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Roadrunner

5.11-, Trad, 105 ft (32 m), 2 pitches,  Avg: 3.5 from 85 votes
FA: Craig Lightburn (and possibly Mason Frischette), '70s?, FFA: Jim Erikson &John Behrens, early June, 1975.
Colorado > Golden > Clear Creek Canyon > Wall of the '90s
Warning Access Issue: Seasonal Raptor Closures/CDOT Road Work DetailsDrop down

Description

EDIT: actually is named Roadrunner and the left crack is .30-06.

This is the right of the two distinctive cracks on the right side of the wall, the left one being ".30-06" (aka "thirty aught six"). Despite the not-so-classic parts (bird poo, loose rocks, lichen) it is a super-sexy Clear Creek classic and not to be missed. From the ledge system, start under a fixed head and work up a funky crack to the cave. If you have a big reach, you can place a good finger sized piece before committing to the moves at the fixed head. There are several questionable blocks and the gear is sometimes difficult to place, but can be solid with tricky cams, offset cams or tricky bomber nuts. One could belay at the cave, or with careful rope management one can continue up the roof section. Traverse the huge roof with bomber pro and back clean if doing it as one pitch. Clip the bolt to keep your rope out of the crack and climb the beautiful overhanging crack to the nice summit ledge. There are two old cold-shuts and one new bolt w/chain. In my opinion the crux is not the OW, but the thin crack just above.

Descent: Loose walk-off or rap with two ropes (it is possible to rap with a 60m and swing into the ledge, a 70m provides much more comfort, ! KNOT YOUR ENDS ! ).

Protection

Nuts, hexes, set of cams from micro to fist (double cams if doing it as one pitch). The crack undulates often and passive pro can be more bomber than SLCDs. A few runners. No OW pro necessary.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

In 1978, George Bracksieck is pictured successfully freeing p.2 of what later became known as "Roadrunner."<br> <br> Photo by Steve Sarns.
[Hide Photo] In 1978, George Bracksieck is pictured successfully freeing p.2 of what later became known as "Roadrunner." Photo by Steve Sarns.
The left crack is 30.06.
[Hide Photo] The left crack is 30.06.
The best stance to belay from.
[Hide Photo] The best stance to belay from.
At the bolt.
[Hide Photo] At the bolt.
At the steep roof section.
[Hide Photo] At the steep roof section.
Low on the first part of the climb.
[Hide Photo] Low on the first part of the climb.
Mike Keegan nearing the wide section, just below the bolt above the roof.
[Hide Photo] Mike Keegan nearing the wide section, just below the bolt above the roof.
Checkin' out the wide slot above.
[Hide Photo] Checkin' out the wide slot above.
Leading pitch 2...just before the French free section :-(
[Hide Photo] Leading pitch 2...just before the French free section :-(
Jack on the 1st pitch.
[Hide Photo] Jack on the 1st pitch.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Anonymous Coward
 
[Hide Comment] All this info and no mention of Thirty Aught Six. The best crack in the canyon. Jul 18, 2002
Bryson Slothower
Portland, OR
[Hide Comment] Is 30 aught 6 one of the two cracks on the right hand side of the crag? One has a huge roof on P. 2 and the one to its left has what looks like an overhanging hand crack for its second pitch. I did the first pitch of the crack on the left up to a three piton anchor with slings and it was decent and the second looked awesome but wet...beta???, I lost my guidebook.... May 13, 2003
Bryson Slothower
Portland, OR
[Hide Comment] The right hand crack is 30 aught 6, 11b and the upper pitch looks awesome. The first pitch looks like choss. The 1st pitch of Road Runner is quite good though and is more like 10-, not 11d as suggested in Rolofson's guide. Jul 7, 2003
Wiled Horse
  5.10d
[Hide Comment] 7/30/04:installed 3/8" x 3" bolt with chain (primed and painted) to existing two cold shut rap anchor. One of the two existing bolts can be spun in its hole by fingers (try it) and is sticking out 1/4" the other one is ok. Aug 2, 2004
Lon Black
[Hide Comment] Excellent line. Definitely a one pitch line with a 70m rope. Extend the two cams you'll likely place at the roof section and don't extend a runner when you clip the bolt after the roof. This will from going into the crack and keep the rope from having too much drag. Might save a #4 Camalot for the last piece before getting to the anchor. A #3 works too, but covers up the better jam. Apr 16, 2006
Casey Bernal
Wheat Ridge, CO
  5.11-
[Hide Comment] It looks like I got the name a little off. I guess the true spelling should be: .30-06 and pronounced "thirty aught six".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-0…

