Crystal Vision 

In July, this rig goes in the sun about 1:00 for the duration. The rating is more like 11a, with the crux being a very scary .10+ (maybe .11-) pitch near the top- "spicy" on the topo. Be ready to climb above shitty stoppers, but good holds do come, trust me. The 11a slab above is nicely protected with bolts. Why not the .10+ arete? Don't know. Even the 5.8 slab had a bolt. Anyway, good climbing over all. The raps/gully descent take a couple hours, but no poison ivy.

Also, better directions to the raps: Go almost to the overlook. As you round a group of headhigh boulders, take the clearly worn right hand trail (about 20 meters from the actual overlook). The trail is fairly worn and brings you along the rim and down a little to a gully that descend left. The raps are down here, but go past it first and up on the rock outcrop. Look down about 10 meters to see the chains just to make sure you found it.

I'd just like to add that even though this route has possibly the worst approach in the canyon, it is WAY worth doing. If the approach was better, more folks did the route, and a bolt was added on the sketch-arete pitch this thing would be just as good as the scenic cruise (NOT), but with a much better position in the canyon.

FYI we brought the #5 and #6 big cams and used them a bunch.

I thought the approach was pretty okay--6 double rope rappels and then down-gully slummin' with no poison ivy. Locate the first rap anchor the day before-- it's a bit obscure. The route itself is alright. It'll clean up a bit with more ascents, notably the chimney pitch. Still a bit of that shady-side dirtiness to it. Kind of a worker's crack climb, although the cruxes up high are both face climbing. The 5.10+ arete is definitely sketch. Get on it early in the day and it'll be a good route for warm weather. I read the FA account, and the comparison with Scenic Cruise had my expectations set on high. So was a bit disappointed but would still recommend it to someone who is looking for something new.

If Atlantis gets 3.5 stars, this gets 1.5. A good but not great route. A few comments:

We searched for 2 hours for the rappel. It is not in the obvious gully. It faces the wall right of the Painted Wall--arete area??. Probably 200 ft right of the painted wall overlook. It starts about 125 ft down from the rim, and is easy to follow. The gully slummin' below is actually pleasant.
The route starts next to some huge boulders leaning against the cliff. These are the higher boulders, there is another further down.

Pitch one is poor but compelling-kind of like biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Pitch three is 3rd class traversing left about 25 meters to the obvious feature by boulders-the finger crack is hidden. Pitch 4 is fantastic, while pitch 5 felt like a meat locker, and offered the same degrees of enjoyment. Pitch 6 is burly fun, while 7 is best forgotten. After 7, you get first class Black rambling.

After the rest of the route, I too found pitch 9 needlessly dangerous. Big clean lob possibility off hard climbing is a good thing--keeps out the riff-raff. This big lob might send you into the rubble between the towers. A bolt on the arete, at the level of the belayer, would be nice. There is also a slot 10 ft up the arete where my buddie's weird Czech nut fit and set--luckily I didn't test it.

We brought 4,5, and 6 new Camalots. We only found the 6 necessary--pitch 12. There is a lot of low angle OW in other areas.

Don't arrive at the top of 12 in the dark. You may bivy.

Chris Kalous' directions to the raps are why we found them. This is a "worth doing again route" IMO.

An amazing climb filled with great chimneys and exhilarating slab! We racked with a double rack 0.4-3 and singles of c3,0.3 ,4 and a #3 Bigbro (green). We used everything we brought but really didn't need the Bigbro. We brought it for the 12th pitch, but it was really easy and an unlikely fall. The 9th pitch was a little spicy but really only one move to good holds I didn't find the nut placement and just ran it without gear. I linked this pitch with Crystal Vision pitch and made the scary mistake after the 3rd bolt of not moving down and continued up and right towards the top of the flake. DO NOT USE THIS alternate route, it makes for a hard 5.11 pitch with a 45 foot runout. It is possible but shit your pants scary. Things are a little dirty from lack of climbing but will clean nicely to make for an excellent Black classic!

Climbed with Noah Gostout. Very fun chimneys and stemming. Pitch 2 has an exciting exit onto the slab, protects with a 0.4 Camalot and a red C3 protects the slab runout. Pitch 4 is memorable, save a #3 Camalot for the end. I was glad to have one #4 Camalot for OW above the "fist roof" on pitch 6. After that, low-angle OW is casual. "Sketch Arete" is scary but all there. If you can climb the "Sketch Arete" and the "Crystal Vision" slab pitch, you will have no problem starting the last pitch without a Bigbro or #6.

Do this route! A fun adventure climb with wild movement, chimneys protect amazingly well, and it will only get better with some traffic.

A guided photo tour to the raps based on my description above. Built some new cairns. You are rapping the wall facing the Hooker, Porcelain, Gothic Pillar. If you can't find them with this, give me a call and I will draw you a map to the Project Wall in Rifle.

The boulder just before you turn right. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013

The trail turn just meters before the overlook and just past the boulder. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013

Don't get lost weaving down through the rock. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013

Go past the cairn. You will be aiming toward the Hooker now. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013

This is the gully you must scramble down about 70 feet. You can not see the anchor. Go past this to scope. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013

If you look down from where Rob is sitting, you will see chains 70 or so feet down. Notice the cairn. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013

The anchor. Very hard to see. Submitted By: chris Kalous on Jun 16, 2013