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Location: CO : Morrison/Evergreen : Matthews-Winters Park : The Millenium Boulder : Ghost Dance (V6)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Oct 19, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: If GD is not started from the two horizontal crimps (the crimp start), what is the alternate start? If it is from stacking pads, then is that really legit?
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Location: CO : Morrison/Evergreen : Matthews-Winters Park : The Millenium Boulder
By: Richard M. Wright When: Sep 30, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: This comment may be worth bringing up to the level of a forum discussion. It concerns our preparedness to handle snake bite while out at the crags. My impression is that few of us are capable of an appropriate, effective, and timely response to snake bite.
I was bouldering at The Millenium Boulder last weekend, near the end of September, and really enjoying the fall evening, flat landings, and nasty hard problems. Initially there were several other people at the crag. As the sun dipped below t... more >>
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Big Thompson Canyon : The Sugar Cube : Hypocrisy's Promise (5.10)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Sep 28, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Running this route again in September, I'd lean toward 5.11- for the opening sequence.
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Location: CO : South Platte : Devil's Head : The Headstone : The Epitaph (5.12d)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Aug 26, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Absolutely. I wouldn't know if anyone had beaten Alan Nelson to it or not, but he and I worked on it several years after it was put up. He sussed it out a couple of times and then muscled straight through on an RP burn. The line was pretty much solved when it was put up, with everything going free. A clean red point was not done at the time, and our intent was to get back on it for that reason. However, the BS coming down on the Head was so distasteful that I didn't get back to it. At some point... more >>
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Location: CO : Empire : The Halidome : Touch Gold (5.12b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Aug 24, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: I have worked this crux pitch with Mark several times, and I think you can forget hoping to pull it at low end 5.12. Moves over the roof may themselves come in at that level, but the crimps that end the sequence and allow you to pull over the roof are significantly more difficult. However, the crux section is well enough protected that even if it evinces some hangs it is worth running just for the radical sequence. Furthermore, while the last pitch may only come in at 5.10, it's worth the fight ... more >>
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Location: CO : South Platte : Devil's Head : The Headstone : Project (aka Who Haas Done ... (5.12d)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Aug 4, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Nice job, Jason. In checking the original posting date, I was a little shocked to see when the line was first tried. Alan Nelson and I had plans to get back and finish this up before life interrupted with moves, divorces, and fractured living!! Tod would be most likely to know if anyone else had red pointed, although it seems unlikely since nothing has been posted in the intervening period. Alan and I had both run through on TR freeing all the moves but never running a red point burn. I thought ... more >>
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Big Thompson Canyon : Mary's Bust : Proud Mary (5.12a/b)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jun 29, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: We tried to free the third pitch again in late June 2009. I still got spit off the last section 3-4 clips depending. Each time I try this pitch I am convinced that it should go down - perhaps a very soft slipper on the right foot will pick up more action on the right polished face...... TBC
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Location: CO : Empire
By: Richard M. Wright When: May 22, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: I'm not sure what Harald means by: "The Empire area has interesting climbing, but no major multi climb and route locations except for the Goat Rock area." Look at Ra and the Halidome at least, although there are several other crags and boulders listed on this site as well.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : The Bihedral Area : The Bihedral (Upper Tier) : It's Time For Change (5.8)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jan 26, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Nice addition guys. I was wondering if someone else would have put up a commemorative route on such an auspicious day. My own commemorating was a new crag, Inaugural Crag, and a new route installed, prepped, and ready to go, but not yet red pointed (Ascendancy). The change has begun.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Big Thompson Canyon : Stone Point : Stone Rock
By: Richard M. Wright When: Nov 27, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Sorry, I switched FB name. The furthest left route (D) has been worked, but I am still having trouble pulling through the crimp above the roof. It has three cruxes with the lower roof being the most difficult, so it's hard to string it all together even if you pull the roof completely free. I'm hoping to acquire the crimp/campus strength this winter and see if I can put it away in the spring. The route may or may not be 5.13 overall but the roof crimp requires 5.13 crimping with a very high heel... more >>
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Location: CO : Empire : The Halidome : King of the Mountain (5.13a)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Oct 20, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: King of the Mountain, a moment of reflection. KM is really Mark's route through and through. I had originally picked out the line from the Catwalk and had intended it as a memorial to Alan Nelson. If it would go, it would be the longest and possibly most challenging line at Empire. While this indeed turned out to be true, it is due entirely to Mark's effort to get KM installed. Nonetheless, with Mark's gracious consent, we have kept the name as planned where it can serve in tribute to Alan, a lo... more >>
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Big Thompson Canyon : Mary's Bust
By: Richard M. Wright When: Sep 16, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: N.B.: A new and radical looking route has gone in 30ft right of Violet Blue which is still the furthest line left and up the hill. It is approached by an exposed traverse from near the start of VB and will feel loads better with a big camming unit or two to protect the approach.
