Satyr's Asshole begins in a short crack about 10 or 15 feet to the left of Straw Turkey. Towards the end of this first crack, jog left to join another crack. Continue until this crack makes a sharp diagonal left (leading to anchors above Great White Crime). Judging by the amount of chalk I saw in the diagonal crack, many people have mistakenly deprived themselves of doing the crux of this route. Move RIGHT, across a face instead. Doing this will put you below the climb's namesake. Move upward into the steepening and widening crack and place a bomber 5 Friend at the beginning of some outstanding climbing. Easier climbing awaits about 10 feet above on a less than vertical crack. Continue on the crack moving right around a bulge at a well-chalked flake to the anchors. Rap from here with 2 ropes or continue to the top (5.7).
This is yet another low profile S. Platte classic. It includes face moves, crack climbing at almost every width and of course, beautiful granite. Thanks for reading another round of my "spraying under the guise of being informative."
Protection
The first (crux) pitch of this route is about 150' and shares the same rap anchors as P1 of Straw Turkey (use the ones 4' below the nest of webbing). Otherwise, the top can be reached at 5.7 and 2 more pitches for a walk-off. In addition to a standard rack, be sure to bring a 5 Friend.
Speaking of depriving yourself of the crux; the above description aborts in a convenience rappel a full pitch or two below the crux of this route; the slabby face climing on the last pitch is the crux. However, it's also slightly dangerous and using the above described anchor or White Crime anchor are both convenient cragging aids.
Wonder if the climb's namesake is P2, not P1. We did P2 as a continuation of Straw Turkey. The correct P2, I think, goes up a "gully" to the left of thee rap anchors (or climb the crack on the left and then into the gully). The gully eventually tapers with the walls converging at a slot that is too narrow to squeeze through but takes gear (#3, #3.5 Camalot). This may be the "asshole". You chimney precariously on the outside to get past this constriction. It's not too hard, but spooky, since you're looking at a grating swing back into the bowels.
My partner Chuck attempted to lead the "10a R" last bit, but fell a few times, the last one about 15', so we bailed. I didn't feel his weight on the ropes on any of the falls, but I was 150' down, so there may have been a bunch of drag.
My 1984 "For Turkeys Only" guide (by Steve Cheyney) says the last bit "is a somewhat serious pitch". Chuck's a good slab climber and thought this final bit was much harder than 10a and very runout.
If you look up at the rock from below and at a short distance to the south, you will see the namesake horse's arse or Satyr's a-hole. The route goes right up under the tail and steps left to a large ledge under the crux vanishing crack. I would build a belay here and bring your second up to give a good belay through the heady climbing. Place a solid Alien and fire the slabby, slopey move, which is just a few feet above your pro. Runout climbing always feels harder than well-protected, but falling from the move is not very high consequence and happens a lot. The R rating comes from the lack of gear above that point on the 5.5 slab to the top.
Going left to the chains misses the crux of this climb. Instead, go right via some thin face moves (kind of dirty, must not see much traffic) and then climb up through a nice fist offwidth bulge. Above continue up some good finger and hand cracks til you get to a good ledge with a rap anchor to your right.
Turkey Rock
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