This secretive crag lies behind the Third Flatiron and East Ironing Board and sees very few climbers. It's east face is very smooth and contains a distictive offwidth crack that curves up and right (the route "Crescent"). The east face is home to several runout face routes. The west face is generally overhanging, and a long hike in.
Getting There
Follow the approach to the East Ironing Board, but continue on up Bluebell canyon a few hundred feet to the base of the east face. Descent: From any route that reaches the ridgecrest, one may scramble the ridge NW to hiking terrain. It is also possible to downclimb or rappel a 4th class chimney to the west. On the east face, there is only one crack which runs straight from the base to the ridge - the 4th class chimney is the other side of this crack. From the summit area, it is easier to head north into and descend the drainage between the Third and Second Flatirons (rather than going down Bluebell Creek).
This is a very serious route and it is dangerous of Rossiter to give it a mere "S" rating. There is a 300' section of rock with no decent pro at all (there is one ancient, worthless-looking bolt, see photo). This climb begins a few feet left of the Crescent Crack, and heads straight up the face between the SE ridge crest and Crescent Crack. The rock is smoother than average Flatiron rock, but it is solid and the position near the ridge crest i...[more]
I was scrambling around behind this rock a few years ago (lost, of course) and ran into a mountain lion. He definitely saw me first and gave me the "Go away, please" growl. That was all I needed to decide on a new route, up a chimney (faster than I have ever climbed), through a cool arch, then out across the east face, depositing me almost at the base of the climb I was looking for, the Crescent.
Print a Mini-Guide - Includes Routes!
RSS Feed
