New Mexico · Rock climbing · Albuquerque

Lower Domingo Baca Slabs (AKA: The Ribcage)

Lower Domingo Baca Slabs in New Mexico has 8 climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.

Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

8 routes

5.6 – 5.10-

Trad · Sport

Is Lower Domingo Baca Slabs (AKA: The Ribcage) open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Sandia Ranger District. It doesn't name Lower Domingo Baca Slabs (AKA: The Ribcage), so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).

Area Closure for Recreation Residence Structures and Property at 91 Casa Loma Road
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-14 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Area Closure for Recreation Residence Structures and Property at 69 Casa Loma Road
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-13 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Area Closure for Sandia Crest “Switchback” Hazard Tree and Fuel Reduction Project
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-02 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Stage 1 Fire Restriction Lifted
Agency alert covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-00-26-20 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Stage 1 Fire Restriction Order 03-03-00-26-05
Agency alert covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-00-26-05 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District

As of Oct 26, 12:20 am MDT · Source: USFS · Sandia Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Lower Domingo Baca Slabs (AKA: The Ribcage)

Best months: April–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.

Jan
44° / 19°
Feb
48° / 22°
Mar
55° / 26°
Apr
63° / 34°
May
73° / 41°
Jun
83° / 49°
Jul
83° / 53°
Aug
80° / 52°
Sep
77° / 46°
Oct
65° / 36°
Nov
54° / 24°
Dec
43° / 18°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sandia Park, NM, 5.9 mi away at 7,030 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Lower Domingo Baca Slabs, also known as The Ribcage, is a climbing area in the Sandia Mountain Wilderness, part of the Sandia Ranger District of Cibola National Forest in New Mexico. The Forest Service manages the land, and the area sits within the wilderness, about 0.3 miles from the Sandia Mountains climbing area and 0.6 miles from the Domingo Baca Canyon, Lower climbing area. The climbing here is a mix of trad and sport routes, with eight routes in total. Six are trad and two are sport, and the grades run from 5.6 to 5.10-. Winter Solstice is a 5.6 trad route, and Green Snake is a 5.10- sport route. The median grade is 5.8. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from the nearby Sandia Park weather station, at about 7,000 feet, show May highs around 73°F and September highs around 77°F, with lows in the 40s. Winter is cold, with January highs near 44°F and lows around 19°F. The Domingo Baca hike starts about half a mile away, and the Foothills Trail North is about a mile off. The Tram climbing area is about 1.2 miles away.