A very fun line on upper Animal World. Low crux followed by sustained liebacking/underclinging up a left leaning, left facing corner. Route starts on the left end of a ledge in the middle of upper Animal World, just left of Animal Antagonism. Global Gorilla is the next route left, but it starts from the ground. One of the best sport pitches of 5.11 in the area. Let me just say, that a lot of the ratings (including this one) in this area are a little soft. If this were in Eldo it would be about 10d/11a or so. Either way, this route is well worth doing.
Protection
13 bolts/anchors. bring a 60m rope to lower off (just barely makes it).
I really enjoyed this route. It has a great variety of moves on it with a technical, fingery crux and then a long, pumpy, reachy section above. Good reach is an advantage on this route and seems to bring the grade on the upper section down a letter grade or so.
I've led this w/3bolts and I think with the right cam another could be skipped. The clean protection is so good near the top that an A1 medium stopper could be tossed into the crack from 10' away (the bolt is inches away). This would have been a great route. The added finish is suspect and is another story.
Is there, as they say, a grain of truth to Ken Trout's attempt at humor? By skipping 2/3 of the bolts on this route I didn't change it for those who can only imagine bolts, but neither was it much harder than clipping the bolts. It's just a rather disappointing experience given the potential for greatness. Before you list trad routes that haven't had bolts added to them you should ask Alan Nelson about the Bacher-Yerian.
By Charles Vernon From: I'm in transition right now Aug 19, 2003
"No one has added bolts to Jules Verne, Perilous Journey, Bachar-Yerian, etc."
Ken, I'm not worried that folks like you are going to add bolts to these routes. I worry that when new climbings see all the bolted cracks in areas like Clear Creek, Sport Park, etc., then they'll take that for normal, and 10 (20? 30?) years down the line they'll be the ones bolting classic "trad" routes, old and new. I personally believe this process has already begun.
Charles, your concern for the future of climbing is well taken. No where near as bad as you make it out to be. The people who have changed climbing are the people who minds weren't closed tight like the mouth of a pitbull. John Gill, Henry Barber, Steve Wunsch, Ray Jardine, Ron Kauk, Kurt Smith, Tony Yaniro, John Bacher, Christian Griffith, Alec Sharp and various other climbers all [went] against what was considered the norm and jumped out of the circle. I'm happy that they did and the sport of climbing is better for it.
Are you just as [concerned] about bolts being placed on aid from the top down in Eldo (Scary Canary, bolts placed on rappel by Roger Briggs back in 1981, for one example) as you are for a obscure bolted crack in Boulder or Clear Creek Canyon?
I am with Joe on this one and would rather pick the right battle to win. Personally, I don't think this route (or Little John Big Stick) are the right ones to go to war for.
A very, very enjoyable route. It is very height dependant though, my rating reflects that. For me, the crux was the bulge down low, and the rest of the route is fun cranking on jugs. Shorter climbers may struggle through the upper section.
BE CAREFUL on the lower out, especially if top-roping. A 60 meter rope will not reach in the plumb line. Because of the traversing nature of this route, the lead climber starts uphill on a high spot/pedestal, but lowers off to a different spot further down the hill. If the belayer then stands at the downhill spot and belays a climber on TR, the rope WILL NOT REACH when the TR climber lowers straight back down to where the belayer is. I watched a friend get lowered off the end of the rope here.
Tie a knot in the end of your rope! Always! And a stopper knot, not some weak-ass figure eight. But you knew that.
By Kyle Turner From: Broomfield, CO Nov 6, 2006 rating: 5.11c
11c sustained climbing, minus a subtle rest after the first crux. May feel easier to folks with smaller hands, i.e. the undercling seam is a "jug" instead of a one knuckle crimp. Ain't no way it's 11a :). Great climb all editorials aside. -KT
11c solid (for BC, not Eldo). The first pitch of Global Gorilla just left is solid 11b, and considerably easier. Of course if you compare it to Jules Verne, the Edge, Astroman, the whole discussion is irrelevent, bordering on moronic. My take on bench mark Boulder Canyon sport grades ONLY is. Freewillie -10d/11a (soft) Global Gorilla -11b (solid) Animal Magnetism -11c/d (solid) Empire of the Fenceless (ER) -11d/12a Hot Flyer (USR) -12a Tell Tale Heart (ER) -12a Plan B (USR) - 12b (solid) Animal Instinct -12c (solid)
Of course people disagree on these, but relative to each other, I say it's about right.
K. Noisewater's post raises some thought provoking issues about the personal variability of the rating system. In general, I agree with his relative rankings but:
Plan B is much easier for me than Tell Tale Heart, essentially the difference between onsight and total flail.
I'm far more likely to fall at the 2nd crux of Animal Magnetism than at any point on The Edge. My approximate lifetime batting averages on these two climbs: AM .250, TNE .970. For that matter, I like my chances less on AM than on any pitch of Astroman except for the hard (traditional) version of the boulder problem.
Have I crossed the border into full fledged moronism?
David- I guess to fine tune my point is: ratings from one side of a particular crag to another is a relavent debate, or one end of canyon to another. However, to compare two different styles of climbing or two areas, i.e. Yosemite crack climbing versus Eldo slab climbing versus Rifle steep limestone, is comparing apples to oranges. Eldo 5.11 does not equal Boulder Canyon 5.11 does not equal Yose 5.11 Grades are basically area and style-dependent. One man's nightmare is another's daydream. Just my opinion.
I'm short (5' 5") and found the upper crux considerably harder than the lower one. The lower crux is just balancy.
Warning: beta ahead.
Short person beta - for the lower crux - from the decent hold just below the 4th bolt, reach up and left and grab the large sidepull left of the bolt with both hands. Put your right foot on the hold where your hands just were (high step to the hold below the bolt). Then layback/highstep/rock up on to your right foot, reach up and get the finger pocket above the right bolt with your right hand. Next bump up to the jug just above the pocket.
For the upper crux - work your hands up the left sloping rail until your left hand is on the third decent hold - between the two large jugs lower down and the small crimper further up. Move your feet up to the two decent incut feet, then reach up with the right hand to a small, wet, slimy hold just below a large chalked jug. Hop your left foot up and go for the jug.
This is one of my favorite pitches, trad or sport, in the whole canyon. The section from after the second crux to the anchors is as good as it gets. The fact that I can speak so highly of this pitch despite the fact that it has historically given me trouble is a testament to its quality.
Note on the rating: anyone below a certain height (185 cm??) will find AM's rating quite solid as the second crux will not involve a long reach to a great jug, but instead popping to the jug from a nubbin which is almost always wet.
I agree with the above posters about the second crux and height (I'm sub 5'3). For me, the first crux (down low) was casual, but the second crux was harder because I had to use a slippery hold to reach the jug.
Animal World
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