Climb Of The Century 

Like some other climbs at Rincon (including the namesake), this climb is a little soft at it's grade, feeling more like 11a to me. The climb plays best to people who stem and smear well. Ballnuts and micro-cams are both useful.

FYI: A while back a friend and I hammered in the pin on this climb. We were able to drive it in at least an inch. While still not bomber, it no longer belongs in the Eldorado fixed gear _hall of shame_ like, say, the tattered ball nut directly below it. Great line.

you lanzanos are always good stewards at your local crags. i finally got to do this route yesterday and it was even better than i had hoped. a classic for sure. and the pin looks pretty bomber now. thanks stan.

Two words: Black Alien!

eldo top-10, maybe top-5

About the same difficulty as Center Route. I can see this being thought of as harder-11 back in the pre-small cam days.

That's funny Joe...I led this recently, and placed no black aliens, but got 2 excellent blue alien placements right at the crux (one just below, and one just above the pedestal). With these pieces, I felt like the route was pretty sewn-up, definitely not deserving of an "s" rating.

Maybe black aliens work in those slots as well?

The black alien backs up the old fixed slider nut at the start.

Somebody tell me why this seems easier than Center Routeto me? This is now officially on my lead list (TRed it clean first time, which is way more than I can say for Center Route)

kirk- in my opinion, this really isn't any harder than center route, it is just that the moves are much more serious on lead. you can sew up the crux of the center route while climb of the century has a decently uncertain fall at the beginning crux. all that aside, they are both classic!

Adam, I don't know what you are talking about. I led this route for the second time last week, and whipped twice off the crux onto a bomber cam. Short, safe fall. In fact, I'd feel comfortable falling anywhere on this route. There are some tricky placements but the gear is good!

Kirk--it may feel easier because the crux, while hard, is kind of a boulder problem (and balancy rather than powerful), plus there are decent rests most of the rest of the way.

charles- glad to hear that the gear held so well. when i lead this route i didn't fall on the gear so i never had a good sense if it was as good as it looked. it just didn't seem as straight forward and easy to guage as the gear on center route. that is why i said is was more uncertain. either way, a definate must lead route.

Adam, it's true that the gear is really never straightforward, anywhere on the pitch, so maybe that's what you were saying and I misinterpreted. The first time I led this I was able to back up the slider nut with a good stopper, and then it took some fiddling, and climbing up and down (it is a bit reachy), but there is a fantastically bomber blue alien placement (I'm sure that cams of other brands would work as well) that can be had before one initiates the crux sequence. I didn't fall on it that time but I had complete confidence in it. I'd encourage people thinking about leading this route (onsight or otherwise) to go for it; you should be able to find these placements, but if you get spooked you're only about 10-15 feet up and it's not hard to downclimb/bail.

And I agree that this pitch is truly must-do, probably one of the 5 best individual pitches I've done in Eldo.

I've only been to Eldo once, but this route is what I remember most.
Good lead.

Onsighted this route yesterday. The gear is good but never absolutely bomber except at the crux. If you have hybrid Aliens, bring the yellow/green and maybe the red/yellow and green/blue, then the gear up higher might be absolutely bomber. Not because of pin scars but because of the nature of the crack. Also, bring a blue Ballnut, you might want it. There's the gear beta. Get after it!

Get by the crux, relax and use your feet and cruise to the anchors.