet to the left of
Iceberg/Lifeboat. p4 tops out on the opposite side of Shazam.
A really fun line and except for the second and last pitches, easy to protect.
The name is Japanese and translates basically to, "there is no other way".
153. The Nautilus 5.12 *

Witch East Face

154. The Cauldron 5.10
155. Witch Way 5.10
156. The Iceberg 5.12b, 6x
157. The Lifeboat 5.10d, 6x, 5.11b in MVP

Warlock North Face

158. Warlock - Northeast Shoulder 5.8 A1 or 5.9
159. Direct North Steps 5.9
160. Flying Warlocks 5.10, 2p, apparently starts on DNS, with 2 bolts
added next to good cracks.
161. Wandering Path 5.9, lieback flake, traverse left to DNS
162. Ghostbumps 5.10a, p1: starts on WP, 3x on face, p2: 4x, p3: 2x pr.
163. The Howling - Left Start 5.9, RFC
164. The Howling - Middle Start 5.9, face crack
165. The Howling 5.10a *
166. Warlock - Left Chimney 5.7
167. Warlock - North Face Traverse 5.7/5.8 *
168. Women and Children First Var. 5.10, #1-#1.5 Friends on traverse
169. The Titanic 5.12c *, 5x

Warlock West Face

170. The Spell 5.10b *, ow/squeeze, pro to 5"
171. Road to Perdition 5.11+? R+, left start to Straight to Hell
Start about 200 feet to the left (far below "Titanic") on obvious blocks and
keep traversing right until reaching the final twenty feet which makes you
pause a bit.  Very thin smears/edges until reaching the first anchors on
Straight to Hell.  Unbolted with minimal gear.
172. Straight to Hell 5.12
173. Sarcophagus 5.8/5.9, pro to 5"
174. Fate in Place 5.10, ow, pro to 5"
175. Circling Sharks 5.11d/5.12a, crystal lined jam crack in LFC
176. Romantic Warrior 5.12b *, corner system
177. Sea of Tranquility 5.12b *, arete, some chipped holds
178. The Escape 5.11 A1 R+, bathook
179. Pegasus 5.10+, ow
180. Electric Spook 5.10+
181. The Brass Monkey 5.12-
182. War Paint 5.10

Styx

183. Split Decision 5.10+/5.11-

Warlock South Face

184. Specter 5.10
185. Warlock South Face 5.9 or 5.11 *
186. S Crack 5.10, squeeze
187. Rainbow in the Dark 5.12b

Warlock Lower East Face

188. Bird of Prey 5.11b
189. Giant Steps 5.10
190. A Gathering of Wolves (Repo Man) 5.10+, 5.9 R, belay: #1, #2, #2.5 Friends
191. Planet Waves 5.11c, blank corner, pins?, originally rated 5.10+
192. Imaginary Voyage 5.9- *
193. Shadows in the Rain 5.10d *, 5.10c R, cable runner for horn, long reaches
194. Dragon's Back 5.10+/5.11-, arete, 5x?, nuts, TCUs

Voodoo Dome

195. First Coming 5.8, 4-5p
196. Black Dudes on Welfare 5.10, 5p
197. Dihedral Variation 5.10, 2p
198. Mama Told Me Not to Come 5.11, 2p
199. White Punks on Dope 5.8/5.9 *, 6p
200. Random Neural Firing 5.9
201. Voodoo Chile 5.9
202. Dihedral Grope 5.9, ow, 6p
203. Crocodile's Head 5.8, 3p
204. Jolly Roger 5.10, 2p
205. Crossbones 5.10
206. The Skull 5.11+, 5p
207. Millenium Falcon 5.13b
208. The Emperor (Pea Soup) 5.12a *
209. The Dark Side 5.12+, many wired nuts
210. Aurora Austrialus 5.12a, 5x
211. Aurora Borealus 5.12
212. Double Jeopardy 5.10d/5.11a, 4p
213. Supernova 5.12b, 2x, arete
214. The Light Side 5.11a/b, corner
215. Broken Arrow 5.11a, 4x, prow of small block
216. Unnamed (left of Ewok) 5.10, 2x, face
217. The Ewok 5.9, crack with pod in middle of face
218. Pizza The Hut 5.10d, 5x, right arete
219. School's Out 5.10, 2x to crack
220. Lessons from Lechlinski 5.10b R, 3x to diagonal crack
221. Bad Moon Rising 5.10, __x
222. Summer Sojourn 5.7 *, 5p
223. Brother Wolf 5.10d R, start on Left Snort, then left past 2x
224. Left Snort 5.9, 6p
225. Sister Moon - direct start 5.11+, straight up to first bolt
226. Sister Moon 5.10c, 2.5p
227. Jedi Master var. 5.10a, on p5 left up crack/chimny, through roof
228. The Carcass 5.10, 2.5p
229. Dr. Blood's Coffin (Right Snort) 5.7, 3-4p

Death Star

230. Ninja Crack 5.9, hand crack
231. Dark Side of the Force 5.10a, 3p
232. Left Jedi Crack 5.10, bold mantle to mediocre crack
233. Right Jedi Crack 5.10a, tricky
234. R2D2 Crack 5.8

The Gremlin

235. Headless Horseman 5.10d, pro: friends, wires
236. Nightstalker 5.9
237. Lights Out (Phantom) 5.9

Demon Dome

238. Chute Face 5.8
239. The Crack of Erebus (The Corner) 5.8/5.9
240. Boom Boom Flake 5.9
241. The Medusa 5.11a/b *, 9x, 165'
242. The Bride of Dracula 5.10d, 7x
243. The Mephisto Waltz 5.9, 7x
244. Zool 5.10a/b *, 2p, 8x, 2x
245. Beelzebub Variation 5.9
246. Crack of Cerberus 5.8/5.9
247. The Devil Worshipper 5.9 *, 2p, 3x, 3x
248. Speak of the Devil 5.10+, 9x, good but very grainy
249. The Crack of Charon 5.12 A1, 4x to overhanging crack
250. The Invasion of the Polaroid People 5.10, crux face to slanting crack
251. Crack of the Damned 5.10d, short crack
252. The Backrub 5.6
253. Some Like it Hot 5.10, 2p, 4x + gear, 7x
254. The Omen 5.9, 4p, 3x, 5x, to LFC
255. The Number of the Beast 5.8 *, 6p, 4x, 3x, to LFC
256. 666 Var. 5.10
257. Rosemary's Baby 5.8 *, 6p, LFC, pro to 4"