Mardi Gras starts on the right side of the wall, next to a wide, right-slanting crack. Head straight up to the bulging overlap. Pull the bulge and continue up and right on solid holds, sometimes jugs, sometimes thin. Balance and footwork is the key. At the smooth patina face, find a few key holds and crank through. Finish up and left over soft knobs and dishes (what I considered to be the crux) to reach the anchor. Rappel to descend.
By Bill Olszewski From: Colorado Springs, CO Jun 23, 2009
Chris – I’ve climbed a lot of your routes over the years. Good stuff. Mardi Gras is by far my favorite and the best easy .10 in Holcomb, imho. Thanks man!
Edit: I was telling Mike that day that you would take away a star and downgrade the route - I knew it! ha ha but really, 5.9? I was thinking .10a ...
By C Miller Administrator Jun 26, 2009 rating: 5.9+
All three routes on the main face were rated 5.9 since they felt about the same.
Pistol Pete, Ricochet and Vertical Epic seem better as they're longer and more continuous in nature.
By Dave Daly From: Temecula, CA Jul 28, 2009 rating: 5.10a/b
Chris....seriously, 5.9?? The obvious crux is passing the 3rd bolt while pulling moves into the .10a/b range. Been on Richochet and a few others of yours. I'll stick with .10a/b on this one.
RSS Feed
Slideshow
