This is the first route after coming down the trail.  Short and steep.  Start by mantling right of the first bolt and moving left along good holds.  A few big pulls get you over a small roof, then a quick technical move gets you to drop throughs.

Longer Than She Is

A short route with a few tricky moves, and lots of big holds. 

  Pull over a roof and haul on a small crimp to reach good holds.  Make a delicate move way above the second bolt to reach the third bolt and try not to blow it or you could hit the deck.  Then follow blocky jugs over another bulge to easy sculpted jugs.  Lower off drop throughs. 

  Beware of block to the right of the huge flake at the very beginning.  It doesn't seem loose but it is fractured all the way around. 

  Much better than Longer Than She Is.

Harder Than He Is

Sweet roofs just to the left of Tierrany.  Crux is up high.  Fight the pump off.  12d/13a?  Pretty white rock peppered with horizontals. 

Ronnie Raygun

A short, glowing, orange panel of perfect rock with some fun moves and a memorable crux past the second bolt. 

  Start down and left of the first bolt on some decent jugs.  Move up and right across a rail to a cluster of big pockets and huecos below the crux.  A straight-forward sequence of scoops, and edges culminates in a dynamic lunge for a big ledge.  Grab a quick shake at a horizontal break, then do a few fingery moves and keep following increasingly better holds to the anchors.  Watch out for the large hollow flake just right of the anchors. 

  If this thing were a little longer it would definitely get 4 stars.

Tang

An obscure route with a hard start and finish on decent rock. 

  Reach high for a side pull and a hidden pocket, and lurch over a small roof to good holds.  Mantle up and navigate some tricky, slopey huecos to better holds out left.  Follow good holds over a few roofs to a no hands rest on a ledge.  Traverse right on flat edges that get progressively worse to a crux lock off to reach the final jug below a massive roof.

Mr. Robinson's Family

The old Harrison Shull project at Tieranny was done in April, 2021 by Owen Ciancolo, and likely the first ascent. 13d, with good 11 climbing to a long v8/9 boulder problem that culminates in a dyno, to a sustained headwall. Use the first bolt of Tales to protect the chossy start, then follow the obvious bolt line through the roofs. 

Anchor Arms

A extremely steep route that climbs past four tiered roofs- each containing a tough boulder problem.   

  Scramble up a slightly chossy slab past two bolts(not fixed) to the base of the first roof.  Reach over the roof to a decent crimp and deadpoint for a good slot.  Take a quick shake, then reach over the second roof to a series of scalloped crimps(crux), fire for another slot and take a rest at some jugs in the third roof.  When ready, use small edges and some fancy footwork to flow over the third roof. 

  At this point you can do two finishes.  Either go straight up on small edges and dyno to a jug below the anchors(13b) or keep moving right to a good rail, then make a few more hard moves before moving back left to the anchors(13a).

Purple People Eater

The first route done on the wall and still a classic.  Tieranny is heavily chalked and begins just left of center on the wall.  It follows a line of fixed draws out the roof that is just left of a bolted seam (The Probe) that also extends out the roof.  Ends at chains hanging down from a break below the lip.   

  Climb the difficult face up to a good stance at rings below the roof.  This is a sandbag at 5.10 and a difficult warmup.  Continue out the roof on the fixed draws to a definite crux involving a left foot heel hook and a couple hard pulls on smaller holds to yet another jug.

Tieranny

Shares a start with Tales of the Sperm. Move left at the third bolt and on up to the roof. Work the rail out and left to the end of the roof. Rope drag is an issue, long runners recomended

Natural Born Drillers

Climb Huecool Junior to the anchors under the roof. Continue on and making hard moves out of the roof and turning the lip. Great line!

Huecool Senior

Share the face with Ronnie Ray Gun an moves left at the 2nd bolt in the roof. Finish working over to the anchors on Jungle Jane

Final Frontier

Plasma is a one move wonder.  The face leading up to the roof is another excellent pumpy and slightly techy climb by itself.  It checks in around 11b/c.  The roof leading up to the crux is some of the easiest climbing in the Tierrany roofs.  Up to the crux is probably 11c. 

  The crux however is another matter.  Prepare for a big move to a bad sloper.  Pump is of no concern on this one.  Bring your bouldering power.  Stout for the grade.

Plasma Alliance

Whatsherface is a great route on a clean, slightly overhanging panel of golden sandstone.  The first crux comes low with sequential, fingery climbing to a fun toss to a jug.  Rest up on good feet and horizontal hand jams, then climb sustained rock to the upper, very low percentage, crux.  Easier, but very pumpy climbing through the final roofs brings you to the Captain Hook-style cold shut anchors.

