The Book  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  382,364. Good page?    Administrators:  Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Charles Vernon on Jan 1, 2001 Make this area a Favorite What's New  Printer View Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 75° | 41° 81° | 41° 79° | 45° 79° | 46° 77° | 43°

Season raptor closures MORE INFO >>> The following areas are closed from March 1-July 31 or until further notice: Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sheep Mountain, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Lightning Rock and Checkerboard Rock are currently closed. The closures include the named rock formations and the areas extending 100 yards surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber's access trails to the formation. Alligator Rock is also closed. www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/area_closures.htm 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

BETA PHOTO

Description 

In the opinion of many, the Book is the finest cliff on Lumpy Ridge. It certainly offers the best non-wide crack climbing (if you like them wide, head for Twin Owls!). Many long, striking crack and dihedral lines grace the complex cliff, which rises to heights of 600'. Due to the cliff's predominant less-than-vertical aspect, many of these lines check in at under 5.10, though there are plenty of test-pieces at 5.10 and 5.11 as well. A few bolt-protected 5.12s are scattered about, and true hardpersons can attempt the 5.13+ crack line of Country Boy, first freed by Tommy Caldwell.

Some recommended routes would include Pear Buttress at 5.8; Loose Ends and J-Crack at 5.9; Fat City, Cheap Date, and many others at 5.10, and any of the 5.11 routes such as Howling at the Wind that ascend in or near the Howling dihedral. The Renaissance Wall and El Camino Real are said to be good 5.12 routes. The Book also has many 1-pitch routes (including first pitches of longer lines) which are a good alternative if the weather looks iffy for a longer route. Fixed anchors seem to come and go, however...

DESCENT: From the very top of the cliff, one can walk east a ways, beyond a steep broken area, and then contour back to the base (long and easy). Many routes end just above the "Cave" on the right side of the Book. From here, scramble out on a narrow ledge east to its end, and downclimb a groove (or do a short rappel from a tree a little ways out). From the bottom of the groove, go southeast (easier but longer) to walking terrain, or head southwest down more grooves to a cairn at the top of a east-angling chimney/gully. Go down that and one more chimney to walking terrain. Like the east slabs descent in Eldorado Canyon, this shorter descent should not be attempted in the dark or when wet unless you are familiar with it. No rappel route exists that I know of and none is needed.

Getting There 

From the new parking lot, take the west trail towards the old Twin Owls parking lot ~0.6 miles. The Book is a complex cliff; here is an attempt to describe it. Starting from the east, as you view the south-facing cliff from the Black Canyon trail, note a broken area of slabs and gullies (the Cave descent). Just left is the beautiful J-Crack Slab, sporting the very long parallel crack lines of Femp and J-Crack, and several other excellent crack lines to their left. Above are some reddish overhangs on the right, a cavernous overhang (The Cave!), and to the left, a short, steep headwall capping the cliff. ~45-50 minutes to approach.

The next major landmark is the Howling at the Wind dihedral, a massive, overhanging left-facing corner which extends about halfway up the cliff. Many superb and intimidating free lines attack this feature and the overhangs nearby. Left of it are narrow, smooth slabs, with an arching roof band about 150 feet up. The next section is obvious: an area of deep grooves which extend the entire length of the cliff, known as the Pages Wall. Left again are two massive chimneys running the entire height of the cliff (Book of the Dead Chimney and Requiem Chimney). A narrow prow between the two, known as the Isis Buttress, offers many excellent routes. The western-most chimney includes the brilliant Renaissance Wall, home to numerous hard bolted & naturally protected climbs. Left of the west-most chimney the cliff becomes broken and unappealing for a long stretch and no routes are recorded here. Below this broken area is The Bookmark, a subsidary cliff about 400 feet high, described elsewhere.

The Classics

Featured Route For The Book

The Final Chapter 5.11a/b  CO : Lumpy Ridge : ... : The Pages Wall Area

This is an excellent finish to climbs on the right side of the Book. It is a harder, parallel version of Cheap Date, although not quite as good as that route. Pick any route that leads up to the Cave area--especially fitting would be a route such as Howling at the Wind or the headwall pitch of J-Crack. The route starts in the same place as Cheap Date, just left of the bottom of the square-cut inset that harbors the Cave Exit. The first 30 o...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO

Photos of The Book Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO	BETA PHOTO	BETA PHOTO
BETA PHOTO	BETA PHOTO: Full south face of the Book.	The Book
Bookmark to Right Book.	Rebecca and Omar climb somewhere on 'The Book' at ...	The Book
The Book and The Bookmark (left)	The Bookmark and The Book	BETA PHOTO: The Book from the junction of The Book trail and t...
BETA PHOTO: View of Left Book, The Bookmark and the Book ...	The Book area from the approach trail.	The Book descent in "Mixed" conditions.
The upper part of The Book walkoff.	BETA PHOTO: Popular routes.	At least 6 parties around The Book. As viewed fro...