Rawlpindi, Red Rocks Route Photo

Rawlpindi 5.7

Brass Wall, Pine Creek Canyon

  • Rawlpindi Sun ExposureRoute quality:
  • Rawlpindi First AscentKarl and Heidi Wilcox
  • Rawlpindi Pitch InfoNumber of pitches: 5
  • Rawlpindi Approach TimeApproach Time: 30-45 minutes
  • Rawlpindi Climbing TimeClimbing Time: 3-4 hours
  • Rawlpindi Descent timeDescent Time: 1-1½ hours to base
  • Rawlpindi Sun ExposureSun exposure: Most of the day, corner gets more shade
  • About the Climb

    Rawlpindi is a relatively new route on the left Brass Wall in Pine Creek Canyon. It climbs the corner system left of Birdland (5.7+). It's a fun and enjoyable climb with good ledges and good pro. It does not see as much traffic as its neighbor Birdland, but it is a nice route if you've done Birdland before. From Rawlpindi, you can also do a side excursion and climb the awesome Big Horn Crack (5.8). The route has a great mix of face and crack climbing, and even has a small squeeze chimney that can be avoided by climbing the Big Horn Crack.

    Rawlpindi (Red Rocks) GearLoopTopo {Rawlpindi (Red Rocks) GearLoopTopo

    Low Resolution GearLoopTopo Preview

    Minimum order of 3 GearLoopTopos

    The GearLoopTopo

    Our GearLoopTopo for Rawlpindi contains all the information you need for the climb, starting from the Pine Creek Parking. This parking is located near the end of the scenic drive.

    In addition to the topo for Rawlpindi, our GearLoopTopo also shows the topo for the Big Horn Crack (5.8) and the top pitches of Birland (5.7+) in case you want to climb more great pitches. The rappel route along the bottom section of Birdland is also given.

    Possible Combinations

    From the second belay on Rawlpindi, check out the Big Horn Crack on the wall to your left. This amazing curving crack is rated 5.8 but is quite spicy for the grade. However, the crux finger crack section protects very well. From the top of the crack it's possible to rappel back to the second or third belay on Rawlpindi. If you rappel to the third belay, you will skip Rawlpindi's squeeze chimney section. If you can handle it, it's definitively recommended to do this combination.

    Just to the right of Rawlpindi is Birdland (5.7+). If you have energy left after climbing Rawlpindi and the Big Horn Crack, you should climb the top part of Birdland. Two raps down from the top of Rawlpindi will deposit you at Birdland's third belay. From here you can climb the last two great pitches of Birdland: it finishes with an amazing finger crack for the icing on the cake. Afterwards, simply rappel down Birdland to the ground.

    For a full day of amazing climbing, try the following: Start by climbing Birdland, and rappel down back to B2. From B2 traverse to the start of the Big Horn Crack. Climb the crack and rappel back down to B3 of Rawlpindi, which is just 30ft left of B3 of Birdland. Climb P4 and P5 of Rawlpindi. Rappel Rawlpindi back down to B3 of Birdland, and continue to rappel to the ground. This makes for a hard to beat combo at the 5.7-5.8 grade. Note that we recommend to start on Birdland because the bottom two pitches have slightly better climbing than Rawlpindi.

    Similar Climbs

    If you did not combine Rawlpindi with some pitches of Birdland (5.7+), you should climb Birdland from bottom to top. For other great climbs with lots of face climbing try Geronimo (5.6), Johnny Vegas (5.7), or Crimson Chrysalis (5.8).

    If you are looking for nice face climbing at a higher grade, try Y2K (5.10a). Although the route is rated 5.10a, it is more a 5.8-5.9 climb with a single 10a move. This move is bolt protected just where you want it. If you are a confident 5.8-5.9 leader, you should not have too much trouble with it.

    Rawlpindi and Pine Creek Canyon, Red Rocks Back to Red Rocks overview

    1. Cat in the Hat (5.6)
    2. Cookie Monster (5.7)
    3. Y2k (5.10a)
    4. Dark Shadows (5.8)
    5. Rawlpindi (5.7)
    6. Birdland (5.7+)

    Back to Red Rocks
    routes overview

    Download the Rawlpindi PDF file or visit the PDF Center.

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