Like Gandalf, start by stepping across from large boulders to the first bolt, but heading up and right to a wild overhanging stem under the giant chalkstone. From here, work back left and use elf magic to establish yourself back onto vertical terrain. Not done til you clip the anchors!

Elvish Way

The Ring

Frodo's Adventure

Orc 2

Baggins Crack

Hobbit Crack

Gollum

Gandalf the Grey

Step across the giant boulder to gain the wall and a clippable first bolt heading up and left towards in impending roof. Clip the high bolt under the roof and prepare to fight to the finish. 

This is the One Route to Rule Them All!! A fantastic journey through difficult but stunningly good rock. A hard boulder problem down low leads to technical and enduring face climbing, and to a "thank god" stance (avoiding the stance, and climbing straight through, makes the route a little more sustained, and quality). Head up the steep arete, and exit the arete to good holds with one last thuggish move to the anchor.A true Diablo Canyon sport climbing gem, this route is the reason the Mordor crag exists. Keith and I bolted this obvious, stunning line around 2015 but thought it was too hard and we waited til we were ready to commit a whole season to training for sending it. In the mean time, we realized we were going to need some warmup routes so we started bolting other lines nearby, and they just turned out so good we kind of got distracted from the main objective (procrastination as well??). Enter winter 2019/2020, we were ready to get it done. Realizing that we could escape to a rest out right after the first two cruxes brought the grade down to reasonable, and the prospect of us sending became rather achievable.

Scramble up to clip the 2nd bolt at base of finger crack in a dihedral. Move left via delicate lieback, pull a steep corner on large holds, and gain the left side of the steep arete on less than vertical terrain (right side of arete is a 5.14). Climb the steeper face to the right to the anchors (maybe using the crack in the corner if necessary).

This route, given a grade of 11+ on the topo, features sustained crimping on pockets and edges up a short and very gently overhanging face.  The climbing gets a fair bit easier past the last bolt to the chains, but the rock quality deteriorates to consolidated kitty litter.  The grade felt reasonable at 11+ if one used the crack on the left side of the face for a couple of lay back moves. If the crack is completely avoided, it felt much harder, but if one makes full use of the crack, this is no harder than 10-.

easy slab moves to the base of bombay chimney with good hand crack in the back. 

Great warmup for the area. Obvious bolted crack at entrance to the Inner Earth area, left side. Gets earliest morning sun. 

Short, but fun climbing through 4 bolts leads to challenging moves to the lip of a ledge.

Southeast and Southwest aspects. Named due to the proximity to varied and multiple entrances to some deep earth caves in the mesa. This is the large cleft in the Mesa on its southwest side. It is identified by a large boulder chockstone suspended in the back of the crag. It also has some impressive steep features on its upper western tier. The good warmup "Hobbit Crack" gets first morning sun.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Middle Earth Sector