Eldo Tour of Classics

Eldo is a mecca of classic climbs, this we all know. But I'm curious to know what everybody thinks are the "best" that the canyon has to offer. Say a climbing buddy came to town for a few days (or weeks) and wanted to sample some of Eldo's most choice lines. What climbs would you send him/her up?

Eldo is my favorite place to climb. Although I've never climbed anything over 5.8 there, I've climbed a number of moderates. My favorites:

5.5 - Swanson's Arete (Redgarden)
5.6 - Calypso (Wind Tower)
5.6R - Icarus (Redgarden)
5.7 - Bastille Crack (The Bastille)
5.7 - Rewritten (Redgarden)
5.8 - Reggae (var. to Calypso- Wind Tower)
5.8 - Gambit (Shirt Tail Peak)

ed. - I forgot Wind Ridge 5.6 or 5.8 on Wind Tower. Good line!

Classic Eldo 5.6-5.11

Calypso (Wind Tower) 5.6
Wind Ridge (Wind Tower) 5.6
The Bulge (Red Garden Wall) 5.7 s
Bastille Crack (The Bastille) 5.7
Ruper (Red Garden Wall) 5.8
Long John Wall (West Ridge) 5.8
Alice in Bucketland (Red Garden Wall) 5.8+s
Werk Supp (Bastille) 5.9+
Hair City (Bastille) 5.9+s (my very favorite for some reason)
Rosy Crucifixion (Red Garden Wall) 5.10a
Yellow Spur (Red Garden Wall) 5.10a
Darkness Till Dawn (Red Garden Wall) 5.10a
Grand Giraffe (Red Garden Wall) 5.10a
Faulty Logic (Rincon Wall) 5.10b
Moonlight Drive (Cadillac Crag) 5.10b
Over The Hill (Rincon Wall) 5.10b
Grand Mother's Challenge (Red Garden Wall) 5.10c
Outer Space (Bastille) 5.10c s
Northcutt Start (Bastille) 5.10d
Genesis (Red Garden Wall) 5.11a
Land of Ra (Cadillac Crag) 5.11a
Naked Edge (Red Garden Wall) 5.11a

And this classic weird Eldo tree climbing Tour!
Schizophrenia 5.8 to Rocky Racoon 5.9 to EL100 5.7 to Smoke and Mirrors 5.10a

I agree with most of the above lists. However, my opinion is that The Buldge and North Cut Start are the most over rated routes in the canyon. Still, I know plenty of people that love them. Maybe this should be another forum topic. Just my two pennies.

The Bulge is overrated? It's only some of the best rock with thought provoking runouts in the canyon. Even at it's easy grade, it still makes one sweat. And there are cool variations that bump it up a few grades to keep things fresh.

Now I'll tell you what is overrated is Swanson's Arete. It's a good route, but not a classic I don't think. For one, it's not much of what could be described as an arete. Icarus is twice as good next door.

Off the toppa my head, here are a few good climbs that ar unique in charicter and sure to please. Though some of these are the typically listed classics (*), and perfect for WEEK DAYS, most of my list is under-traveled relative to 'the classics' but are still great climbs or 'essential eldo.'

Enjoy:
Wind Ridge (5.7)*
Ruper (5.8)*
Gambit (5.8)
Green Slab Direct (8+)
Perversion (5.9, Micky Mouse Wall)
Werk's Up (5.9) to March of Dimes (5.10)
Green Spur (5.9+)(*) or
Grandmothers Challenge (10c) to finish on Green Spur (9+ still)
Air Mail (5.9++++, R)
Over The Hill (10-)(*)
Serpent (10-, R)
Xanadu (10-) to Whiplash (10)
Rosy Cruxifixion (10)(*) to Alice in Bucketland (8+)
Tagger (10)
Shasta (5.10, hair-raiser)
Varriation P1 to Mail Ridge (5.10)
Ariel Book (10)
Super Slab (10+)(*) to Body Tremors (8+)
Le Toit (10+)
King's X (10+)
Art's Spar (10+)
Varieties of Religious Experience (11-)
Vertigo (11-)(*)
Point Break (11-)
Rincon (11-)(*)
Naked Edge (11-)(*, closed for falcons, seasonally)
Diving Board (11-)(*, closed for falcons, seasonally)
Zip Code (11-)
bastille NW corner (11-)
Parting Shot (11)
Tiger Balm Arete (11, hair-raiser)
Practice Wall (11) to Muscle and Hate (11)
Kloeberdanz (5.11 to 5.11+ -- all of it)
Le Boomerang (11+)

Bastille Crack, Rewritten, Long John Wall, Calypso, etc... I don't get it. They are good, yes, and have what I call popularity inertia, but they are not that great. People do them so people talk about them, so more people do them to talk about them... but they are crowded and over-traveled, over-hyped, and polished.

