Worth The Weight is a tenuous and at times exciting modern test of Paradise Forks basalt skills. Unlikely footwork and exciting but defined power cruxes make up the first half of the route, enduro locker crack climbing will take you to the top.  

  Referenced in "Paradise Forks Rock Climbing" by David Bloom as one of the two 5.11 A1 routes on The Gold Wall. At some point J.Mattson climbed the left seem creating Pacing The Cage but the right seem remained un-freed. Eventually the initial seem was used to access The Serpent but the Freedom Project just sat in waiting.

Worth The Weight

AuH2O

The Serpent

T.L. Bush

X-it

Gold Finger

King Fissure

Goldilox

Tres Osos

Rushin' Arete

West of Ragstaff

Supercrack

Helter Skelter

Waterslip Down

Pacing the Cage

Golden Boy

Liquid Sky

Cactus Thieves

Fogdish

Grievous Angel

Facial Distortions

Black and Sassy

Hatchet

Ice Cream Dreams, AKA Acid Test Crack

East of Eden

After the Gold Rush

An Uncertain Violence

Standard Fork's 5.8

Pacing the Cage is one of the most aesthetic lines on the Gold Wall, and also the most difficult. Pacing starts two systems to the climber's right of Acid Test Crack.

 This old timey test piece has been described as the "easier" 5.13 at the Forks, but sees very few leads, despite the good gear. However, the line is striking, steep, and severely fixated on a generous portion of fingers, with a cryptic crux on thin edges and technical body smearing. 

Finally adding some routes from long ago. We spent some time cleaning up this blocky stretch of the Gold Wall with limited success. AuH20 starts up the blocky crack with tricky pro (small tricams helpful) to a soft iron pin (5.9- moves). Once in the good crack you're good to go.

The Serpent is mostly unknown route that sits just out of toes reach of East Of Eden, try to keep from wandering. First lead was done by J.Mattson, maybe top roped, only seen a few leads.

Another classic 5.10, and a good one for those who don't like jamming.   

  I thought the first 15' of crimping with no gear was the crux.  Bad landing, so don't fall.  After that it's a well protected  romp on liebacks and jugs. 

Climb Goldfinger to obvious ledge, step left to center of ledge, then climb the thin right slanting crack to top out.

There are two starts , the recommended is to the left through an easy tight handcrack until you are level with a rounded ledge on the right (about 25ft, traverse right. 

  Second start is  to the right, up through broken poorly protected ground until reaching the ledge directly. 

  From the ledge stem through the perfect right facing stem box with the aid of the crack out to the right. Pull up onto the second ledge, and reach right for the slightly overhanging flared hands for a short crux before easier ground to the top.

The short but very sweet dihedral left of Goldfinger (and X-It). Climb the blocky handcrack splitting a pillar, and pull onto the lower of a two-level ledge. The crux is leaving the ledge and getting established in the dihedral. Thin face moves (unique for the Forks) lead into a more secure steep crack to the top.

This climb shares the start with Tres Osos. As soon a possible veer right on ramp into the left-facing corner. The crux is a thin lieback near the top of the dihedral.

Another result of cleaning efforts. The start is blocky, but decent pro is achievable. Climb straight up into the corner that climbs better than it looks.

This one doesn't get led much, and for good reason.  The first half of the climb is fun and well protected and takes you to a big ledge.  From the ledge you can get down on your stomach and place some gear, or go out right and put gear in the corner.  Either way, you're in for a nasty fall if you come off at the crux.  The arete is insecure and balancy.  Very cool.  Just after the crux you can reach right and get gear in the corner.  Whew!   

  Variation:  If you want to be closer to your pro you could just go up the corner off the ledge, but then that wouldn't be Rush'n' ARETE now would it? 

Breaks right from East of Eden approximately 45' up, at the base of the pillar. Diagonal up and right, making a heady traverse and mantel with RP's and maybe a ball-nut for pro. Continue up and right, topping out in a corner with double cracks and good moves.There is a variation that goes up the thin cracks under the juniper on the black streaked face (recommended). 5.11.

Approach this route by rapping from the top of Waterslip down to a small ledge.  An anchor can be built here.  Climb the right facing corner going from hands to fist to off-width to squeeze.

Climb the thin fingers/face moves in the short, steep, oblique, right facing corner (crux).  At top of corner, place a good nut or two up and left and traverse right into the hand crack.  Start of the hands is a bit hollow & midly run out to get to the good hands, hence the PG13. If you get up the start, this shouldn't be an issue; for many folks it won't be PG13.  I'd rather warn of the possibility than sucker punch the leader who is not experienced with choss. 

  Climb the hand crack to where the left side pillars out.  Then face climb up the higher pillar on the right for fun & exposed exit moves.  Watch for the solid wire out right at the exit. 

  After the start climb is mostly 5.9ish. 

  Rock is obviously not as solid as the classic forks stuff.  May still need some cleaning as freeze-thaw works the winters. 

  Because it was an FA at the Forks some 20+ years after my last one and was done with my son on a climbing trip, spring break ~2011, it has some special signifigance for me.   

  If less than stellar rock is not your thing, I'd avoid the climb until others weigh in on the middle section.  I think we cleaned it up ok but the first few moves in the hand crack have a pasted flake in the crack.  Flake seems pretty integral to the wall but....

