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Location: NV : Red Rock : Second Pullout : The Gallery : Sport Climbing is Neither (5.8)
By: Jim McGuire When: Jun 23, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: A nice climb with an even nicer name. If the rightward moving strategy does not work out well here then go to the Panty Wall and start on Scanty Panty and move left.
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Location: NV : Red Rock : First Pullout : Panty Wall : Panty Prow (5.6)
By: Jim McGuire When: Jun 8, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Although it is not the easiest place to get to, especially the uninitiated, I found the Prow to have great position and great climbing. A bit short but in this place at 5.6 it is worth 3 stars IMHO.
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Location: WI : Devil's Lake : East Bluff - East Rampart : Pseudo Hawk's Nest : Cracking Up (5.6)
By: Jim McGuire When: Jan 10, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: The photo below on the left looking down the route is actually on Pretzel and not Cracking Up. A little mix up in the posting process.
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Location: WI : Devil's Lake : East Bluff - East Rampart : Moldy Buttress : Nine-Minus (5.8)
By: Jim McGuire When: Jan 5, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: The climber in the above photo is on Fungus. Nine-Minus goes up the extreme left portion of the the picture.
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Location: WY : Devil's Tower : Durrance Approach : Direct Southwest (5.11b)
By: Jim McGuire When: Dec 24, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: It is interesting that the first pitch is described in the guidebook as bing 75ft and Rangers..APT right next to it is described as being 120ft. They are both in fact 120 ft and a 60M rope for descent needs a little downclimbing. This climb is nice for a quick, easier one pitch lead with a thin crux move low down that is similar to the first pitch of New Wave. There are not a few loose blocks near the top that warrant caution.
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Location: WI : Devil's Lake : East Bluff - Potholes Area : Doorway Rocks - Major Mass : Dippy Diagonal (5.7)
By: Jim McGuire When: Dec 12, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: A very well protected lead indeed as is Kenosis as well, but I would characterize the crack as more hand size than finger.
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Location: WY : Devil's Tower : South and East Faces : TAD (5.7)
By: Jim McGuire When: Dec 3, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: The conventional ratings in previous guides have pitchs one and two as 5.7, in fact Rypkema's guide rated pitch one as 5.5. It seemed to me that pitch one was a lot of face climbing and very little if any offwidth, certainly not like BHV's first pitch. In addition, pitch two is much more sustained than the first. No question that the worst thing about this otherwise stellar climb is the first belay.
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Location: WY : Devil's Tower : East and Northeast Buttress... : Broken Tree (5.10b)
By: Jim McGuire When: Dec 3, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Agreed that BT is not that sustained like a lot of Tower cracks and it does have some good rest stances but I would say it has a definite crux at the top and is 10b. The first pitch makes for a nice moderate 5.6 route of its own.
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Location: WI : Devil's Lake : East Bluff - Railroad Track... : Horse Rampart : Primak's Surprise (5.6)
By: Jim McGuire When: Dec 2, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: So the long tradition of not reporting the rating in order to not spoil the surprise has been abandoned. I always wondered what the consensus rating would be, but still seems a pity to let the uninitiated in on the surprise.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : Glacier Gorge : Spearhead : North Ridge (5.6)
By: Jim McGuire When: Nov 11, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Route finding warnings on this climb may be a little overblown. Check out Feaver's pic of the face below. If you want the easiest passage locate the prominent left anglilng crack system over the lower third of the face. Start the climb up the left side of the slab below this and into the left chimney at the bottom of the crack system. Up the crack system and then anywhere up the flakes above as it's all pretty easy. Higher up the ridge crown forces you to the left into the crux pitch, not a... more >>
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Location: CO : South Platte : Elevenmile Canyon : Arch Rock : Waiting for Staircase 1-3 (5.8-)
By: Jim McGuire When: Oct 30, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: We had no problems doing this route with a 60m rope, for both lead and descent and top-roping. This is a great face climb with abundant little knobs and foot divots. I would give it a 3 star rating.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : The Pear : Right Dihedral (5.9)
By: Jim McGuire When: Oct 29, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: The start in the corner is a bit dirty and licheny. One should not be discouraged by this as things clean up nicely above.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Left Book : Zingando (5.5)
By: Jim McGuire When: Oct 27, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: It is also possible to start farther up and to the left and then traverse back in to the right and avoid the junky start. Although easier, this is just as good as the other Left Book Slab routes.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : Hallett Peak : Jackson-Johnson (5.9)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 26, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: The 5.9 rating on this climb is misleading. As one route description that Walt Fricke did get right in his old guide he says, "Most of the climbing is low fifth class with spots of medium fifth. The 5.8 (apparently easier back then) move on lead 8 is sufficiently out of character with the rest of the climb that it is normally faked with a spot of aid." Considering the climb in that light it is a terrific alpine outing. I thought the hardest move was at the end of the first pitch up a steep cr... more >>
