Mechanical Animals starts on the same stone pedestal as Hopeful Monsters. Start just slightly left of the bolt line and don't be afraid to to use a few of Hopeful's beginning holds after clambering your way up some blocks. Claw you way up some small holds to a pair of mondo jugs that can serve as your first rest. The fun begins with a couple of drop-knee moves to small holds on really overhung terrain. Clip from a microjug and get set up for a flying sidepull and stab for a great left-hand hold. Get set up for a steep crux and launch for a strange, black pocket that bites back. Struggle your way to the anchors and scream. This route is definitely suited for rock star bouldering types who love super-steep, sustained, technical climbing with several powerful moves onto low probability holds right up until the desperate fight of a finish.

Mechanical Animals

1-8-7

Sylvester Sidewalk

Porcupining Away

Shoot the moon

Monster Baiter

Short Steep Arete

Jawbone

Pearl Jammin'

Sleeping Giant

Violet Sanctuary

Greatful Deadpoint

Half A Full Monte

Proudest Monkey

Hopeful Monsters

El Fishador

Ghetto Toes

The premise is simple. If someone wanted to catch a monster, then someone first had to bait the hook. However, the name implies the obvious, this is an involved climb, often mistaken as self-abuse, with a lot of things that you can do with your hands. 

  This pumpy route starts on a pedestal and gets steep real quick. Work your way up a series of pockets to a small ledge. From there small pockets lead to bigger pockets to a small roof pull with a series of neat, sequential moves.  

  But don't blow your load just yet! The rest of the route has small pockets and crimpers that are guaranteed to leave you exhausted and satisfied.

I assume the Spearfish Guidebook doesn't give this route any stars due to it's short length.  However, I think the moves are WAY fun.  If it was 100 ft, it just might be "classic"...

A really good easy route with lots of edges. Starts on a low angle black face with one or two pockets then face steapens towards the end and face turns yellow. Side pulls at very end with a good pocket to the left of the anchors for clipping into the anchors.

Starts on a pedestal. Gets real good real quick and gives you a whole lot of climbing in just a few bolts.

Climb up the arete on the outside of Ghetto Toes. Crux is at 3rd bolt.

This is another heavily textured black face with small sharp pockets. Thank goodness it is not twice as long or it would be much harder.

A 5.11b created to keep 5.11b climbers honest. This route is a massive undertaking. A roof pull at the very start leads to tiny, sequential holds that require the exact placement of three monos and the sheer luck to plunge your fingers into a desparate two finger that saves your life just in the nick of time. 

  Strong climbing to a nice flake under the roof then leads to a monumental sidepull that lets you gain access to the headwall over the roof. Tiny feet and well placed hands then lead you up to the monstrous finish or one long ride if you fail to wake the sleeping giant within you. 

  This is an old school 5.11b which actually might be a 5.11b after you have finally red pointed it. Plan on spending the entire day projecting and be happy if you manage to get a top-rope send before the sun goes down. 

  This is a giant waiting to be slayed, and an opponent that will not lay down and die. Get on this pumpy, technical climb and remember what it is like to really work for something!

Short route with fun pockets up the slightly overhang blue face

short powerful route, crux is the first two bolts.

The guidebook says the crux of this route is near the fourth bolt but I think is is more like the first 3 bolts. 20 feet of technical steep pocket climbing on sharp rock.

Face climb to hard tricky/ hard to read move towards top

Sweet continuous movement on pockets, slopers and crimps. Better be able to cruise the bottom before trying to pull the upper crux. Upper crux has been done multiple ways, either way you'll be getting a high foot and be tasting your own knee ghee butter! Get on it!

Utilize the two cracks for the first 25 feet or so.  A couple very nice "Devils Tower Like" hand jams end with a hands down rest.  Follow the face to the anchors.

A short, insignificant, mostly ignored route that just became a very big deal because, IT IS NOW THE 700th DESCRIBED SPEARFISH CANYON ROUTE ON MOUNTAIN PROJECT! 

  Everyone of us Black Hills climbers should write an elaborate tale about it, in the comments section below, and then laugh our asses off when those jack-off interns at Climbing Magazine plagiarize us again in one of their full length feature stories that they didn't even bother to research. 

  Why send a reporter into the field, or publish an original story by a local, when you can copy and paste off the internet? Want proof of how journalism is going straight to hell and there is nothing any English teacher can do about it? Click on this link, climbing.com/places/america…

  And if that isn't enough to make you vomit with disgust, check out this fine example of copying the smarter kid's homework. I swear to God, I wrote at least half this article! And did I get a royalty check? NO! Grab a cup of coffee and start cross referencing this link climbing.com/places/spearfi…

  Am I mad as hell? YES! Is there anything I can do about it? NO! Should I quit my bitching? Probably. At any rate, get on this route. It is more than likely the only Spearfish Canyon route where you can sit on the summit and read a magazine while you are on top of the rock.

A black face just under vertical with a bunch of moderate to easy climbs.

Description

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Protection

Routes in Land of the Shorties