My favorite climb on Ridge 4, Killer Elite takes the face just left of Pinch. Climbing starts in a shallow alcove off a flat base. A thin, left-facing corner is actually taken on the face to the left, with the fingers in the corner. The corner fades away with a reachy traverse left before kicking straight up to the anchor. Chase upwards on a relentless series of thin fingery edges and crystals. For its grade, Killer Elite is fantastically continuous. I thought that it possessed at least 5 sequences at 5.11c, perhaps even six. The moves right off the deck are just a tad easier than everything else. The sequences are tricky, the feet are bad, and the moves are absolutely Killer. Three stars for the great moves, excellent stone, and relentless continuity. The route has no 5.12 moves on it, so someone else may down rate it to 5.11+.
Protection
QD only and something for the doublebolt anchor at the top.
Add CommentComments on Ms. Coolie's Saloon aka Killer Elite
Hmmm... One part of the brain for remembering, one for food, one for something else.... Right off the bat there may be a big move right and then back left, as you indicate Rich. What sticks in my "mind" was the left trend followed by the tweaky moves up the center. Actually, one does move around a bit on the face, but none of these constitute route finding problems. Chase the chalk, chase the bolts. It would be fun to get back up there; I haven't climbed KE in several years.
Great route, but why the name change? When I first did this route in 89 or so it was know as Killer Elite. Also isn't there another route named Ms. Coolie's Saloon on Eldorado Mountain?
The route's been up for nine years, but it felt like some of those flakes were going to rip off. Otherwise really fun and I think the geek out (see above thread) about the traverse right after the undercling is well warranted. I still can't tell if that stuff is poison ivy or something else. The internet provides enough variations of the plant that anything can be identified as poison ivy....
Ridge 4
RSS Feed
