Merlin's Enigma 5.12a
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| Type: | Sport, 1 pitch, 40 feet |
| Consensus: | 5.11c/d [details] |
| FA: | Richard Rossiter and Pebby Johns, 2005 |
| New Route: | Yes |
| Submitted By: | Richard Rossiter on Aug 9, 2005 |
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BETA PHOTO: Merlin's Enigma climbs the corner and roof just le...
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Description Hike to the Wall of the Goddess on the ledge above the second tier of Avalon. Continue around to the east and descend slightly to a gully full of boulders. Identify two obvious dihedrals capped by a roof. The route ascends the right dihedral, maybe 5 feet left of Charon's Boat and joins that route above the roof. Stem straight up the V-shaped dihedral past two bolts, then power right to good holds on the arete (very cool). Stretch up and clip the third bolt, then crank straight up past one more bolt and gain a tiny stance with a 2-bolt anchor. Lower off.
Protection 4 bolts to a 2-bolt anchor. Lower off. The last bolt and the anchor are shared with Charon's Boat.
| Comments on Merlin's Enigma |
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By Kevin Neilson From: Boulder Aug 28, 2005
| This is a nice, albeit short, new route. I won't give it a rating, but I suspect it might not be a 5.12. I am able to clip the third bolt from the undercling under the roof, a technique I recommend if you have the height. The crimpers on the arete under the third bolt are surprisingly decent. After I got my feet on the arete and stood up, I reached a bit off to the right on a hold that is probably also on "Charon's Boat"; these routes converge near that point, so I'm not sure if that hold is off-route or not. |
By Tony B From: Around Boulder, CO Jun 5, 2006 rating: 5.11c
| Fun Route, but sure seemed like a gimmie for 5.12. Too short to say much more about. |
By Zach Allen Jun 9, 2006
| Coincidentally, it's also a gimme for 5.11. The bolt on Charon's Boat is about 20 inches away from the bolt over the lip on this route. The climbing on this route is kind of fun. Too bad Charon's is such a ridiculous squeeze job. Do we really need to bolt every single piece of choss in BC? |
By Ron Olsen From: Boulder, CO Jun 9, 2006
| Charon's Boat isn't choss; it's actually quite a fun climb. |
By Tony B From: Around Boulder, CO Jun 9, 2006 rating: 5.11c
| Whoooa there hard man... This climb is a gimmie for an 11? As in you are saying it is a 5.10? I guess we strongly disagree on that point. |
By david goldstein Jun 19, 2007
| Cons: 20' long; avoiding Charon's Boat is tremendously contrived. Pros: Every move up to the last bolt, esp. if you play the contrived game, is thought provoking; this is a rare non-overhanging climb that is probably easier if short. I was torn between giving it one or two stars but the 2nd Pro tipped the balance to two. |
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