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Billy's Ghost Dance

5.5, Sport, 105 ft (32 m),  Avg: 2 from 107 votes
FA: Brian Shelton and Stewart Green
Colorado > Colorado Springs > Red Rock Canyon… > Westbay Wall
Warning Access Issue: Reopened after flood damage! DetailsDrop down

Description

This is the second route on this wall but the first easily seen from the path. The first route (currently a project, 5.13+) is behind some trees around the north corner of the wall. From photo, Billy's Ghost Dance is the left of the two routes.

This route shares the first two bolts straight up jugs with Nose in a Day (5.7) and then veers left to more delicate slab climbing. From the top of the route, Pike's Peak looms over the Whale's Tail Wall on the other side of the canyon.

As mentioned in the guidebook, there is a great deal of loose rock laying around at the top of these two 100 foot climbs.

Protection

5 bolts to a two bolt anchor with rings.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Westbay Wall - from path.
[Hide Photo] Westbay Wall - from path.
Looking down from the anchors on Billy's Ghost Dance. You can see the ripples in the sandstone that make this an easy and fun climb.
[Hide Photo] Looking down from the anchors on Billy's Ghost Dance. You can see the ripples in the sandstone that make this an easy and fun climb.
Anchors for Billy's Ghost Dance.
[Hide Photo] Anchors for Billy's Ghost Dance.
Deb near the 4th bolt.<br> <br> Note, a #3 Camalot can be placed between the 1st & 2nd bolts. Also, it's more than 30m to the anchors.
[Hide Photo] Deb near the 4th bolt. Note, a #3 Camalot can be placed between the 1st & 2nd bolts. Also, it's more than 30m to the anchors.
View from the anchors.
[Hide Photo] View from the anchors.
Clipping the high first bolt for Nose in a Day and Billy's Ghost Dance. It's easy climbing but definitely runout - there's a few feet of rocks below this picture before the ground.
[Hide Photo] Clipping the high first bolt for Nose in a Day and Billy's Ghost Dance. It's easy climbing but definitely runout - there's a few feet of rocks below this picture before the ground.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Stewart M. Green
[Hide Comment] This route is cleaning up, so in the newest guide printing, I've dropped the route rating to 5.5.... May 24, 2005
Stewart M. Green
[Hide Comment] I removed the Fixe ring anchors from Billy's Ghost Dance a week ago and added new bolt hangers with quicklinks. So many people had been top-roping through the rings that the stainless steel was worn down at least 25%. Don't top-rope through the quicklinks on the route. It's always best to use your own gear, so you can create an equalized top-rope anchor, which puts less stress on the bolts. The cost of replacing the Fixe ring anchors with new ones is almost $30. To find out more about why you shouldn't top-rope directly through bolt anchors and how to rig a top-rope on bolts, read my article at About.com climbing.about.com/od/topro…. Apr 29, 2010
Noah Yetter
Lakewood, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Use a sling on the second bolt to reduce both rope drag and further rock damage. Nov 12, 2016
Ryan M
  5.6
[Hide Comment] Decently high first bolt, but once you get 6ft off the ground, it's easy to get there. To TR, it's a little awkward to avoid the small tree. Nose in a Day is a more interesting beginner route. Aug 3, 2020
Brian Reyman
Fort Collins, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Like many routes in RRCOS, this one could use new rings or chains - the existing rings continue to show lots more wear than they should. Nose in a Day’s anchors next door are in much better shape.

This is one of the easier routes in the canyon, for sure - great for newer climbers. As others have mentioned, a bit runout in places. The climbing is easy, but if someone is leading for the first time, which seems likely on a climb like this, it seems worth it to space more closely for added confidence and safety. Dec 22, 2021