Waterslip Down is accessed (as for Grevious Angel) from ledges above and west of the Gold Pond. Getting into the route is pretty exciting business. Move to the eastern edge of the ledge and look around the corner and the finger crack you see is Waterslip. You have to place some gear, then crank up into the crack with instant exposure as you move over the void. Then just head to the top. Mostly fingers and wide fingers.

A very nice line, but a serious lead. Make it to the ledge and you're home free.

climb roof 20ft of the ground/gold pool to thin face, pinch 2 aretes!

A suprisingly fun hand crack, much more reminescent of Overlook type climbing than Forks desperados.  Which makes this one of the easier leads out here.   

  However, there is the big chockstone in the middle of the pitch.  I personally didn't touch it, preferring to straight in jam the S crack.     Stemming off the huge thing makes the climbing more reasonable. "It's so big, it can't come out." 

  So you either climb a really clean crack by being contrived or you take your chances. 

  There was a lot of loose stuff we cleaned off this thing to get it in current shape.  During that cleaning a small hidden cactus was disturbed and unearthed.  After replanting it, I'm happy to say it is growing great guns and has bloomed for the first time. 

  This was my son's first trad lead and his first FA so it made for a great time for both of us. 

  Dirty ledges at the bottom and very top interrupt the clean middle section (ignoring the hanging judge.)  If the climb stays clean and walking over a bit of rubble to start and top out don't bother folks, then it might turn into a trade route since it's not as desperate as most things out here.

Climb the short corner to a ledge, then finish via broken rock/cracks above.

Grevious Angel is a nice gently overhanging hand crack that is accessed off ledges above and west of the Gold Pond. No surprises here, latch in and head for the top in the nice clean crack.

This route has been an existing top rope since the mid 80's. Lack of protection and a predominance of face climbing deterred a lead red point. After much contemplation I decided the route was worthy enough to place a single baby angle pin to keep a leader off the ledge. The pro right after the pin is not exactly bomber either.This is a very unusual route for the Forks in that it flows like a sport route but requires a cool trad head.

Black and Sassy is one of the more obscure routes on the Gold Wall, but is fairly well protected. A nice steep boulder problem at the top guards the rim.   

  Start to the right of Standard Forks 5.8 at a wide section of crack.  Figure out the face holds that lead you to a seam with some thin wires.  Move up the seam until the angle drops a bit.  Continue up the crack which leads to a steep bit of weird fingers and stretchy stemming with face relief!

Yet another classic 10 on the gold wall, deserves more traffic than it gets.  Like T.L. Bush, there is no jamming on this one.  The crux is half-way up, but for out of shape slobs like me the real crux is the pump at the top.   

  Gear is a little tricky the first 20', but the crux bulge protects well.  After that, you have a choice of going left or right.  I went right.  Left looks fun too. 

Acid Test Crack or Ice Cream Dreams. Know it as either, but love it all the same. This route was listed as Acid Test Crack in Tim Toula's historic, A Cheap Way To Fly, and many locals refer to it as such, with all due respect to Heinz for cranking out the FA. Definitely one the best sections of 5.12 fingers at the Forks!Start out by bouldering fractured rock on thin holds to gain the crack proper. This section is a bit touch and go, and many preplace a cam above this section on rappel to protect it, however, many do it from the ground as well. After the initial nerve test, button down the hatches for some sequencey fingers and tips moves. When the crack tightens down expect to find some good boulder problem cruxes. Take your rests wisely. Hard climbing from bottom to top with several good shakes.This is by far one of my favorite pitches at the Forks. If you are looking for something which is steep, dramatic, stunning, and well positioned, then you need look no further. It does see onsights, but not often.

East of Eden is one of the Forks 5.10 classics. 

  It's long, steep and just hard enough to be lots of fun. Start by face climbing up blocky rock to get into the steep crack system. Continue up to a section where fingers in the corner leads to a sort of "V" formed by tight hands size cracks. This is the business. Get through this and it's easier to the rim. 

  IMHO, this is one of the MUST DO routes at the Forks.

We're not usually into naming variation, but most of the route is independent of AuH2O. Climb through the blocky start of Au, then veer right into the corner.

This may be thee most aptly named route at the Forks!  This line, while striking from the base, ends up dishing out more than it's fair share of chossy sections both at the bottom and top.  It would be a serious lead with very real fall potential simply from corroded rock which in sections crumbles away at the touch. However, the actual splitter section of this line produces an all out tips encounter on a steep and exposed section of the Gold Wall, and is actually quite good climbing with face moves intermingled with burly finger jamming. 

  Could get quite a bit better with more TR traffic=Cleaner.

This is a great moderate route.  Start off on blocky rock to access a right facing dihedral.  Continue up the dihedral until you mantel onto a nice ledge.  From the ledge work your way up the stem box to perfect jugs at the top out.

The Gold Wall is the south-facing side of the canyon where the Gold Pond is located.  This encompasses all the rock from the Three Yogis down to The Prow.  Classics are East Of Eden (10b), Goldfinger (11), and Acid Test (12).  A very sunny, warm place to climb.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Gold Wall