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Routes in West Ridge - part C - Pony Express to Long John
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[Redacted] T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c PG13 |
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Barrel of Monkeys S 5.11c/d 7a 24 VIII 25 E4 6a |
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Bloke On The Side T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a R |
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Byway T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a R |
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Chick on the Side T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b |
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Conversions T,TR 5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b X |
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Court Jester T 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c PG13 |
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Crazy Stairs T 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b |
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Curving Dihedral T 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b |
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Dandi-Line T,TR 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b |
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Dead Letter Department T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Drug Abuse T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Erickson's Finish T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a |
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False Prophet T 5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a R |
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Fever, The T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a R |
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Going Postal T 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b |
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Good Ship Venus T 5.9- 5c 17 VI 16 HVS 4c PG13 |
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Handcracker Direct T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a |
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Hanging Chad T 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c PG13 |
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Heatwave T 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b |
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Horse d'Oeuvre (aka Pony Express P1 to Zip Code aka Pony Code) T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Human Factor, The T 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a R |
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Hyperspace Roundup T 5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b PG13 |
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Ignominity T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Ignore Me T 5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b R |
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Iron Horse T 5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c |
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Iron Pony T 5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a |
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Junk Mail T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Lightning Bolt Crack T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Lost in the Netherlands T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Mail Ridge Tower Link-Up T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b |
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Mail Ridge Variation Finish T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a |
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Mail Ridge, The T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a |
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Mesca-Line T 5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b |
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Muscle and Hate T 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b PG13 |
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Passing Lane T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a R |
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Pony Express T 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a |
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Pony Express, Briggs' Variation T 5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a |
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Practice Climb 101 T 5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b R |
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Practice Wall T 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c |
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Prison Sex T 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b PG13 |
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Pygmy Pony T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a PG13 |
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Quicksand T 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b R |
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Quiet Desperation T 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a R |
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Reckoning T,S 5.12d 7c 28 IX 28 E6 6b |
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Rhombohedral T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c PG13 |
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Rope to Ruin T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Seemingly Innocent T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c PG13 |
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Side Wall, The T 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c R |
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Sister Morphine T,TR 5.9- 5c 17 VI 16 HVS 4c |
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Sooberb T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b |
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Sooberb Lite T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Sundial T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Sword Of Damocles T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Unbroken Chain T 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a R |
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Unbroken Prophet T 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a R |
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variation to Mail Ridge T,TR 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b |
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Warp Drive Overload S 5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a |
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Who's Holding T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a PG13 |
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Wind Tunnel T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R |
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Zeros and Ones T 5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a PG13 |
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Zip Code T 5.11- 6c 22 VIII- 22 E3 5c |
Order Wrong?
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| Type: | Trad, 2 pitches |
| FA: | Harrison, Stuberg, Brooks, 1981 |
| Page Views: | 1,347 total · 5/month |
| Shared By: | Tony B on Nov 2, 2001 |
| Admins: | Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC |
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Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
Access Issue: 2023 Seasonal Closures - lifted
Details
Update: as of 6/7/23 per Mike McHugh, ECSP: all closures have been lifted within Eldorado Canyon State Park, including Continental Crag.
Crags on Eldorado Mountain, such as Mickey Mouse wall and Cryptic Crags, are outside of park boundaries and may still be subject to Boulder County closures.
Previously in 2023: per M. McHugh, ECSP: the upper loop of the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail, above the Crags Hotel Ruin, & the
Continental Divide Overlook, is closed effective immediately. This included Continental Crag.
These areas are closed to all activities, including rock climbing & hiking, through 7/15 or until further notice, to protect nesting golden eagles on the S side of the canyon.
Golden Eagles are protected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under authority of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A conviction of nest disturbance can carry a fine to $5,000 & one year imprisonment.
See the map in the photo section for terrain closure.
Previous years: per Dustin Bergman, CO State Parks Officer #770, ECSP:
Seasonal Raptor Closures
Check Park site for current closures:
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/…
For more info visit:
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/…
Double check prior to venturing there. Thanks!
Crags on Eldorado Mountain, such as Mickey Mouse wall and Cryptic Crags, are outside of park boundaries and may still be subject to Boulder County closures.