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Fall River Road (US 34 West... : Deer Ridge Buttress : Praying Nun (5.4)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 26, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: The standard way described for the pinnacle is to climb up to a notch along the NEside then up the short face to the top. It is possible to make the climb longer and more interesting by starting down and right at the base of the north end. That being said it would be hard to justify the long bushwack for this climb alone, but to combine with Nun Buttress or others would.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : Long's Peak : North Face/Ridge : Keyhole Ridge (5.6)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 26, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Our path over the ridge was about identical to what Guy H. described above. It was a very windy day making some of the traversing on the ridge top in the middle pitches very exciting but communication was our biggest difficulty. As a ridge route it is top notch yet almost cosmopolitan as you are looking down on the hords ascending the Keyhole route almost the whole way up.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : Sharkstooth : East Gully (5.4)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 26, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: The description of the last pitch is exactly right, if every pitch on this climb was like the last it would be megaclassic. Unfortunately, the lower pitches are mostly easy scrambling over broken, loose, ledgey segments with occasional short, steeper quality 5.4 spots. It is hard to recommend this as a destination climb with longer quality routes close by, but it is fast. On a day when we intended to do the NE ridge but found it occupied, we were up and down this route before they reached the... more >>
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : Hallett Peak : Great Dihedral (5.7)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 26, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: We did this route in 3 pitches with a 60m rope allowing stops on convenient ledges. The last bit of the first and whole second ptich are the best and are in the dihedral proper. A very good route but it is a bit wet in the corner, especially earlier in the season.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : RMNP - Rock : Hallett Peak : Standard Route aka 1st Butt... (5.5)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 26, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: It's best to start with Great Dihedral or patch together some easy leads up the slabby section below the first buttress. Otherwise, it's a long haul for 2 or 3 pitches of not so great climbing. We took the right hand dihedral -chimney mentioned in the description which is quite easy until the very top. A bit claustraphobic but it offers a quick discharge of the upper part of the first buttress.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Twin Owls : Organ Pipes (5.6)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 25, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: My first 5.6 lead on Lumpy Ridge, and at the top I, had a smile a mile wide. Finishing in the 5.6 corner on the last pitch is still mighty fine, steep climbing and a worthwhile finish. The 5.8 finish, as I've discovered on subsequent trips, offers terrific crack climbing as well, but at a considerably stiffer standard than anything below it.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Batman Rock : Summer Breeze (5.7)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 25, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Treated as an extension of BM&R this really isn't that short of a climb and it makes the approach just that much shorter. It offers great crack climbing, and excellent pro similar to White Whale and Hiatus, only easier and it finishes on a superb summit atop the valley. Of course, then there's the walk down . . . but it's worth it.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Twin Owls : Pin Route (5.5)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 25, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: This is a nice climb for its grade. It's possible to access the traverse ledge more directly, avoiding the dirty chimney. The variation which continues the traverse - Sky Route- is easier but more exposed as it continues out to the west edge and gives a more open view of the valley below.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : Sundance Buttress : Cajun Capers (5.7 R)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 23, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: I agree agree with the above mentioned option of side-stepping pitches 3 and 4 for the traverse to Last Gasp. The first two Cajun pitches are especially fine and the first two of LG are phffff. Plus, the S rating on Cajun Capers is well deserved, I think it's downright scary, unless you're a solid 5.9-5.10 leader. The remaining pitches of LG are very good, not a hike, but enough 5.6 to keep it interesting and without the protection problems.
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Location: CO : South Platte : Elevenmile Canyon : Arch Rock
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 17, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Considering ease of approach/descent, quality of rock and abundance of moderate routes, Arch Rock is hard to beat.
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Location: CO : South Platte : Elevenmile Canyon : Arch Rock : The Staircase (5.5)
By: Jim McGuire When: Sep 17, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: What Jim Erickson said of the East Slab of the Dome goes double for this climb,"pure, unadulterated fun - ignore it at your own loss".
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