A Monastery classic. Located about halfway up the SE corner of the Boneyard formation, the climb begins on a secluded, dramatic shelf perched above the valley floor. The views are to die for - on the ground and on the route. A bouldery start leads to continuous, inspiring climbing just right of the sharp SE arête.
Access to the climb is via a small shelf on the lower end of the Boneyard, found on the Catacomb trail. Look for a bolt route (Saint Sixtus Scoop, 5.10b) which starts in a smooth scoop-like wall above the shelf. Scramble up past the bolt route along the narrowing shelf and find the Hot Zone arête above.
To begin, climb back up to the entrance shelf, clip the 1st bolt and jump back to the ground for the full-on, feelin' safe crank - the direct start is a nice boulder problem right up the face, but the hardest moves of the climb can be avoided from the left. Above the first bolt is the unavoidable crux move of the climb and takes one to easier - yet no less interesting - climbing along the right side of the arête.
Hang out from a two bolt anchor and enjoy the view then rap 60' to the ground.
Wow, this is a really, really enjoyable route. Made my first trip to the Monastery this weekend and this was our 4th route of the day, and probably the most fun. Great moves, position, and scenery. Good photo ops for someone willing to scramble uphill of the route.
My favorite route at The Monastery (so far!). Absolutely stunning views all the way up. Feels pretty exposed, in that you're climbing an arete with nothing but Big Thompson Valley beneath you. The start was the toughest part for me, I began a bit to the right of the arete and then traversed over (decently chalked moves). You can pre-clip the first bolt to make it a less scary of a lead. Probably not necessary, but I used some fun foot-crossing moves to kind of dance around a bit. You can use some great holds on the arete for most of the route. Enjoy the view!
The Catacomb
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