Whatsherface

A very steep route with a tough crux at the very end. 

  Stick clip the first bolt, then pull some 5.10 moves past sandy, rotten huecos up a slab to much better rock at the base of the roof.   

  Follow jugs up and right, make an exciting move to a glued on jug and rest up for the first crux.  When ready, set up for a foot-cutting sequence and keep moving right to a slightly disappointing rest below the second crux.  Make a long reach for a bad sloper, burl into an undercling, and fire for a huge horn jug below the hard to clip anchors. 

  This is a great line, with predominantly good rock and interesting movement.  I guess most people just keep moving to the main wall and overlook this quality route.

Nomad

Climb the face up to a slopey, steeper section. Hang on to the top.

My Babe's Got Sloping Jugs

A pumpy traverse can be had on the backside of the large boulder at the Tieranny roofs.  Great sloper training.  Originally climbed left to right.  Named for A toothbrush found at the base to help scrub it.

Alf's traverse

  One of the best routes out the roofs.  None of the moves is super hard but there are several 11d/12a moves on this thing.

The Probe

A long sustained pitch of climbing on some of the best stone around.  Canyon Man is a great pitch and a bargain for the grade.  

  Crank the steep pocketed start to a good rest.  Fire up the gaston deadpoint crux and cruise to the top.

Canyon Man

Starts just to the left of Wild and Scenic. Shares last bolt and anchors with that climb

Holly Hobby

Horizontal climbing at the start leads to easier climbing on the face above.

Lifestyles of the Ripped and Heinous

A boulder problem on a rope.  Basically 5.11 jugs to a V4. 

  Steep moves out a small cave on pebbly rock sets you up on crisp edges below a smooth panel of vertical rock.  Do a tough move to a high edge, get the hidden pocket, move to the mini arete, and fire to good holds.  Mantle, and move left to the anchors of The Pocketeer.

Pick Pocket

After walking past the main Tieranny Wall, you turn the corner and find three routes on an impressive wall that is capped by a massive roof. 

  Wild and Scenic takes the center line.  Start on an easy slab that meets the steeper main wall.  Traverse right along a blocky rail and crank on a few small edges(crux) until you reach better holds.  Follow decent slopers for a few bolts until you get to an awkward undercling flake.  Make a final big move to reach good holds below the anchors.

Wild and Scenic

Climb Jungle Jane approach pitch but crank straight out the roofs instead of moving right.  Route name comes from the dead point to catch the lip of the roof and Grateful dead radio show that played in Knoxville for years.

Dead Air

Cobra Crack isn't the only route with an upside down mono. Get on The Bird, give it the finger and imagine you're on a 5.14 crack. For one move anyway. After that its back to jug hauling. 

  Also makes for a nice direct start to Tales of the Sperm at a slightly harder grade.

The Bird

Certainly one of the lesser routes at the Tieranny Wall but worth an effort.  The first move is the crux.  Nice roof finish.

Juicy Wartburger

This fantastic route is on the buttress just to right of the roofs.  It is heavily chalked and begins across from a large tree.  Climb up past three bolts before hand-traversing right and stepping up to a fourth bolt (there is a 12a that heads more or less straight up but don't clip the bolt on that climb).  Continue up through steep rock to the shuts.

Tales of the Sperm

This route starts by climbing 20 feet up a tree to reach the first holds above a large roof. 

  Step off the tree, follow good holds, and do a hard sidepull move to better holds.  Jugs lead to a tough sidepull move to a handjam rest below an intimidating, double-tiered roof.  Reach over first roof to slopers, then do a hard mantle and follow an easy lie-back to drop throughs.  

  Really cool route.  Very tough for grade.

Tree Route

The name says it all.  If you get on this route, expect an adventure full of crumbly rock, loose blocks, and rope drag. 

  To start, find some hidden jugs, get you feet high and haul yourself off the ledge.  Follow the crumbly crack and try not to fall clipping the absurdly high 3rd bolt(ground fall potential). 

  Past this point, the wall steepens but the holds remain good.  However, the rock is still a bit concerning and there is little chalk so route finding is an issue.   

  Keep moving up and left until you are below a loose, two foot long block marked with an "X".  Crank past this section, and keep following slightly slopey jugs to a strange right facing sloper shelf.  Mantle past this to good holds below the anchors. 

