South End ("Horse's Nose")

Pitch 1:

~5.9+, 100'. Jam up the steep splitter in the inside of the arch and then slab up the cracks to the base of the arch. The blocks are a bit worrisome but seem pretty solid.

Pitch 2:

~5.6, 50'. Make an airy bouldery move around left onto the top of the arch, then crawl along to the base of the summit block. There are a few places for medium-sized cams.

Top:

There is a pretty good flake just below the summit block to set a belay anchor.

Descent:

For this climb, the descent is just as fun as the ascent. Do a counterbalance rappel with your partner from just below the south side of the final summit block. Double ropes needed (double 50's would reach).

Disclaimer: The internet has very little information on Horsehead Arch other than a few vague accounts of it being climbed in some way and at some doable grade. I cannot find any route descriptions for the arch published in any guidebooks. Since climbers like route names and ratings, I have taken the liberty of creating route names and assigning approximate grades to the routes my partner and I did up either side of the arch. Please consider the ratings to be +/- a grade of accuracy and feel welcome to post comments about whether or not you felt the pitches were easier/harder than my assignments. Thanks!

Starts on south end of arch, under the arch itself.

Singles from green alien to BD #3, with doubles of #1 and #2. Set of stoppers (optional for lead but nice to back up belay at top of Pitch 1). Slings including at least one long one for slinging horn below summit.