The Wasp may be THE best single pitch, trad, granite route of its style and difficulty in Colorado! There are a couple single-pitch routes in CO that come close but this is a unique gem combining great rock, super aesthetic moves, and great pro. In my opinion, California fine-grained granite has always catered to more memorable crack pitches than almost anywhere in CO, except for this very spot (and parts of the Platte).
A word about ratings…I had heard a couple comments from climbers who felt that The Wasp does not warrant a 13a rating, and to be honest, neither did I. But...I did not onsight it and I completely sieged the route by fully inspecting gear placements and moves on rappel. How can anyone accurately rate a climb? It is so subjective and with any climb there will always be many factors that will obviously affect the perception of difficulty. At the time I redpointed this route I knew a couple climbers who came close but only 2 climbers who had onsighted it, and I am assuming each was a true onsight. To onsight the Wasp without ANY prior knowledge of the moves OR the gear placements is an awesome accomplishment. En route, there are some cryptic sections and a couple of moves where you must bear down but in general the climbing is more cerebral, and there are no “stopper” crux moves. On the other hand, the gear requires some thought in a few placements, but as a whole the route protects beautifully. Every climb is different. The Wasp was for me “easy to learn”. I believe this would be the same for most. Nonetheless, a worthy and challenging climb whatever you decide to personally rate it.
The Wasp is a proud onsight at the grade. Of course, I would rather have climbed it in that style. For me, redpointing The Wasp was worth the “tainted” effort. At that point in time, I entered into the lowest point of my personal climbing career, so now I can look back and be psyched. My first redpoint attempt was a complete disaster and paled in comparison to my partner’s flawless display of climbing prowess (you rock Chris). I was so “tuned in” during my second redpoint attempt but absolutely crushed when, at the VERY LAST move before the anchor, I was halted and literally pulled off by rope drag caused by my foolishness. When I went back for the third and successful attempt, I cruised to the top skipping placements which created the drag and I was fully aware of how ingrained the climbing was in my mind and body.
I didn’t want to give away any of the climb’s secrets, give a bogus description or spew any diatribe and slander. I also wanted to share my opinion of perceived difficulty versus guidebook rating…I have been called a sandbagger in the past. I did enjoy reliving the experience with my ramblings. May my experience excite you to get on this fine route!
Location
Located on the upper tier of ROA between Greensleeves and a Tommy Caldwell 13- fully bolted route (which is left of a Topher D. torturous corner route) is The Wasp. Start at a flake that becomes a straight in crack. Near the middle, the route zigs left and zags right to a rest before the last leftward stretch to the top and the bolted anchor.
Protection
Bolted anchor. One pin (last piece). Assortment of standard and "offset" nuts through the size range but mostly in the med range. Double cams from Metolious #0 TCU through flexy WC Friends #2.5 (three 1.5 Friends). Runners including double-length. Double rope technique could be helpful due to the zig-zagging nature of the line.
A classic and memorable pitch of "hard" trad. Well-protected throughout, but the gear at the crux requires a bit of tinkering to get it right. Comparing to another local testpiece of similar grade, it is not as hard as The Evictor, but YMMV.
No single move as hard as the crux on Evictor, but overall a more demanding route both mentally and physically. This route is super technical, and it stays on you until you clip the anchor. Perfect rock in a perfect setting rock climbing doesn't get much better than this.
Rock Of Ages
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