Queer Bait 5.11c
| 1,172 page views
Good page?   |
| Type: | Trad, 5 pitches, 450 feet |
| Consensus: | 5.11b [details] |
| FA: | Mike Smith and Peter Hubbel 6/82 |
| Submitted By: | Dana Prosser on Feb 21, 2008 |
| |
BETA PHOTO: Start of Queer Bait.
Add Photo  Printer View
Seasonal Raptor Closure MORE INFO >>>
The Cathedral Spires area, including Block Tower, Cynical Pinnacle, Snake Buttress, the Dome, Hall of Mirrors, Sunshine Wall, and Poe Buttress, are closed annually starting March 1 for raptor nesting. After careful monitoring of nest sites, Jefferson County Open Space opens certain areas of Cathedral Spires and maintain spot closures for active nests through July 31st. Check back periodically during times of closure for updates.
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 Queer Bait is a very enjoyable, multi-pitch rock climb located on the Block Tower. The difficulties can be minimized by aiding through crux on good bolts making this route 5.10-A0.
P1- Start up left side of flake below obvious roof. After about 10 feet, head right, place a good cam in crack and face climb right, and up to good bolt, a few more face moves takes you to wide crack that gets smaller as you ascend 5.9+/5.10a (180 feet to fixed anchor).
P2- This short pitch climbs double crack system to next good ledge 5.7 (50 feet).
P3. This is where the fun begins! Grunt (or use good technique) up wide crack in corner. You decide if left side in or right side in works better (I personally decided to donate skin on each side of my body equally) to next good ledge. 5.9++ (70 feet).
P4 Climb slightly tricky, thin moves to small roof. Exit left side of roof, and continue up sweet thin hands crack to bolts. Climb well bolted, short 5.11 crux or be a wanker and pull through (like my partner did-you suck! j/k) to another good belay ledge. 5.11c or 5.10-A0 (100 feet).
P5- Short crack pitch to top of wall (head right to another crack when rock quality deteriorates) 5.10a (50 feet).
Overall, this route had interesting climbing, excellent belay stances, all day sun, and a little OW climbing to keep the riff-raff away- what more can you ask for? Get out and climb it!
Location Route is located to the west of Cynical Pinnacle. Take standard approach to Cynical, but head west before encountering first cliff band. Bushwack up and left until you reach right side of block tower. The route starts right of obvious chimney system that splits the face.
Protection Single cams in small sizes up to #0.4 Camalot. Doubles #0.5 - #3 Camalot, with 1x #4 Friend and 1 x #6 Camalot optional but helpful and recommended for wide sections. The only fixed anchor we encountered was on the first pitch. There were no other fixed anchors on climb, making it best to walk off east toward Cynical Pinnacle (easy 20 minute downclimb).
Another Wanker, chillin' on-top of pitch 3- The vi...
|
Pitch 2-when you goota poo....
|
P3- offwidth is beautiful!!!
|
BETA PHOTO: Queer Bait.
|
Pitch 4.
|
Pitch 3 (headed for the crux).
|
Roth following the crux pitch of Queer Bait.
|
Tim leading the crux pitch as seen from "Hurt Danc...
| |
By slim
Feb 22, 2008
rating: 5.11a
| Dana,
Great description. I've been wanting to check this out for a while, and was wondering what condition the bolts were in. Thanks! |
By George Bell
From: Boulder, CO
Feb 22, 2008
| I recall the 11c crux being ultra-contrived. We just moved to one side of the bolt line where it was less steep and it wasn't too hard. I'm pretty sure we freed the crux pitch at 5.10-. Good route! |
By Kevin Stricker
From: Evergreen, CO
Feb 22, 2008
| A couple comments on this route. Originally QB had 4 bolts on the first pitch, but when replacing the bolts I decided to remove the last three as they were easily clipped (and probably placed) from the crack to the right. You could have climbed the face to the left of the 5.8 chimney at mid 5.10 but few people would do this with 1/4" bolts with Leeper hangers for protection. Anyways this crack is well protected with a #6 Friend, and can also be protected with small wires and TCU's. If someone wants to replace these bolts I left the holes empty, but please climb the crack first.
The crux 4th pitch is as George said pretty contrived. The first bolt you reach is placed right next to a great pod, and was left with original hardware. The second and third were replaced, but if you step down after clipping the second and traverse left five feet you can climb a incipient 5.10 crack that's crux is level with the bolt to your right. This is more enjoyable than the crux mantle, and keeps the difficulty at 5.10 for the whole climb.
You can make two 150 foot rappels from the top of the route into the gully to the east which is a better option than descending from the summit if there has been snow recently. The first rappel is off of 2 old stoppers and needs new webbing, and the second is located to the far east side of the big ledge at the top of P. 3 and is nice Fixe chain anchors. |
By Sergio P
From: Idaho Springs, CO
Feb 23, 2008
| Kevin, we looked all over the place for the two nut rap off the top and couldn't find it. Thus, we hiked off. Can you give more details as to where that rap is? As for the Fixe chain anchor we didn't see it on the ledge on top of P3. It must have been further to the right (east). |
By Kevin Stricker
From: Evergreen, CO
Feb 26, 2008
| Climbed to the top of Block Tower today and saw that the top anchor I posted about above is no longer there. You can descend to either the East or West, and going down to the West between Poe and Block seems to melt out fast even after a big storm. |
By Mark Roth
From: Boulder
Dec 16, 2009
| Can easily link into 3 pitches with a 60m.
P1 To the base of the offwidth, 200ft.
P2 offwidth then up 40 feet of easy slab and chimney to the highest ledge, 110ft.
P3 Crux to the top, 130ft.
The crux is easy to avoid by stepping left....
A #5 C4 was nice for pitch 2 (we didn't need a #6 at all). |
By Jay Eggleston
From: Littleton
Feb 23, 2011
| I agree that a #6 C4 is not necessary. You could place it in one or two spots, but other gear is available, so it is hardly worth carrying. |
By Cindy Mitchell
Feb 25, 2011
| Pitch 3 offwidth is easier to climb as a chimney until about 1/2 way up. Stemming is your friend for the last half. |
|
RSS Feed
47 more...
Slideshow
