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C'est La Morte 

5.9

   
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Type: Trad, 1 pitch, 160 feet
Consensus: 5.9 [details]
FA: Duncan Ferguson and John Bragg, 1974.
Submitted By: Ben Schneider on Jan 1, 2001

You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (60)
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Finishing Flakes with the crux of C'est La Morte.....

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Description 

Begin atop some boulders at the base of the prominent wall just a hundred meters north of the large cement slab by the river. Traverse up and left in the rotten band with poor pro. Reach a huge flake with good pro - place pro as far right as you can, and add a long runner to it. Surmount the flake, head right and around a corner (tricky - stay low to make it easier). Follow a beautiful finger crack up and right until it meets another crack (where you will find two pins - use really long runners). Now work up then sharply left to a two-bolt anchor. Expect bad rope drag. 160 feet.

You can rappel with on 60m rope if you are very careful and downclimb from the ledge.


Protection 

RPs, standard rack.


Location 

This begins just right of C'est La Vie.



Photos of C'est La Morte Slideshow Add Photo
The gear is tenuous on this 5.6 traverse until you get to the downward pointing flake where you can bury a #3 Camalot (or place any of a number of smaller pieces). The route cuts back hard right around the roof on the right to the same crux crack for The Flakes and Whistle Stop. Photo by Ivan Rezucha.

The gear is tenuous on this 5.6 traverse until you...

Jason Baker warming up with the classic "C'est La [Vie]."  Eldo Canyon, Co.

Jason Baker warming up with the classic "C'est La ...

Relaxing near the first "good" pro.

Relaxing near the first "good" pro.

Below the crux.

Below the crux.


Comments on C'est La Morte Add Comment
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Comments displayed oldest to newestSkip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Mar 8, 2013
By Charles Vernon
From: Florence, AZ
Jan 1, 2001

The "easy" climbing goes something like this: after traversing up and left (along a sort of rock stratum, toward Cest la Vie), traverse back right under a small overhang, head up a thin, right leaning crux crack, and then traverse back left to the fixed anchor (near the right margin of the large Cest la Vie dihedral). Bring 2 ropes to rappel.

By John Keller
Aug 29, 2001

The anchors at the top of C'est La Morte and Whistle Stop (they end with the same upper part of the crack and left traverse) are set such that one 165ft rope will get you down... JUST BARELY... to the boulders leaning on the wall. Make sure the ends are even!

By flynn
Oct 17, 2002

Three stars might be a little generous, but it's still a pretty good route. I remember it having an appetite for small, springy things; in other words, TCUs are very helpful. In summer, too, it sports an active hive of small wasps that don't seem particularly aggressive, though they are numerous. Naturally, they're housed very near the crux. The comment about a 50m rope just reaching the 'ledge' is completely accurate. The ends of the rope come through your ATC (or whatever) just as your feet touch. Mind your balance!

By Ernie Port
From: Boulder, Colorado
Jul 2, 2003
rating: 5.9

Cool, exposed moves half way up, as you exit the lower face moving right and connecting with the upper crack. Same finish as Flakes. From the chains, 60m rope took us right to the start with rope to spare.

By Clint Locks
From: Boulder
Jun 24, 2004
rating: 5.9

Remember to protect the second at the end of the climb, before the anchors. It'd be a pretty good swing. By that, of course, I mean a pretty BAD swing.

By Shane Zentner
From: Colorado
Oct 9, 2004
rating: 5.9

Fun climb. I didn't see the 'RP crack' that the guidebook mentioned. A bit cool in the shade, smokin' in the sunlight. This would be a fun winter route.

By Michael Amato
Jun 12, 2005

Devious route, but a lot of fun!

By Eric Goltz
From: Boulder, CO
Oct 27, 2005

Sweet route, at least as good as C'est la Vie (p1). Don't bother with gear until the undercling. I didn't find RPs necessary... the crack sews up with medium stoppers.

By Ivan Rezucha
From: Boulder, CO
Dec 29, 2005
rating: 5.9+

A very good variation is to climb the variation left of The Flakes start (the right-angling ramp) to the left edge of the Flakes ledge and then step left to the base of the C'est la Morte crack (see Guy Humphrey's photo, but note that the 2nd and 3rd visible pieces of gear in that photo are on thumpy rock--I didn't use either of those). The rope runs straighter than either the regular C'est la Morte, The Flakes or the regular Flakes start to C'est la Morte. Gear is good. A #3 Camalot at the ledge with a double length sling protects the step left to the base of the C'est la Morte crack, and a #2 Camalot up and left will keep you there (at the base of the crack).

By Steve "Crusher" Bartlett
Mar 16, 2007

In Guy Humphrey's excellent photo, the climber has a piece attached to a long purple runner behind a "thumpy" flake (third piece from bottom of the photo). This flake is AWOL. The reach up into the crack is now a tad harder. Still felt like 5.9-ish, but this felt like the crux move of the pitch.

By Mike C. Robinson
From: Rumney, NH
Apr 22, 2007
rating: 5.9 R

Great Climb! Questionable gear at the start, but it is only 5 or 6 so enjoy it!

By Jay Eggleston
From: Littleton
Jul 21, 2009

This is a good pitch. It is more engaging than either The Flakes or Whistle Stop.

By Phil Lauffen
From: Louyuppie
Sep 26, 2009

Dude, I got a great #1 Ballnut in behind one of those solid(er) looking rocks in the 5.6 section. Totally bomber. Also, totally nasty rope drag at the top. Be smarter than me. Place long runners on your pieces before moving right around the roof.

By Rodger Raubach
Mar 12, 2011
rating: 5.9-

I did this route many years ago before some of the loose flakes were "cleaned off." My comment in my notebook was "the lower pro is only as good as the flakes." I'd suggest breaking it into 2 short leads to reduce rope drag. A single 60 meter rope should suffice to get off, and a 70 meter is "no sweat."

By Ian Cavanaugh
Mar 8, 2013

Great route. Use some double length runners on the first half, and rope drag should be just fine.