"popularity inertia", thats the phrase i've been looking for. I've discribed the effect before, but never summed it up so well.

If the Metamorphosis isn't on there, it should be. I think it's exposed, funky, spiciness is the embodiment of an Eldo classic. A bold, but not reckless lead. Starting with Diffraction is a good choice to keep it at the same overall grade.

Tony Bubb wrote: Bastille Crack, Rewritten, Long John Wall, Calypso, etc... I don't get it. They are good, yes, and have what I call popularity inertia, but they are not that great. People do them so people talk about them, so more people do them to talk about them... but they are crowded and over-traveled, over-hyped, and polished.

Tony, would which of your two lists would you put Yellow Spur.

Personally, I place it under your second list of "popularity inertia" climbs. I do think some of these climbs are spoken about so much that it is impossible to live up to the hype. Yellow Spur is a good route, but some people speak about it as though it was the Nose. I might have enjoyed it more if hundreds of people hadn't told me how amazing it is before I ever set eyes on it. Besides, it seems like the Spur has almost the same que as the Bastile Crack or Rewritten. I think if I do that climb on a day when I have it all to myself I might have a different opinion.

Tony, you need to get off the pipe! The Bastille is one of the great routes of it's grade on the planet! Steep, varied, and no approach!

just one opinion (and purposely limited to 10), but these strike me as eldo routes that offer variety, history, position, combinations and the other requisites:

Wind Ridge 5.6
Bulge 5.7
Bastille Crack 5.7
Gambit 5.8
Ruper 5.8
Hair City 5.9
Super Slab- Italian Arete- Smoke & Mirrors 5.10
Yellow Spur 5.10
Naked Edge 5.11
Jules Verne 5.11

there are plenty more than 10, of course, but these are the ones i'd aim a visiting climber at. jim erickson had a great list if you compile all the 3-star routes from the 1980 book 'rocky heights'.

Begging to differ... but Rewritten is definitely a climb worth waiting in line for. Although I do remember thinking to myself "That wasn't SOOOO awesome" about the hand-traverse people get in a lather about, the stretch above it and the final jug-haul on the final pitch are super-sweet. The note above concerning Swanson's Arete vs. Icarus is right on (although Swanson's was my first multi-pitch in Eldo so it has a special place for me). The exposure on the final arete of Icarus.... the finest I've experienced, hands down.

Stu Ritchie wrote:Tony, you need to get off the pipe! The Bastille is one of the great routes of it's grade on the planet! Steep, varied, and no approach!

To each his own of course, as there is no accounting for taste, and obviously a majority of people seem to agree with you. But as for my own taste, I used to say that the best part about Bastille Crack is that there was a really good climb just 30 feet to the left...
While you are on that wagon train, I'll enjoy several of the other less crowded, less polished routes in the area.

Luis Barandiaran wrote:Begging to differ... but Rewritten is definitely a climb worth waiting in line for. Although I do remember thinking to myself "That wasn't SOOOO awesome" about the hand-traverse people get in a lather about, the stretch above it and the final jug-haul on the final pitch are super-sweet. The note above concerning Swanson's Arete vs. Icarus is right on (although Swanson's was my first multi-pitch in Eldo so it has a special place for me). The exposure on the final arete of Icarus.... the finest I've experienced, hands down.

Yes, but you can finish on Rebuffet's from Green Spur too, which has much better climbing down low than does Rewritten.
Much like Icarus can be finished from the Yellow Spur, which I happen to Like a lot.

I am quite surprised that no one has listed T2 as an obvious classic. The bottom pitches may be just OK (the bird sh*t pitch is less than inspiring) but the upper pitches are awesome...especially the traverse.