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Pirouette
5.7,
Trad, 70 ft (21 m),
Avg: 3 from 65
votes
FA: unknown
Colorado
> Telluride/Norwo…
> Ophir
> Cracked Canyon
Description
This route is located on the right side of the canyon about 150 feet from the mouth. It climbs an obvious, splitter finger crack in a smooth slab.
This is one of the best 5.7 finger cracks around and a must do for the grade. Follow the splitter crack for about 50 feet until you do a rising traverse up and to the right.
[Hide Photo] A big smile after climbing Pirouette. I seemed to have missed the part about going left and up the chimney. As you can tell, the crack eats gear, and I was happy to feed it!
[Hide Photo] Nathan making moves through the crux of Pirouette. Cracked Canyon, Ophir.
[Hide Comment] This route is wonderful. You can find it on the right 200' up the canyon. It starts with 25' of fingers with solid stances for gear and ends with stemming in a chimney. It trends left at the top and into a wider crack system. I love this route....
Sep 3, 2009
[Hide Comment] According to the old guide I have, this route tops out to the left. However on 10/1/2016 there were no anchors up there that I could find.
Oct 3, 2016
[Hide Comment] Finishing left thru the "chimney feature" adds another 15 feet of great crack climbing with a steep hand crack (recommended) or just two feet left of that a wide low angle crack, and lots of stemming available for both. As of 8/2/17, there are no anchors at the top, but 30 feet down canyon (climber's right) was a tree with slings. Finishing right will take you to anchors above Air Arete (also highly recommended TR).
Aug 7, 2017
[Hide Comment] Climbed this 9/19/17 finishing up left; there actually IS a sling anchor with a ring and 2 carabiners off a tree about 12 ft. left of the natural finish which allows the rope to fall back toward the start, but there's a "notch" that the rope wants to gravitate to when belaying back down which creates some drag.
Sep 25, 2017
[Hide Comment] Climbed this on 5/13/18, one of the funnest 5.7s I've jumped on. Great finger crack, you only have to do a little crack technique to get up the 1st 10-15ft. After that, there's plenty of features on the face, and it gets a bit easier the higher you go. There is 3 bolts at the top, 1 is a Metolius glue-in, the other 2 have SMC hangers, but I believe they are the newer ones as the markings run parallel with the spine, they are both spiners as well. Decided to build a a gear anchor with one piece being the glue-in.
May 14, 2018
[Hide Comment] A new chain anchor was added to this route in June of 2020. This anchor is situated where most folks finish the route (directly above the finger crack, and slightly right) and allows for TRing "Where Are Your Friends?" and "Air Arete". New anchor courtesy of the Telluride Mountain Club. Enjoy!
Jun 14, 2020
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