Gorgeous autumn day and a gorgeous route, "Asahi",...
Description
On Micky Mouse Wall, almost directly below the Red Dihedral, you will come to a series of bulging flakes rising up and to the left, below a short, right facing corner. You will see a bolt in this corner, some 30+ feet off of the ground.
P1: 5.10c, 130 feet. Climb up the flakes on good holds, but some questionable rock. Clip the bolt on the corner with a 1' sling and head left onto the face past the arete. This is the first crux. Face climb up past 5 more bolts, which are liberally spaced. You climb on the left side of the arete and on the face for quite a way, passing another crux. Near the top, you will break even farther left to reach a lower angle crack system which is unprotected but easy. Belay up top from gear, some 20' to the climber's left of a small tree.
P2: 5.10a, 45 feet. Look directly up to see a thin seam which becomes a left-facing corner with a roof. Go up the seam/corner to the roof then step to the right into a nice section of handcrack. Reach the next ledge & belay from solid gear.
To descend walk left (West) to a set of cold shuts and rap 80 to a lower ledge. On the lower ledge, walk left (West) and scramble down at the end of that ledge to another set of cold shuts. Rap 80' to the ground.
Protection
The first pitch is bolted, but that's 6 bolts in 130 feet. The first is 35' up and above some 5.10a climbing... A #4 Camalot and a few stoppers could be places below it.
The anchor above the first pitch will be yours to build. You should have a cordalette & mixed gear. The rock is not so hot on the ledge.
P2 is a thin crack and a few hand-jams. Stoppers (some thin will be helpful) and tiny TCUs + a 2.5" cam is the pro. Again, you build your own anchors, so have a few pieces with you.
A three star route when the abundant poison ivy dries up.
By Ken Heiser From: Boulder, CO Aug 16, 2004 rating: 5.10c
I did this route yesterday for the first time. I brought the rack and put in several pieces to [augment] the bolts. For me, even on the upper section of pitch one this would be very runout without placing gear. A #4 Camalot was a key [piece] on the lower trad part. I really liked this route and found it to be very diverse and enjoyable. What we got in exchange for the long hike on Sunday 8/15/04 was a full day at Mickey Mouse with no other parties on the cliff.
Great route. I give it three stars. Loose rock is low and won't trouble those used to climbing Eldo. The #4 Camalot is perfect for the hand traverse and you'll want a couple nuts or cams in the 1-inch and smaller range to protect between the well-spaced bolts. Second pitch tougher than it looks.
Joyce and I put up Asahi during the summer of 1988 with just 3 bolts on the first pitch. The first bolt was originally 30 or 40 feet off the ground (where it is now), but just left of the arete. The bolts and hangers were removed/stolen the next summer (ironically) by two individuals who a few years later obtained a rock drill and began putting up their own bolt protected face climbs. Humans are a strange species, no? I replaced the 3 bolts and hangers within a week of their removal. By the way, the bolts were not "chopped." They were Rawls and were simply backed out with a wrench.
I returned to Asahi many times with a variety of excellent climbers. No one wanted to lead it with just three bolts in the first 130 feet, so I eventually relented and added three more bolts circa 1997. Joyce and I were mentally and physically conditioned by routes such as Wide Country, X-M, Rain, Disguise, the Metamorphosis, King's X, the Diving Board and the Naked Edge, so 3 bolts in 130 feet of excellent face climbing did not seem in the least under-protected. Perilous Journey 20 feet to the left was more difficult and had no pro at all, so what was the problem?
For a broader view of the conflicted mentality and events of the day, read the Author's Perspective on page 4, ROCK CLIMBING THE FLATIRONS, Chockstone, A Falcon Guide, 1999 by Richard Rossiter.
Mickey Mouse Wall
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