Woodymaker and Kelly Canyon

Unlike my folks, who were up in Flagstaff for the week, I had to return back to Phoenix for work on Wednesday. Before leaving Flagstaff, I was able to scope out both the Woodymaker and the traverses in Kelly Canyon. 

Woodymaker is located in Fernow Draw, which is accessed by driving on Woody Mountain Road. I hadn't been out on Woody Mountain since last October, when I visited Choss Roof with Bobby. Unlike the Choss Roof, the Woodymaker is more of an ice-cream sandwich kind of feature, and the line is low to the ground. That's fine with me, the height of Choss Roof freaks me out a bit. 

The Woodymaker

Access-wise, while it is a long drive on Woody Mountain, by the time you turn onto Fernow Draw, you can see the roof, so you don't need to drive very far in. I can't wait to toss some pads underneath it. The Woodymaker is shaping up to look like a true roof power-endurance builder. 

Woodymaker on the left

Kelly Canyon is awesome. East Kelly Canyon is located off of Exit 331, and once you drive pass the shooting pit, you will end up at a parking lot that will lead you down to the boulders. The sandstone boulders here are amazing. It is completely different than the sandstone found at Antelope Canyon, or the Anvils in Sedona in that it feels much softer on the hand, but is still bulletproof. I found out from a local there that the season just begun, so the problems will be a bit sandy and will require some brushing (as well as potential Gri-Gri and rope for the top-outs). I was able to check out the following problems: 

The Traverse

The Traverse is a really classy traverse. You can start half-way through for the V4 grade, or you can start all the way from the left (shown in the image above) for the V7-V8. The crux of the problem looks to be in the middle traversing along the sandstone slopers to the V4 start. The holds are good, but the feet seem non-existent so some powerful pulls will be needed. Time to strengthen the wrist!.  

Last Light Traverse

The Last Light Traverse goes at V5, and you traverse all the way through the corridor. It's got a bunch of interesting holds, and I did some padless traversing when I got to this feature. Let's just say dangling upside-down doesn't do you too many favors when it comes to vertical traversing.  

Pressure Drop Roof

Now this one is just scary. One day I'll be brave enough to give this one a whirl.