California · Rock climbing · Big Bear City

Pistol Whipped Wall

Pistol Whipped Wall in California has 11 climbing routes across 9 grades.

11 routes
5.8 – 5.11d
Sport · Trad

Is Pistol Whipped Wall open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name Pistol Whipped Wall, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Pistol Whipped Wall

Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    46° / 24°

    6 wet

  2. Feb

    46° / 24°

    6 wet

  3. Mar

    51° / 27°

    6 wet

  4. Apr

    57° / 31°

    4 wet

  5. May

    66° / 37°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    75° / 43°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    80° / 50°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    79° / 49°

    3 wet

  9. Sep

    73° / 44°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    63° / 35°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    53° / 28°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    46° / 24°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Bear Lake, CA, 5 mi away at 6,753 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Pistol Whipped Wall is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Thunderbird Wall and Central Pinnacles each about 0.1 mile away. The area has 11 routes, nine of them sport and two trad, with grades ranging from 5.8 to 5.11d. A Good Day to Die is the only trad route, a 5.8 first ascended by Jim Hammerle in 1990. The sport routes include Ricochet at 5.10a, Shootin' Blanks at 5.10b and The Showdown at 5.11d. Summer is the warmest stretch. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Big Bear Lake, about 5 miles away, show July highs around 80°F with lows near 50°F, while winter highs sit in the mid-40s. That station sits roughly 800 feet lower than the wall, so temperatures here run cooler.