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Tall Cool One

5.9, Sport, 60 ft (18 m),  Avg: 2.6 from 454 votes
FA: Mark and Jenny Ryan - 2007
Kentucky > Red River Gorge > Muir Valley > Tectonic Wall
Warning Access Issue: Land Owned by Muir Valley Nature Preserve DetailsDrop down

Description

Fun route with good holds, just like the other three at Tectonic. Pull through a big flake followed by a crack to a ledge. Climb your way to some massive KY plates after that to the easily clippable anchors.

Location

Located on the wall perpendicular and right of Fifth Bolt Faith

Protection

8 bolts + anchors

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Fun little intro to crack climbing
[Hide Photo] Fun little intro to crack climbing
Tricky moves between the 3rd and 4th bolt
[Hide Photo] Tricky moves between the 3rd and 4th bolt
Up near the, past the crux.
[Hide Photo] Up near the, past the crux.
Tall Cool One, the route above the roof move.
[Hide Photo] Tall Cool One, the route above the roof move.
Tall Cool One, behind the pine tree.
[Hide Photo] Tall Cool One, behind the pine tree.
Tall Cool One
[Hide Photo] Tall Cool One

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

saxfiend
Decatur, GA
  5.9
[Hide Comment] Great climb! The name says it all. I'd give it four stars if it weren't for the even better routes here. Very different in character from Plate Tectonics, and much longer (must be at least 80', and 10 or more bolts, not six). The ledge is a nice place to catch your breath before you tackle the fun roof above it. May 16, 2010
Ben C
Portland, OR
  5.9
[Hide Comment] bottom is kinda funky, but the top of the route is great. the starting flake made me think for a minute, and the final moves before the roof felt somewhat committing. Top of the route follows this great column style feature of plates/jugs. the roof pull move is very similar to the Creature Feature move over at Phantasia. not quite as good as plate tectonics, but if your waiting for PT or Gettin Lucky in Kentucky, its a fun route! Nov 27, 2010
ehp25
Fayetteville, AR
 
[Hide Comment] Enjoyable climb! The belayer will definitely understand why this route is called Tall Cool One...natural a/c! Crux is around the 3rd bolt up to the ledge. After that, smooth sailing. Jun 27, 2011
Sam Roberts
Columbus, Oh
  5.8+
[Hide Comment] Great climb. Largest plates in the world! Good for a novice leader Apr 8, 2012
S. Neoh
  5.9
[Hide Comment] Yeah, nice long route. But I thought some of the thin plates/flakes just before the anchor look suspect. Noticed the thin cracks on some of the flakes? I definitely tippy-toed my way to the anchor on this climb. Apr 8, 2012
Peter Lundgren
Boulder, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Very unpleasant 3rd and 4th clips. The top half is fun, but doesn't make up for the bottom half. Sep 22, 2012
Zach Burton
Bloomington, IN
[Hide Comment] This is a great warm-up route, however I think it is a little harder than a 5.9. The crux of the route (bolt 4 I believe) is quite difficult. A lot different from the other routes on Tectonic, but still a great climb. May 7, 2015
Derrick Keene
Kentucky
  5.9+
[Hide Comment] Cool route with good variation. Plates, crack, easy roof. I'd rate the crux at 5.9+. Rest of the route is super easy. Apr 7, 2017
Q C
Indianapolis, IN
 
[Hide Comment] Fun route for the 5.9 leader, seems true to grade for the Red. Similar roof as Creature Feature but thought it was notably easier. Otherwise, it is a fun, long haul just pullin plates to the top. Oct 14, 2019
[Hide Comment] sketchy. not bad. tallest route of all routes on the wall. wouldt recommend for beginner sport leader Oct 26, 2020
DrRockso RRG
Red River Gorge, KY
[Hide Comment] Nothing sketchy about this route. Oct 26, 2020
Willow Jordan
Lexington, KY
  5.9+
[Hide Comment] Spicy in the middle, but well-protected and tons of fun. I didn't really follow the boltline that closely below the ledge/roof. Loved the roof pull and the jugs up top! Jun 28, 2022
[Hide Comment] Exactly what you think it's gonna be, but I was super cold! Literally a cool one Mar 8, 2023
[Hide Comment] Seems much taller than 60ft, because of erosion. The first bolt is probably 15ft off the ground. Mar 14, 2024