I guess you could use the technical name or the pronunciation. Feel free to correct it to which ever you (or the FA) wants.

This line is definitely one of my favorites in the canyon. Mar 27, 2007
reboot
.
[Hide Comment] Errr, tried doing this as a single pitch... and I don't recommend it. Basically, you can either screw your second with little protection on the roof traverse or give yourself rope drag from hell.

I don't know if there was a defined crux on this route, but the roof traverse has poor feet for a couple moves for shorter guys and once the roof is turned, the upper section gets pumpy (or was it because of my 40 lb rope drag?) I don't know why anybody bothered to mention the OW, cause, it ain't no OW.

There is a nut (#12 stopper?) right before turning the roof. It looks easily removable, but please don't (unless, of course, you put it there). This and the bolt help keeping the rope from getting stuck in the roof crack. Jul 6, 2007
Aeon Aki

[Hide Comment] FA: Jeff Achey and Kent Lugbill, Jan 1981. Royal Robbins is old, these guys would kick your ass (not that Royal Robbins wouldn't). Jun 29, 2008
Adrian Weaver
Buena Vista Co
[Hide Comment] The fixed head at the start is now gone. It fell out when my friend unclipped the the draw from it. The top half of this route is awesome! Sep 18, 2008
slim

[Hide Comment] I'm pretty sure Craig Lightburn (and possibly Mason Frischette?) climbed this in the mid '70s, as well as possibly others. It is probably the most obvious line in the canyon, and there were a few folks venturing into it during that time. Aug 17, 2009
Devan Johnson
RFV
  5.10+
[Hide Comment] This might be one of the top 5 crack pitches in the Front Range at the grade, a true gem. And I've never seen anyone on it.

Bomber anchors at top thanks to Darren's hard work! Apr 6, 2010
Phil Lauffen
Innsbruck, AT
 
[Hide Comment] Hmmm, maybe I can blame falling on the rope drag? I didn't really notice it, even though I did this climb as one pitch. Probably I had the 40 lbs of rope drag Shumin mentions and just thought I was being weak.... Doing it on toprope afterward was MUCH easier.

This is completely possible to lead and lower with a 60m. Just don't miss the ledge!

Fantastic roof and steep crack! The line was begging me to climb it. Jul 13, 2010
Monty
Golden, CO
  5.11-
[Hide Comment] Excellent pitch. As for the "rope drag", if you use a 48" sling on both the webbing (bail tat?) under the roof, and then another 48" on your first piece in the roof; The drag should be pretty minimal.

I used 1 #4 Camalot in the wide part before the roof, and nothing smaller than a #0.5 Camalot. Aug 17, 2010
GabeO
Boston, MA
 
[Hide Comment] I agree, it is totally do-able to lead as one pitch without bad rope drag or screwing the second. I've done so twice. Put your first piece in the roof as far out as you can reach from the stance, and put a 36" runner on it, and you're good. True, if your second falls, you'll have to lower them back to the ledge, but that would happen no matter what you did to protect that section.