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon : Creek Side : Spun Gold (5.12a/b)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Aug 4, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Michael, the original plan was straight up from the belay. That seemed pretty hard initially, so moving left made sense, and that is how Mark and I worked it out. However, when we came down to work the straight up way, it seemed to go okay as well, just a lot more fingery. I left the bolt thinking that it made for a more interesting option. Straight up is a bit run out but you pick up some very good feet quickly.
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon : The Canal Zone
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 22, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Nice job Kirk!!! I too had been looking at this crag for well over 20 years and just never had the time to check it out. Glad you got it done.
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Winterfest Wall : Whole Lot of Drunk (5.11b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 18, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Thanks, Tom!!!! Bob as well. Not trying to make things any more heavy than we can carry. For my own part, every time I see a solo entry I'm going to ask in my own mind something about what was not stated. I can't even begin to count the times that Alan Nelson and I worked on a route together, where if he picked off the FFA first, which happened a lot for some of the hard routes, he posts the line as sole contributor. I'm not sure that I have ever seen a Bob D route with only one member of a team... more >>
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Winterfest Wall : Whole Lot of Drunk (5.11b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 18, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: You are absolutely on target, Mike. My appologies. I'll try to fix these where I can.
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Winterfest Wall : Whole Lot of Drunk (5.11b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 18, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The first published reference to WLD occurs in Ken Trout's miniguide to North Table Mountain, Vol 44 (1992). FA citation was Anderson, Desimone, Wright. My own notes and memory are utterly clear that I bolted the line and returned a day later with Joe, both of us getting the red point, which was not done on the day it was bolted. I certainly did not bolt the line alone and certainly TA was part of the initial route installation, we placed the bolts together. It is incorrect to say that neither J... more >>
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Winterfest Wall : Anartichoke (5.10d)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 16, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: On this route, I identified the line, placed the bolts, and led it first. Nonetheless, I certainly did not do it alone, nor any other climb for that matter. As we try to sort out accurate FA data for Mark Rolofoson's forthcoming guide to NTM, the FA data are important since this is something Mark has tried to be particularly fastidious about in all of his guides.
This brings up an important point of general significance. We commonly see FA reports that cite only a single climber, and unless th... more >>
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Winterfest Wall : Whole Lot of Drunk (5.11b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 15, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Few points. 1) I don't poach or steal. 2) Perhaps the result of my dissertation committee burning it into a lower part of my brain stem, I do keep detailed and anally accurate notes - all the way back to the 4th of May 1980 when I took my first climbing lesson with Paul Sibley - bouldering above the Elephant Buttress in Boulder Canyon. My notes are strictly accurate on the FA data. 3) My information is easily verified by chatting with Joe, in the case of this route. 4) Is there any conceivable b... more >>
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Winterfest Wall : Whole Lot of Drunk (5.11b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jul 14, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I put WLD in myself with Joe. FA data are easily squared up with Joe. There may be some confusion about the naming in this sector, or perhaps the way it is listed on the web site. As I recall TZ you had several other routes in this sector.
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Location: CO : Empire : Al Cap : Unknown (5.12a)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jun 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: My first impression of this neat little problem suggested a very hard route. In re-running it, however, I made a series of zig-zags across the face and this limits the difficulty to about 12a with several 11c sequences. This is really an excellent problem that packs a lot of climbing into its 35 feet. The rock quality is perfect throughout.
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Location: CO : Golden : North Table Mountain/Golden... : Overhang Area : Handle This Hard On! (5.12a)
By: Richard M. Wright When: Jun 3, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Not Alan's. He and I climbed it years ago and did not know the FA team at the time - still don't. (Dave Bingham???)
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Big Thompson Canyon : Mary's Bust : Proud Mary (5.12a/b)
By: Richard M. Wright When: May 12, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: We jumped on PM again on May 11. While the arete on P2 proved a bit elusive, Mark did put it together on a second burn figuring it to come in at 5.12a/b. This seems about correct to me as well. The real problem with P2 of PM is linking the arete without a hang. The climbing is very tenuous and it is possible to come off at a moment's notice. It's not pumpy or powerful in any way, but the arete wants to spit you off just when you think you have it all sussed. Clipping is really dicey everywhere o... more >>
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Location: CO : Empire : Goat Rock : Empire of the Goats (5.12b/c)
By: Richard M. Wright When: May 5, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Mark Tarrant and I returned to this route on May 4, 2008 to finally suss out the second pitch. The route description was revised. The way it is set up now makes for a very good climb coming in at roughly 5.12b/c. It is arguably the best route on the crag and has cleaned up very well. It's a pumpy, technical climb and well worth the effort to solve.
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon : Bionic Crag
By: Richard M. Wright When: Apr 14, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: We hit Bionic Crag on the 12th of April and Clear Creek was already on the rise. Without a tyrolean, spring runoff this year will make access rather bold for a month or so (read nearly impossible). We found a fairly shallow region 100 yds upstream that worked well for wading. Access to the New Economy Cliff may be a bit more difficult. It might be worth contemplating a petition for a single Tyrolean to access both crags.
Darren, your routes and the new bouldering discoveries by Matt Samet and h... more >>
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