Alex jamming his way through the stellar 5.10 pitch #2!

All Locations > Colorado > Gunnison > Black Canyon of… > N Rim Routes > SOB Gully (skie… > Comic Relief (5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b)

Alex jamming his way through the stellar 5.10 pitch #2!

ID 122862444 ·

Flag This Photo

· Copyright Violation?

The exit gully (if you don't do the Escape pitches).

Charles nearing the end of the crux splitter on Comic Relief. Photo taken by Bernard Vachon from the first belay of Escape Artist.

Rate Photo

0.0 from 0 votes

Logan Dop

Aug 8, 2022

“Alex jamming his way through the stellar 5.10 pitch #2!”

0 Comments

Nearby Photos

Comic Relief.

An awesome spot above the Black, looking down the SOB Gully (to left). You can see the Comic Relief Buttress in the sun. The Lightning Bolt Crack, in the dark orange dihedral, is near the top of the buttress (far left-center).

Comic Relief.

A route overlay for Comic Relief.

Just above the crux on P2.

Hand traverse after the black dihedral.

Escape pitches from Comic Relief Buttress.

Approach to Comic Relief and Escape Artist.

Starting up P2, 10a? There's a medium hard move to start that gets you to this stance, and then another harder move to another stance. Technical, but lower angle than the sustained 9 above.

On the black left facing P6 corner. This pitch looks like junk, but it's good and hard. The left wall is smooth (my foot's on the only big hold), so you're forced to face into the steep corner. There's one particularly hard move about 2/3 up. After this some fun and safe moderate pegmatite leads up and then right to the summit slabs.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

The "lower rap" - located through the cave/slot. Locate a cord/tat anchor. Rap diagonally toward exit gully (which looks almost vertical, it is not, it's okay), past the 3 huge chockstones. You'll find a tail leading toward the exit gully.

Climbers on COMIC, 9-28-08.

Lindsay having no problem running it out the crux pitch!

The top of P1 with an inflatable Freebird bosun chair.

This is the approach to Comic Relief and Escape Artist. The topo line shows the scramble across the white slab that leads to the base of the route.

Jeff Bevan belaying on "lightning bolt ledge".

Lightning bolt crack.

At the crux move of P5.

See my comment for more info. Essentially we found a bolted rap anchor instead of the sling rap anchor into the gully. From the escape pitches' rap anchor, scramble down/left, traverse an easy slab, and scramble up and then east to find a bolted rap.

The standard pitch 4 start, traversing left to a flaring corner.

Eric sitting down on the top of pitch 2.

Starting up P1. 5.8 or maybe easy 9.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

Upper half of pitch 3.

Starting up the aesthetic P4 9 pitch. I thought I'd stem my way up this, but this "stem" to a ledge on the left was my last.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

Luke climbing the summit slabs. 1+ pitches or simulclimbing.

P4 traverse above the Black Corner option.

Starting up P3. Just above the crux pitch.

Climbers high on Comic Relief, May 20, 2009.

Starting up the 5.9 orange left facing corner of P5. This is up and a good ways right from the top of the P4 corner.

06/24/2004. Crew approaching the top of P2 on Comic Relief.

The start of pitch 3.

Black Corner

The Black Corner option for pitch 4.

Me cheesing at the belay on the upper 5.7 pitches.

The start of pitch 5.

Alex charging through the 5.8 pitch!

A climber on the pitch below Lightning Bolt Ledge.

P1, taken from Escape Artist.

Starting up P3 5.7 or 8? The guidebook said this wandering pitch was 5.5 and 5.7 (or 5.7 then 5.5?), but there were several hard sections. We ran the pitch (with a 70m rope) all the way to the end of the leftward "hike" from the base of the Black Dihedral to the base of the right facing corner.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

Maurice Reed follows the traverse from the top of the Black Dihedral to rejoin Comic Relief, October 9, 1983.

Well, that's one way to finish the route - great job, Rob.

Escape Artist Buttress from Russian Arete. Climbers on COMIC.

Alex walking across to start the 5.9 traverse pitch!

The exit gully (if you don't do the Escape pitches).

Alex jamming his way through the stellar 5.10 pitch #2!

Charles nearing the end of the crux splitter on Comic Relief. Photo taken by Bernard Vachon from the first belay of Escape Artist.

Maurice Reed leading the possible first ascent of what became known as the Black Dihedral, October 9, 1983.

The exit gully (if you don't do the Escape pitches).

There's a hard move here past a closed off section of the crack, then the climbing remains hard thin hands as the crack leans to the left.

Pitch 1 upper half.

The rappel from top of Comic Relief Buttress to get to exit gully. (If you don't do the Escape pitches).

Squeezing into what was for me the thin hands crux of this pitch.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

4th Class approach to base of Comic Relief and Escape Artist.

The stance after the crux. The piece at Luke's feet is a big brass that well protects the crux move.

The rappel from top of Comic Relief Buttress to get to exit gully. (If you don't do the Escape pitches).

A 5.10+ variation to the 1st pitch of Comic Relief done in the early eighties (83 or 84 I think). Note the Whillans "nut buster" and Vibram soled Vasque Ascenders. This Variation starts 15 to 20 feet to the right of the regular start. This is a Rincon quality crack well worth the small wires required. You can see the classic finger crack of the second pitch.

In This Photo

Alex Harshman

Brooklyn Park, MN

Welcome

Join the Community! It's FREE

Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started

onX products are built by adventurers, for adventurers. We believe that every adventurer needs to know where to go, to know where they stand, and to be able to share their experiences.
About onX
Careers

iOS App Store

Android App Store

© 2025 onX Maps, Inc. Terms·Privacy