Previously in 2023: per M. McHugh, ECSP: the upper loop of the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail, above the Crags Hotel Ruin, & the
Continental Divide Overlook, is closed effective immediately. This included Continental Crag.
These areas are closed to all activities, including rock climbing & hiking, through 7/15 or until further notice, to protect nesting golden eagles on the S side of the canyon.
Golden Eagles are protected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under authority of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A conviction of nest disturbance can carry a fine to $5,000 & one year imprisonment.
See the map in the photo section for terrain closure.
Previous years: per Dustin Bergman, CO State Parks Officer #770, ECSP:
Seasonal Raptor Closures
Check Park site for current closures:
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/…
For more info visit:
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/…
Double check prior to venturing there. Thanks!
Description
The first pitch is total crap- a bomb, no good, dangerous, etc... both my partner and I broke holds. The route would be crap except the second pitch (which can be reached from a walk-up ledge) is good, however.
Just prior to reaching the Pony Express area of the West Ridge, quite some way up the hill are the routes Chick On The Side and Bloke On The Side. The easiest way to find these is to hike up to the Pony Express area and then head back downhill past a large ledge (from which Handcracker Direct starts, or the second pitch of Bloke...) until a small overhanging left-facing dihedral is seen. There will be some chalk in the sharp flakey holds of this route, Chick On The Side.
Just down and right of Chick... about 10 to 15 feet is an overhanging pile of pebbles and lichens resembling rock (5.9+). Put on your helmet and check to insure that your belayer has done the same, get a good spotter and then crack the bulge up to a slab. Protect with... shoot, just hope you don't fall, OK? You can get some poor nuts in if you really work at it, but the rock won't be great there either.
You will reach a slab of reasonable rock after 20' or so, and some welcome protection. Although the climbing is easy at this point, wandering up and left on a slab, you should place pro to save your partner and the rope from a slashing-pendulum, should the rock fail on second.
At the top/left corner of this slab, there is a very nice corner system that becomes a nice crack, just a few feet right of the first pitch of Handcracker Direct. This pitch is solid, well protected, fun and 5.8+ - (edit, 5/10/07 = This is only a varriation I have been informed. The origional route is described below in a comment by Steve Levin.)
If you were really smart, you walked up and over the ledge to start as for Handcracker Direct, and skipped the cornflakes first pitch.
You can continue on Handcracker Direct.
Just prior to reaching the Pony Express area of the West Ridge, quite some way up the hill are the routes Chick On The Side and Bloke On The Side. The easiest way to find these is to hike up to the Pony Express area and then head back downhill past a large ledge (from which Handcracker Direct starts, or the second pitch of Bloke...) until a small overhanging left-facing dihedral is seen. There will be some chalk in the sharp flakey holds of this route, Chick On The Side.
Just down and right of Chick... about 10 to 15 feet is an overhanging pile of pebbles and lichens resembling rock (5.9+). Put on your helmet and check to insure that your belayer has done the same, get a good spotter and then crack the bulge up to a slab. Protect with... shoot, just hope you don't fall, OK? You can get some poor nuts in if you really work at it, but the rock won't be great there either.
You will reach a slab of reasonable rock after 20' or so, and some welcome protection. Although the climbing is easy at this point, wandering up and left on a slab, you should place pro to save your partner and the rope from a slashing-pendulum, should the rock fail on second.
At the top/left corner of this slab, there is a very nice corner system that becomes a nice crack, just a few feet right of the first pitch of Handcracker Direct. This pitch is solid, well protected, fun and 5.8+ - (edit, 5/10/07 = This is only a varriation I have been informed. The origional route is described below in a comment by Steve Levin.)
If you were really smart, you walked up and over the ledge to start as for Handcracker Direct, and skipped the cornflakes first pitch.
You can continue on Handcracker Direct.
Protection
The route is S not for its lack of pro, really, but for its lack of good rock. The first pitch feels like a bowl of cornflakes and protects equally well. Wear a helmet and get a spotter. After pulling the bulge on P1, you can fiddle in some gear, but you only need it to keep your partner from swinging. The second pitch is a great pitch to walk up to and do, it is fun and solid, and it protects with standard gear however you like.
Photos
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3 Comments