Babies R' Us
5.12- YDS 7a+ French 25 Ewbanks VIII+ UIAA 25 ZA E5 6a British PG13
Avg: 3.9 from 20 votes
Type: | Trad, Alpine, 600 ft (182 m), 5 pitches, Grade III |
FA: | Bret Ruckman, Randy Farris |
Page Views: | 4,944 total · 42/month |
Shared By: | MauryB on Sep 22, 2014 |
Admins: | Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC |
For additional information about raptor closures, please visit the Rocky Mountain National Parks area closures website.
General NPS climbing regulations for RMNP posted here.
Description
This is a fantastic route on clean rock. It is good for a shorter/warmer alternative to the Diamond or a hard man start as an alternative to the North Chimney. It has some solid runouts, but the bolts are where you need them for the hard climbing.
Pitch 1. Smear some delicate slab moves up to the first bolt, clip it, and take a deep breath. Head straight up the obvious weakness, aiming for a pin in a shallow, left-facing corner up and right. Clip this pin, move up and right out of the corner and commit to a healthy, albeit easy, runout to the line of bolts marking the crux of this pitch, ending at a two bolt belay below a roof, 11c.
Pitch 2. Get some thin gear to start in a shallow corner right off the belay, then take another deep breath as you commit to the slabby features leading to the first bolt 20 feet above. A hidden piton below it gives a welcome surprise. The bolts get close together, you know what that means. After the crux, some more engaged runouts lead to another bolted belay, 5.12.
Pitch 3. You guessed it, another runout to the first bolt (much easier than the first two)! Follow the bolts to the crux arete sequence, then venture up the easier crack/ledge system to a single bolt belay, 5.11. Or stay low and skip that bolt belay, linking into the next pitch, reasonable and works with a 70m - maybe a 60m?
Pitch 4. Step down and right to the corner, then go up to the bolt which is 15 feet straight right of the belay. Climb up into the roof where you plug some bomber big gear (optional #4), pull the lip, and enjoy the moderate cracks up to a fixed belay of stoppers and old tat, 5.9.
Pitch 5. Go up and right off the belay in a shallow, right-arching corner, then go up to a fixed pin protecting the step right into another corner. Gun for the two bolts above on the clean panel of rock, then bust a move over the mini-roof and up the flake. Reach onto the ledge and dig those fingers in deep to that grass, exciting! 5.11.
Location
Locate the largest, most prominent black streak on the lower left side of Chasm View Wall leading up to the rightmost edge of Broadway Ledge. Scramble up ledges and start just right of this streak gunning for a bolt 20 feet off the ledge system (or snow in earlier season). A good #3 can be had at the base of the belay stance to keep the team on the mountain.
Descent: rap the route, skipping the single bolt belay station for pitch 3/4. Double ropes felt necessary. Or continue up the Diamond like a bawse!
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