Dark Crystal  V3

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Type:  Boulder, Alpine, 16 feet Consensus:  V3 [details] FA:  Bennett Scott, 2002 Submitted By:  Chip Phillips on Aug 8, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (5) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Mike Greenfield on Dark Crystal.

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The majority of these boulders are located within the Mt Evans Wilderness Area, which is regulated & patrolled by the US Forest Service. Climber MORE INFO >>> The majority of these boulders are located within the Mt Evans Wilderness Area, which is regulated & patrolled by the US Forest Service. Climbers should be on their best behavior, practice Leave No Trace, and please abide by these requirements: - Approach Areas A, B, & C via the Chicago Lakes trail (from Echo Lake). - Wilderness Permits are required for all visitors to any federal Wilderness Area. Permits are free and self-issued. A kiosk is located at the point where the Chicago Lakes Trail departs from the reservoir, at the entrance to the Wilderness Area. - Group size: travel in federal Wilderness Areas is limited to groups of 15 people or less. If you find yourself in an area, say around the Dali Boulder, where there are more than 15 people, please disperse. There are plenty of excellent boulders elsewhere. - Minimize creation of social trails. None of the trails surrounding the bouldering area are officially maintained by the USFS. Ample access trails currently exist, please stay on the existing trails, and do not create any more trails. - Do not destroy vegetation. This is a fragile alpine environment, with a short growing season. It can take vegetation decades to recover from damage. Place crash pads judiciously, and keep brushing to a minimum. Before adding new lines, considered the damage that may be caused by additional foot traffic, pad placement, etc. - Chalk is un-sightly to non-climbers. Please avoid chalking up boulder problems that are visible from the Chicago Lakes Trail, and in general, keep chalk use to a minimum. Brush all tick marks off after every sesssion. Use containers that prevent chalk spills. If you do spill your chalk, clean it up. - Stashing crash pads is expressly forbidden by the USFS. Any pads found by USFS personnel will be confiscated. - Noise: This is a wilderness area (did I mention that?) that is enjoyed by many, mostly non-climbers. The last thing passing hikers want to hear are your self-indulgent f-bombs, I-Pod speakers, grunting, etc. In fact, most other CLIMBERS don't want to hear any of these things either. The easiest way for us to loose access is to elicit complaints from other user groups. - Dogs must be leashed at all times. Consider others when deciding whether or not to bring your dog, specfically considering that dogs like to scare away wildlife, and most other users would prefer not to have the wildlife scared away. Obviously, clean up after your dog. Remember that we are guests in this area. Be respectful of other users and the USFS Rangers that manage this area. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

Dark Crystal climbs the northwest face of a vertical tooth with ~8 feet of slab guarding the very top. Begin from a stand start on obvious holds, move up to an obvious rail and make a long left hand reach to the namesake hold. Keep it together getting your feet up, negotiate the slab, and it's all over. This one borders on 4 stars for its purity, obvious features, consistent difficulty, and setting all by itself in the trees.

Location 

Dark Crystal is found easily if one starts at the Bierstadt Corridor and walks downvalley for 100 yards staying about 25 yards from the talus that looms above the area through a maze of innumerable small boulders, scrub brush and trees. Initially you will pass Jenny Craig and Public Execution up on your right, while Ben's Roof is another obvious but short problem that is also in the area about halfway between Public Execution and Dark Crystal. Dark Crystal is located all by itself on the northwest face of a spire-like tooth of a boulder surrounded by spruce trees.

Protection 

A couple Organics and a spotter are a good idea.