PRINT: Rock Climb Illegal Alien, San Luis Valley

Illegal Alien

5.11d, Sport, 60 ft (18 m),

Avg: 2.3 from 12 votes
FA: Martin Joisten, 1990
Colorado > San Luis Valley > Penitente Canyon > Penitente - Entrance…

Access Issue: Limited access Oct. 15-17, 2021 Details

Per Wes O'Rourke: there will be limited access October 15th-17th. The first annual True Penitence Climbing Festival will take place October 15th-17th, 2021. The festival will be reserving all campsites and parking lots at the main canyon on October 15th and 16th. Participation in all festival events will require registration for the festival. The canyon will still be open to the public for day use, but please plan accordingly, as camping is not available on site and parking will be restricted. Also, the climbing competition on Saturday the 16th will be asking the general public to yield to all competition climbers, as competing climbers will be heavily using most of the routes in the canyon. Please consider climbing elsewhere during the festival if you don't want to participate.

Description

This is located immediately left of the popular "Forbidden Fruit".

This route might be a bit contrived. It starts out steep on some nice jugs, then quickly turns into a steep slab. I felt compelled to avoid using the crack on the right ("Apocketlips") which made for a couple hard slab moves. My friends used the crack, and it probably makes sense to do so. The crux comes about mid-height with some small pockets on great rock.

Being a nice route next to two of the canyon's most popular, I don't see why this route doesn't get more traffic.

Protection

Bolts.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Whipping Post, 05/22/2005.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

NEH

5.12-

I agree this one feels a little contrived, avoiding the crack makes this one harder than the adjacent 12a Forbidden Fruit. Overall, I thought this was a bitchy tweaky little route not really worth the effort. If you are here for the weekend there are plenty of other better routes to do. May 16, 2011

Aeon Aki

5.11+

Use the crack! This is rock climbing, not the gym. Using it does not avoid the crux, and there are some great jams in there. Well worth it if you already did Forbidden Fruit. Oct 15, 2012

Nate Liles
Lander, WY

Replaced all hardware in 2018. Support from Maxim Ropes and The Access Fund, all hardware courtesy of the ASCA. Consider a donation @ safeclimbing.org. May 6, 2019

Marc Syrene
Del Norte, Colorado

Not sure why this route doesn't get more love. Great movement, quite sustained and ballancy and interesting. One of my favorites. May 26, 2020