Oh, and make sure to clip the bolt with a short draw as you turn the roof! This is key to keeping your rope from getting sucked into the crack. Mar 21, 2012
Kevin Gillest
Winter Park CO
  5.11a
[Hide Comment] Great route, no doubt one of the better cracks we have climbed in the Denver area. From the ground, it looks a lot wider than it was, we brought BD #4, never placed it. The move after the bolt in the roof, it could be placed there, but it seems to be in your way. May 5, 2012
claytown
Boulder, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Excellent route! Currently has a bit of bird poop on the lower part, around the suspect stacked blocks (which are avoidable if you try). Agreed that a #4 isn't necessary. I took one and didn't place it. Starting into the roof will be more difficult for shorter people. Sep 20, 2013
Andy Hansen
Longmont, CO
  5.11-
[Hide Comment] The bird poop factor is pretty low right now except for a detritus heap atop the loose blocks. All in all, a clean route by most standards. Doing it as one pitch is pretty straightforward - place minimal gear on P1 and use long runners/back clean to prevent drag. Pretty light rack honestly. Nothing larger than a 0.5 Camalot and doubles from 0.75-#2 and a single #3 should do ya good. This is a good route, and if the feet weren't as good as they are, this thing would be splitter 5.12. Aug 17, 2014
C Fitch
[Hide Comment] Adam Huxley and I replaced the anchors with ASCA Hardware. Dec 26, 2014
Jay Samuelson
Colorado
 
[Hide Comment] Thanks for your work replacing this anchor, C. Fitch. It needed it and is appreciated. Mar 12, 2015
Kevin P
Loveland
 
[Hide Comment] Sweet route that protects nice (if you can hang on to place gear). For the traverse, I kind of recycled gear to get my placements towards the exit move at the bolt. Rope drag would be hideous if you left gear way left. I could not find a discernible crux. There were no 11 moves in my opinion, just super-sustained 10+ climbing. I think the crux started at the beginning of the hand traverse and ended at the anchors. You get a little of everything. Hands, fingers, fists, and a little OW. Awesome!!! Oh, I used a double rack, including one #4 Camalot. The new anchors are well placed. Jul 23, 2015
Jay Eggleston
Denver
  5.11-
[Hide Comment] I agree with the last comment. Lots of 10+ but no real 5.11. The 10+ moves are tiring, not many good rests, so it does feel like an 11. Jul 11, 2016
Jim Erickson
[Hide Comment] I likely did the first free ascent of this climb onsight with John Behrens in early June of 1975 using stoppers for protection. I had seen it since 1967, and it reminded me of Country Club, but John finally convinced me to come down to Golden to check out Clear Creek Both this and 30.06 had obviously been used as aid climbs in the piton days, but there was no sign of chalk anywhere on either climb. At that time, I thought it was the best straight-in, thin handcrack crux I had done in Colorado. That same day we also climbed MK74 on the Red Slab (which I suspect had been previously free climbed, since it was only easy 5.9 and well-protected), and we also climbed the huge dihedral just to the right of Sonic Youth, 5.8. 5.11a seems a good trad grade for Roadrunner today. May 9, 2019
tooTALLtim
Vanlife
 
[Hide Comment] 50' of zero star climbing to 50' of four star climbing...I'll call it a three star climb because you end with the good stuff :P Aug 31, 2019
Tony B
Around Boulder, CO
  5.11a
[Hide Comment] The belay below the roof sets up well on any combination of a red Camalot, a red Alien, a yellow Alien, the pin, and maybe plenty other options. It also allows an attentive belay at the crux turning the corner of the roof and for virtually no rope drag at all, and this would be a 4* route were it not for the first half, which is close to garbage. Apr 11, 2023
Todd R
Vansion, CO / WY
 
[Hide Comment] I know nobody climbs w/ a 60m rope these days, but we did and were able to easily lead and lower with plenty of rope to spare and 0 shenanigans. So I’d say a 60m is more than adequate.

Also I didn’t find the gear down low to be tricky at all. Straightforward, I was able to place a solid cam before the entry moves, and I by no means have a long reach.

Just saying all this, because this route should be on more people’s radar, it’s awesome! Also 0 bird poo right now. Jun 7, 2023