This area has access issues. Please read the note available on the Fern Canyon page.
BETA PHOTO: From The Slab 4/11/02
Description
Wedged between the Goose and Nebel Horn Ridge, the East Ridge rises in two steps separated by a gap. The lower step is the Fiddlehead. The upper step is also divided in a lower and upper section also, conveniently named by their characteristics: the Stealth Slab and the Dihedrals. The Stealth Slab contains many high quality sport routes while the Dihedrals are better visited for its mixed and trad routes. The whole of the East Ridge can be characterised by its Eldo-like sandstone (but with more pebbles it seems) and its beautiful red and green south faces.
The location can be very quiet, almost forgotten, and a pleasant day can be had working from the top of the ridge down or visa versa in solitude. Don't miss out on the views of the Indian Peaks from the ridge crest.
Getting There
No matter where you start, you'll be at least an hour and 1/2 on the trail before you reach the East Ridge climbing routes. Find the Fern Canyon trail from a number of trailheads (the North Shanahan seems easiest) and follow it past the Superfresh block (the obvious overhanging bolt route), which is shortly encountered after the Slab Overlook. You have a choice from here: you can take a faint trail right up into the gully between the East Ridge and Nebel Horn Ridge which brings you past the Fiddlehead, or continue on the Fern Canyon trail to the sandy ridge top and bushwack right along the crest West of Nebel Horn Ridge. Class 3 scrambling and wonderful views of the Indian Peaks bring you to the classic serrated lines of the Upper Dihedrals.
This route is located just above the huge gap in the East Ridge. It follows a beautiful face just right of a jagged, left-leaning arete. Start with the burley, slightly overhanging hand and finger crack in a gully. A few 5.10 moves right off the deck lead to a thin, reachy 11b section (lower crux). Continue up to a broken ledge with a small tree below the first bolt. Gear isn't great at the ledge, I slung a horn but some tricky nut placements...[more]
No reflection on you Michael, but I think this is a terrible name for this crag (I understand it is Rossiter's term). East Ridge of what, Nebel Horn? How can an East Ridge trend more or less North-South? I would hope we can come up with a better name for this crag.
George, I couldn't agree more! It almost seems an inside joke or something. I only refer to it as such b/c of Rossiter.
BTW, speaking of inside jokes, the Bean Liquer wall in Boulder Canyon didn't get it's name from a liquer, he-he, but "Bean Licker" - yes, THAT bean....Perhaps Rossiter knows something we don't....
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