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- Nov 07, 2012
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The Vegas You Never Knew — Red Rocks Climbing
Sunny sandstone rock climbing in Las Vegas? It is the real deal- not like the smoke and mirrors or glitz and lights you find down on the Strip. Long time guest Sharad H. and I, MM guide Marc Ripperger, ventured out for a quick three-day trip into Red Rocks National Conservation Area situated literally 5 minutes outside the city limits.
Our first day in the canyon was a great warm-up day of single pitch climbing in Calico Basin- below you can see the stunning red rock. Clouds built up in the afternoon and the rare rains loomed upon the desert turning everything a brilliant green.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=4490d8e94a719e896d1458be55d01ab3 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=5f3e0089d602a204153f28cea70f46d6 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=15b621c0f301a3d34bf8b2d049f22bf5 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=8366f7f002ea366534b9301792e4bf68 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=62089bcc126daa4f4ddc3d4ac41b4ee1 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=0b491a694b1c76198f99fab46fac2a70 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=d0aec4c008e71fcedb68cef17623107e 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FIMG_3970.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=cd727487a27ff832ee02f5b1f38acbf9 768w)
Marc Ripperger photo
After the rains we set out to do the route Solar Slab. This 5.6 is just one of the many classic multi pitch moderates tucked into Oak Creek Canyon. We logged over 10 pitches and 1,500 ft. of climbing; to top off the day, we cleaned up and put on our dress up shoes and gambled away all our assets… Just kidding. Instead we enjoyed a more conservative night of good food and drink down on the strip.
Marc Ripperger photo
Our final day in Red Rocks we spent in Icebox Canyon and climbed some multipitch splitter cracks on the varnished sandstone. Sadly our Vegas vacation came to a close and I shuttled Sharad back to the airport for work on Monday.
Marc Ripperger photo
We are happy to announce dates for this spring and fall:
March 25 – 29
October 14 – 18
Join our guides for a day of climbing, a course, or up to five days climbing the area classics. We are also pleased to announce AMGA Single Pitch Instructor courses happening during the same time period. Click here to learn more about the SPI courses.