El Peñón (Cerro) Blanco, El Vedauwoo. In March, on the 800'+ south face of Cerro Blanco, Todd Skinner and I established a new line to the right of the rightmost line pictured on p. 290 of the AAJ 2002, joining this existing line at the very top of the wall. El Vedauwoo ascends the huge, obvious crack in five 180' pitches. On pitch three, at the crux unprotected 5.11+ offwidth, vertical plates of shit rock were falling off in our hands, then delicate climbing with no pro for a hundred feet, a tied-off dirt clod for the belay. Yet the first two pitches were gorgeous white granite, 5.9-5.10 crack climbing through giant yucca plants, and the last two pitches on similarly stellar stone—a 5.7 chimney followed by a 5.10 water-groove face pitch which Todd couldn’t protect for the first 50'. Bivied on top with no food, no water, no extra clothes. Perfect little adventure for old Vedauwoo craggers.

Mark Jenkins, AAC