Big Bad Wolf: My First Multi-Pitch Climb, Red Rocks in Las Vegas

Me anchored in halfway up the wall of Big Bad Wolf in Las Vegas.

Most people go to Las Vegas to gamble, drink, or see a show. But there’s also a big population of us that go there for nothing the city can offer: rock climbing.

While I was able to climb a couple of different places during my week in Vegas, my favorite by far was the day I got to sport climb (climbing on a rope using bolts that are already installed in the rock) up a 220 foot wall as my first multi-pitch climb (multiple routes to get to the top) and only my second time trying out lead climbing. The climb is called “Big Bad Wolf.”

For those of you not-versed in climbing lingo, “lead climbing” is basically climbing with the rope as you go up the wall and clipping into bolts until you get the top anchors. After setting up the rope at the top, you can rappel or get lowered back down by your belay partner. Then your partner could “top rope” by belaying with the rope you just took to the top of the rock. When you do a multi-pitch, you stay at the top of the route and your partner will then climb up to meet you, and you start the next route from being clipped into the wall partway up instead of from the ground.

For those that are versed in climbing lingo, it was three pitches long, with the hardest route being a 5.9. It was a fairly easy one but a fun climb and a great way to get oriented with the process for me. I was excited to lead climb a 5.9 and 5.8. Prior to this, I had only ever lead climbed a 5.7.

Because safety comes first, and there were only two of us, I didn’t get many photos climbing, only while bolted in to the wall when I was hands free:

Safety first! Only taking a picture because I’m safely bolted into the wall and my partner is still bolted below and not climbing yet!

But here are a couple that I was able to grab from Mountain Project (where you can get the details if you want to climb it yourself):

This shows the route you follow on Big Bad Wolf. Photo courtesy of Mountain Project.

A climber on the first pitch of the climb. Note: photo is not of me. Photo courtesy of Mountain Project.

Any friends/family that have spoken to me recently have been forced to hear me go on and on about rock climbing, because it’s my new obsession. I have dreams constantly that I’m climbing, and anything with a bolt or a rope or something I can grip with my hands makes me think of climbing. Chances are if you’ve hear me talk about it, you’ll hear me talk about this climb. Nothing all that challenging, but super fun and super rewarding to start putting together my newfound skills.

In just a couple of weeks, I’ll be in Valdez, Alaska where I am working a seasonal job as a server at a heli-ski lodge. At that time, I’ll be putting my new hobby on hold, at least in practice. I am looking forward to continuing to build my strength in our yurt-gym, so if an of you have advice, tips, or workouts for me to do, send them my way! Once the weather warms back up, I’ll get back outside. Until then, I’ll keep climbing (literally) in my dreams!