P2: Head up through the roof and up the small dihedral, place pro, step right to twin thin cracks and up to sloping ledge (crux, same as Cro-Magnon.) From here, the left crack is Cro-Magnon and the right, more obvious line is Serrated. Cruise up the hand/layback crack (5.7) to the ledge and belay, or cross over to the bolt/pin belay on The Throne. Great climb, less sustained than Cro-Magnon.
This is definitely a nice route, the name mislead me, however. I went up there assuming it was the Eldo equivalent of Yosemite's "Meatgrinder" (an epic, hand shredding crack). What a surprise to discover the crux is face and the crack itself is much easier. I also recommend Cro-Magnon as more continuous in difficulty. These two climbs are for some reason very seldom done, especially compared to the crowds on Gambit.
I climbed this yesterday and found the section after the roof a bit run out and quite terrifying. I seem to remember not being able to get in any worthy gear for quite a ways and since my last piece was far below me a fall would have been hospital material.In my opinion this climb should have a R or S rating for the section after the roof. The climbing was sustained and the feet we're lousy. Once you reach the section where the two climbs split you can get in gear but not anything (I found) before that. If you popped you would fall past the roof to the ledge below......
This route was first described on page 124 of Pat Ament's 1975 Eldorado guidebook, so it is hardly likely that a 1983 first ascent claim is valid.
"Serrated Jam-Crack 5.9+. Reach a sloping ledge about 40 feet below a large tree in the prominent dihedral between the two main aretes. Starting with a traverse left beneath a rotten overhang, climb 40 feet up and right to a prominent, serrated jam-crack which leads to the rotten ledge on Gambit."
Hey smokie, this is Gary, Gary B.. I heard you are peenning a new guidebook. Pen this. I thought Eldo was one of the better ski areas in the Front Range.
Shirt Tail Peak
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