Twitch is a fantastic line with hard moves on great rock. The route on the left (middle section of the wall) is Twitch. This is a very thin and powerful route that is in your face early on. An intricate crux sequence leads you through ultra thin fingers to a final deadpoint. Close attention to balance and power will see you through this overhung challenge. Finish on easy rock to the anchors.
Protection
5 bolts / 2 bolt biners anchor. The anchor was recently replaced to fix the poorly placed original anchor and now consists of a two bolt biners anchor.
Nate Weitzel re-set the anchor on this route in the early Spring of 2001. Now the anchor consists of a double bolt system below the lip and at the end of all of the real climbing. And as a drop-in anchor, this is much more convenient. The new anchor has not made the route any easier, however, it has certainly improved the the top rope options once the damn rope has been thrutched to the top!!! For those climbers looking for a crimp strength work-out, Twitch is the Clear Creek Crimper nonpariel. Climbing on Twitch starts easy and finishes easy. The real difficulties can be reduced to a small sector of the climb comprising no more than ten feet of very thin crimps on a very overhanging wall with difficult foot work. This is what gives us pleasure (?????).
Not that anyone cares about grade debates anymore but if this is 12d then a whole bunch of other 12d and 13a routes in Clear Creek and Boulder Canyon should go down in a hurry. I TRed this again recently for the first time after leading it 5 years ago and thought it was stout! How could Ten Digit Dialing have been graded remotely the same? Chaos? Even Anarchitect is clearly easier and if Sonic Youth is 13a then Twitch is for sure 13a.
Peter: Good to hear that you think it is a stout 12d. I did think that the crux was quite thin, but it is short lived. Hard to tell what it should be rated, 12d/13a for sure.
Nate, they were in the weekend before last. Unfortunately, whatever tape you left to secure it was looking pretty feeble. Why people steal fixed gear, especially on anchors is a perennial question. I guess they just have to have one or two more questionable pieces on their rack. I would recommend adding a couple of quicklinks to the anchors. They are cheap, reliable, and not very removable. After leaving biners on a route in Boulder Canyon, I've learned my lesson.
When I was working this route last spring I developed a chronic muscle twitch in the index finger of my right hand. My finger twitched once every 10 seconds for three days. I'm just glad the route wasn't named Ball Buster, Brain Tumor, or after some heinous medical condition that only Nate would be aware of.
I am glad to hear that this route's anchor has been fixed! Thanks to whoever took the time to do that....previously the poor anchor was the only knock on this great climb! I do still think the route is harder then 12d.
[This last week I replaced the old quick draws with some new spectra runners. I have only started to project this route. However, upon initial tries, I think this is pretty stiff for 12d. I haven't sent the route clean yet, but I feel a rating of 13a might be more appropriate.]
Rick, dude quit pounding yor chest and telling us how hard you are and how easy Twitch was for you. There is a fine line between .12d and .13a... for somene to say Twitch felt like .13a is a reasonable comment. In other words saying that this route felt hard for .12d does not automatically translate to "I'm trying to pad my climbing resume by adding another .13".
Twitch is a great route that sits right on the edge of a grade.Some people might find this angle and style of climbing as being more suited to their style then others. Hence a conflict in the grade.
Climbed this route about 8 years ago, albeit on TR, when my friend was working it. It was late winter/early spring, and I hadn't been climbing all that much. I hung on it a few times, but felt that it wasn't too bad. There was one move on it, probably about 3rd bolt or so (?) that you can't twitch on, or you'll peel. There is no way in hell that it is 13a. At the time, I would have given it 12a, tops. Maybe some holds have broken off, or something, but I would have recommended it to any 5.11 climber who wanted to brag about climbing 12d/13a. I have just zipped up my alumafoil asbestos fire suit, so feel free to flame away. Also, I hope that spoot will note that I have refrained from using the caps lock key in an effort to balance out the gravitational effects that Micah's comments have made to our monitors. It seems that an excess of capitals makes my screen sag slightly to the left, thus making pictures of certain slab routes seem much steeper than they probably are.
Concerning Montay's 12a rating, interested readers might note that of the 30 or so routes submitted to this site, not one even comes close to 12d or 13a in difficulty. And most are at Shelf, hardly a stiff grade area.
Nice work on COF, stephan. I thought the second bitch was a real pitch, if you know what I mean.
As far as the Boulder pose-off goes, I never even made it to the second round. I guess you have to be able to climb 5.9. I did hear, however, that the gold medalist never gave their name.
Either way you slice it, Twitch is a fun route and certainly attainable by motivated climbers.
I've got to agree with Chris. It's funny to hear people from Boulder saying that Shelf has fluffy grades, considering that the Boulder area (except for Eldo) has some of the softest grades in the country. If you don't count Cactus Cliff, almost any 12a at Shelf is hard than most 12c s in Boulder Canyon or Dream Canyon.
By Ken Cangi From: Boulder, CO Jul 7, 2005 rating: 5.13a
I think the first ascentionist's opinion of the grade has been the most accurate. I RP'd Twitch in the mid nineties, and it was one of my early 5.1? ascents, so I wasn't certain of the grade. Consequently, I asked Pete Zoller whether he thought the route was 5.12 or 5.13. His blunt response was: "it's as hard as it is, dude." He then asked me if I enjoyed the route. My answer was yes, and we left it at that. His answer was also classic Pete, and I always found his low profile attitude to be refreshing. Pete, Matt Samet, and Charlie Bentley, were part of a small group of friends - not unlike The Little Rascals - who were quietly tearing it up during the mid nineties. I bouldered with them on several occasions, near Carter Lake, and consider the experiences to have been no less than entertaining. These guys knew how to have fun, and they could definitely pull down. Moreover, they couldn't have cared less about grades, "dude." They usually seemed more preoccupied with perfecting their hijinks. We all remember the image of a rather large piece of fruit attached to the harness of a certain member of this group, during his hairy, naked ascent of Vitamin H. More climbers should take the hint. Climbing isn't a cure for Aids and Cancer, and nobody, outside of the sport, gives a rats a%$ whether or not a piece of rock is rated 5 this or that. Just go out and enjoy yourselves. By the way, Twitch is a perfect route for climbers who are aspiring to break into 5. blah blah blah.KC
Difficult to rate. One single move is harder than any on Sonic Youth or other enduro 13- routes I've been on, but the rest is much easier. Similar to but harder than 'Power Broker' at Shelf. Thus I'd give it 12d. Great line.
Did it via microcrimp matchy beta. Also thanks to those who rigged the anchors and draws.
Twitch is a beautiful yet short line that I think is one of the best I have climbed. I projected it for a little over a month. There were many strong climbers who worked the line with me but were cut short every time in the crux sequence. This is one of the most powerful yet technical climbs I have finished. I sent Sonic after 4 tries and this took me literally 14 tries (with a minimal and somewhat unhealthy rest schedule) so this should be rated 13a/b no doubt. A lot of people [disregard] it because it is all alone with no other routes nearby. I left all of my fixed draws on the route in case anyone would like to project it. There is very intricate footwork needed as well as strong crimp power. I actually thought is was like a long hard boulder problem probably v8/v9 crux and forget the onsight unless your a badass!!!
Twitch Rock
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