Mechanical Man Rock Climbing

The Mechanical Man is a large stream-side crag in the S. St. Vrain Canyon. While this rock is about as close to the road as any climbing can get, the approach is actually longer than many. This approach is a archetypal approach for the SSV, in that it consists of a roadside walk, a creek crossing, a vague trail, copious amounts of poison ivy, and some loose rock and dirt, all packed into 15 minutes of time. That said, it approaches a fin crag of solid rock with a variety of climbs on it with a wide range of types and difficulties. Also as should be expected in the S. St. Vrain, you will have the pitch of your choosing at the time of your choosing, as there will be no crowds....

Note as well that the Mechanical Man has a sister crag called Rapids Rock that lies only 100' away and is only distinguishable as a separate rock via a gully running between the two and the necessity of different access points to the various climbs on either. Rapids Rock has its own 'page' here on MP.com, but the approach directions on this page may be applied to reach that crag as well.

The Mechanical Man crag itself faces North/North-West on the primary face and gets some sun in mid summer. On mornings or afternoons, some of the routes on the left or right side, respectively, get strong sun, but for most of the day, shade can be found somewhere on the crag if it is sought out. The 300' tower is broken into 4 tiers.

The First Tier, from a streamside ramp to the lowest ledge is about 40-50 feet tall, bulging, and boasts both the hardest 2 routes on the crag as well as the easiest. Alvino Pon and Hank Caylor bolted 2 lines up the solid and steep overhang in the mid 1990s, producing a 5.6 approach line to the ledge, and then a 12b and 13a sport route that climbed more directly up the bulge to the same ledge.

The Second Tier is 60-100 feet tall and boasts the best climbing on the rock. Most of these pitches (and the rest on the rock) were first ascended by Gillett and his various partners between 2002 and 2006 as they were working on the SSV guidebook. Six different pitches ascend this level, each rated between 5.9 and 5.10d.

The Third Tier has 7 published lines, many being easy extensions or continuations of the Second Tier climbs if started from below. The difficulties here range from 5.6 to 5.11, with two of the best three pitches each being 5.9+ and 5.9- Some of these shorter lines (40-50') can also be continued onward to the Fourth Tier on the left side for a nice summit route and 70 additional feet of climbing.

The Fourth Tier holds 3 lines, each of which go 75' up this top tier to the summit belay (bolts and chains). These three pitches include a less than ideal 5.6R, a nice 5.7 and an unique 5.10a pitch. Climbing this tier puts you atop a nice summit tower 300' over the river with nice views. Though some traffic noise can detract from the otherwise nice feeling up there, it is still worth doing.

Some of the best pitches on this climb are linkups. As each 'level' of the Mechanical man was determined by geology, not by what makes a nice pitch length, only certain pitches are long, and only certain pitches link to others.

The Little Narrows to the Finish Carpenter makes a nice link up of 5.10b face to 5.8 cracks to a 5.9 corner, almost 200' long. (***)
Antifreeze to the Big Narrows to the Finnish Carpenter can also be linked up fro 155' of clean hard rock with judicious use of slings and protection, staring on 5.10a fingers and finishing on 5.9 corners. (***)

Emissions Testing can be taken as an initial section instead of Antifreeze to keep the climbing around 5.9 with an easy section in the middle. (**)

The slightly more confident climber may wish to start on The Tooth to reach the anchor, continuing on a 5.0 slab and then up to some attention-getting face and "crack" climbing on Bending Nails. This 160' combination starts with 10d, body english moves to flared fingers and opposition moves then a few thin slab moves before the angle kicks back. The final challenge on Bending Nails is keeping a quiet mind on a slab well above protection... and a ledge. But the climbing is certainly fine there, if you don't mind a runout or two. (***)

On the left side, Mr Goodwrench can be linked directly into the summit pitch of Auto Repair with no rope management issues for a nice face-to-crack pitch totaling about 130' in all. The 5.9+ grade of Mr Goodwrench is a bit of a sandbag. The combination is limited by the present licheny state of that lower pitch, which if cleaned might be less of a sandbag and also merit another star overall. (**)