This route climbs a ramp located on the South side of Der Zerkle about 100ft West from the low point of the rock. The Mallory Cave trail used to pass a couple of feet from the bottom of this climb but has since been re-routed South
Hike the Mallory Cave trail past the bottom of the rock and exit it at the switch backs about 130 feet above the bottom of the rock. Hike some 40 feet to the rock and and down a bit. Look for the Eastern most ramp ascending the South face (from East to West). The Western most ramp is Sunny side two and does not reach the summit...
Climb the easy ramp (5.2-5.3) past a 2 foot arch for 150 ft. At this point the ramp becomes steep, polished and is blocked by a headwall. Traverse right (North) past the overhanging wall (5.5) and onto the large ledge that cuts across the entire East face of Der Zerkle.
From here you can finish via the East Face North side or South Side routes.
Addendum: Excerpted from the Boulder Mountain Parks website: "THE EAST FACE OF DER ZERKLE including the following routes: Sunnyside One, East Face Left, East Face Right. All other climbing areas on Der Zerkle and Mallory Cave Trail remains open."
By Tony Bubb From: Boulder, CO Jun 7, 2006 rating: 5.7 R
As I recall it, this is more runout than the average Flatiron route and a little hard compared to other 5.5s. The right-hand traverse is quite long and goes perhaps 20+ meters to the niche below the tunnel-through moves of the second vertical pitch. Worthy for the completist's list, but not nearly a classic Flatiron route.
This route in and of itself is no harder than 5.4, even less if you tunnel under the arch. Once on the massive ledge, you can rap from a tree near East Face Right or finish on either E.F. Left or E.F. Right, which would then up the grade a bit, but the moves unique to this route alone are quite tame.
Der Zerkle
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