PRINT: Rock Climb A Cut Above, Eldorado Canyon State Park

A Cut Above

5.12a, Trad, TR,

Avg: 1.1 from 8 votes
FA: Charlie Fowler or Matt Lavender (retrobolted: P. Ament & C Griffith)
Colorado > Boulder > Eldorado Canyon SP > W Ridge > W Ridge - part E - to…

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!

Description

From Ken Trout: Pat Ament and Christian Griffith made a movie about this route (available @ AAC Library). It had one bolt and was led that way. Later, someone chopped the route, leaving it to remain as a toprope. Rossiter documented the line such, and as such it has remained.

The holds on this route are small and some are savagely sharp. A Cut Above? Yeah, I got several cut above the first knuckle. I tried this in a post-desert-trip skin-peeling state and paid dearly. After 1/2 tries I went away with 1/2 dozen sliced, oozing fingers and without a clean TR. My partner (Peter Spindloe) got it, however. Thick finger pads are required.

There is no protection on this 25' line, but the crux is done with your feet between 5-10 feet off of the ground. After that, the climbing is easier.

About 15-20 feet right of the start of the first pitch of Muscular Dystrophy, set a TR (or crash pads) below the center of a vertical face with small holds. The area is accessible from a scramble on the right and a large pine tree provides a place for the TR anchor. Work your way up on difficult holds to the tree.

Protection

There isn't any. Still, the route's crux is reasonably close to the ground and the landing is flat. This is originally a T.R., but would make a reasonable boulder problem with a few crash pads, or a 'headpoint' after [rehearsal].

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Climbs just right of the shadow of the tree.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Jay Samuelson
Colorado

5.12-

I thought this was a fun little problem. I did it on tr, but it would be more fun with some crash pads and a spotter. Crux moves are down low, which would make the top out a little easier on the head. Impossible looking face, until I started climbng and holds started to magically appear. Nov 21, 2009

Leo Paik
Westminster, Colorado

Interesting bug in the consensus rating algorithm. V grades and 5.whatever grades don't seem to mix. The folks with who write up these algorithms are working on this one. Nov 21, 2009

Nick Wilder
Boulder, CO

There is no easy fix for this one. I've deleted the V5 rating. Please stick with 5.x ratings for this route. Nov 24, 2009

Jay Samuelson
Colorado

5.12-

I tried to change my rating to 5.x, but the drop down menu only provides V grades to choose from. Nov 26, 2009

Nick Wilder
Boulder, CO

Fixed. I think there was some import bugs for this route from long ago. Nov 26, 2009

Ken Trout
Golden, CO

No! - not even - on the history. Pat Ament and Christian Griffith made a movie about this route (available @ AAC Library). It had one bolt and was led that way. Later, some all-knowing newbie chopped a Pat Ament route. Used to be very worthwhile problem.

Not Tony's error! For some unknown reason Rossiter documents this as a toprope. Dec 6, 2016

Tony B
Around Boulder, CO

5.12a

Ken,
Thanks for the info. The route description has been amended to include your notes, paraphrased slightly for tone. If that seems adequate, you can take or leave your comment, as you please, but I thought it best to put that in the description, not just comments below. Dec 6, 2016

Matt Lavender

This was originally done as a moderately scary boulder problem by either Charlie Fowler or myself. I first climbed on it (but didn’t send) after a large flake detached, leaving a clean face. A few days later, I returned and sent it. During the same time frame, Charlie noticed the chalk and also sent it. We could never figured out who did it first, nor did we care. It is pretty insignificant, even as a boulder problem. A year or two later, Pat Ament and Gray Ringsby (I don’t think Christian was involved) placed a bolt and claimed the first ascent. When told about the bolt, Charlie and I gave a collective shrug. It’s a 15 ft boulder problem that wasn’t particularly difficult even in the way back when. We couldn’t understand why someone would take the time to place a bolt, much less make a movie. Apr 9, 2020