  No amount of traffic will ever clean up this route.  However, it's a good alpine rock trainer.

Trundlerama

This fun little climb is on the face below the roofs, right of center, left of the two short 5.10's.  It ends at an anchor just below the roof and above a two-foot hueco.  Take the righthand line of bolts up to this anchor, passing some nice finger pockets, out right past an undercling flake, and up through a bulging crux section.

Action Indirect

This short little route on the way to Tierrany probably doesn't get climbed too often, but it sure is fun. Every move is a blast, but don't have too much fun or you might not have any juice left for the crux throw.

Rockefeller

Starts just left of Action Indirect. Great moves on all type of grips, inlcuding a big hueco at the top.

Huecool Junior

Sloping crimps and marginal side pulls get you to the heart of the matter with a final blast up crimps to the finish.

Rover B. Dog

Climb out of the cave onto a blunt prow that takes you up unto a dihedral capped by a tricky roof. Have yourself a finger-locking, foot-stuffing. heel-hooking, flake-pulling good time

The Gauntlet

  A great pumpy roof climb with some fun movement.

Body count

  A more forgiving introduction to the massive roofs called Tierrany.  I always enjoyed the face up to the roofs more on this one than on some of the other "slab" approaches.   

  Start left of Tieranny with techy face moves.  Crank through a few bulges on hand jams and reach the base of the roof and rest.  Traverse obvious hand rail out right to chains.  The crux is clipping the anchors.

Jungle Jane

Very similar to it's neighbor, Lifestyles of the Ripped and Heinous.  Get ready to go from horizontal to slabby. 

  Extremely steep jugs on pebbly rock to a good rest at mid-height.  Then do some technical, and crimpy moves to reach a horizontal crack.  Traverse right until you can mantle.  Easy to the chains. 

  A bit easier than Lifestyles of the Ripped and Heinous.

The Pocketeer

Climb Body Count approach but crank the direct boulder problem out the flat roof.

Body Count direct

A quality route with a slopey start on perfect black rock, an easier middle that wanders over a juggy roof, and a crux jump that gains a challenging roof.   

  Reach high for some good holds over a chest-height roof.  Move right to a large hueco, and go straight up on very slopey edges and shelves until you reach better holds.   

  Cut left on jugs until you can reach a rail below the roof at mid-height.  Then move back right along the rail, pull the roof using jugs and heel hooks, and head up an arete to a no-hands rest below another roof. 

  An easy traverse to the right along a horizontal crack leads to a final shake below the redpoint crux.  Set up on a sidepull, and jump to a good hold below the airy horizontal roof that caps the entire wall.  Core-sapping moves on decent finger buckets lead out the roof to a clipping jug at the lip of the wall. 

  You could top out if you wanted! 

  Beware of the questionable flakes in the roof at the top.

Captains of Industry

Technical and thought provoking slab climbing. A worthy route to at least sample the climbing on the Tierrany Roofs before tackling the slab up the Tierrany route, or many of the other routes here. Gotta get up the slabs before you can pump your way up the steeper head walls.

Dutch Boy

The Tieranny Roofs wall is home to the longest routes in the Obed and, obviously, some pretty awesome roofs.  Climbs range from 5.10a (mostly ascending the "slabby" face below the huge roof that caps the wall) to 5.13+ (David Hume's "Body Count").  The wall is south-facing and gets good winter sun.  Recommended gear includes a 60m rope and stick clip.

The Southeastern Climbers Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving climbing areas in the southeast for future generations. SCC members and volunteers are climbers from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas and elsewhere who have joined forces to preserve access to climbing areas in the region. The SCC raises money to purchase or lease climbing areas from private landowners. The SCC is a local grass-roots organization dedicated to preserving climbing areas in the South. The SCC works hand in hand with other climbing advocacy groups like the Access Fund, as well as public and private landowners such as state and national parks, other land trusts, private businesses and local families. Without SCC, many of the climbing areas you enjoy today would not be available for public use. Your financial contribution, however big or small, helps sustain the work of the SCC. SCC preserves climbing areas for current and future generations in the Southeast. We do this through acquisition, stewardship, and community, so that all climbers can enjoy equitable access to the outdoors. We believe all people should have the opportunity to explore the vast natural landscapes in our region. We do not discriminate based on race, color, gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, or any other identity and we will not tolerate prejudice on our properties or within our organization. We believe the outdoors is for all people to enjoy without fear of discrimination and we will continue to work to ensure public protected climbing areas exist in perpetuity.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Tieranny Roofs