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Ghost Dancer Arete

5.10+, Trad, 500 ft (152 m), 5 pitches, Grade III,  Avg: 3 from 24 votes
FA: Bob Robertson & Art Wiggins - late 1980s
Colorado > Gunnison > Black Canyon of… > N Rim Routes > Aretes
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Description

Some fantastic sections on this climb; many of the bolts have been replaced; route finding is not very difficult. The only drawback may be that the approach, lengthy upper section and return hike make for a much bigger day than five pitches would normally require.

P1. Climb unprotected 5.7 to gain a small, right-facing corner. Traverse left to second right-facing corner and belay at the top of this with a single, recently replaced bolt, 80 feet. (The Ripe Stuff heads out left from this belay.)

P2. Step right, then straight up towards the bolts crossing the peg band. The first two have been replaced and this is solid, fun face climbing. Continue up through beautiful rock to many options for a belay.

P3. Clip old bolt (you would be happier if they had replaced this one) and climb a ways to your next piece (mental crux). Continue up to a belay that is about 50 feet below a roof with a crack through it. (We combined P2 and P3 without much difficulty - approx. 180-190 feet combined.)

P4. More great rock leading up to the roof crack (a #4.5 cam was useful here). Above the roof, angle slightly right to a ledge at the base of another peg band, 180 feet.

P5. Cross peg band heading up and left with just a few options for gear (here, the guidebook says offwidth. The only offwidth is a long ways out left? We think that we should have traversed over to that feature.) We turned a small roof directly above the peg to gain a dirty slot. Another 50 feet above, the climbing eases and many ledge belay options exist, 150 feet.

The "pitches" are over but about 800 feet of stepped, bushy terrain remain to gain the rim. Simul-climbing or simul-soloing is recommended to prevent this from becoming an all-day (or all-night) affair. Note: all 5 pitches contain at least short sections of 5.10, but most of the climbing is in the 5.8-5.9 range.

Location

Same approach as for the Russian Arete. Continue up the gully past that route for a couple hundred more feet. Just before a vertical step in the gully the route begins on clean, slabby rock on the left.

Protection

Double set of cams, set of nuts, and a few big pieces for pitch 5 offwidth. In addition to the 5 or so bolts on the climb, there are a few fixed pieces. No fixed belays with the exception of the bolt at the base of pitch two.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Erik Rieger on the 2nd pitch.
[Hide Photo] Erik Rieger on the 2nd pitch.
Erik Rieger on the 3rd pitch.
[Hide Photo] Erik Rieger on the 3rd pitch.
Mary Harlan leading the OW/ roof- no big gear needed!
[Hide Photo] Mary Harlan leading the OW/ roof- no big gear needed!
JNelson following pitch one- super-clean rock on the whole route!
[Hide Photo] JNelson following pitch one- super-clean rock on the whole route!
Erik Rieger through the crux pitches.  Only about 1000' more to the rim!
[Hide Photo] Erik Rieger through the crux pitches. Only about 1000' more to the rim!
Spacing out up the canyon while belaying in the morning.
[Hide Photo] Spacing out up the canyon while belaying in the morning.
Wyatt with the 1st bolt clipped on pitch 2.
[Hide Photo] Wyatt with the 1st bolt clipped on pitch 2.
Eli Chance fires the 10+ 2nd pitch.  There are some mental gymnastics require to get to that 1st bolt.  Solid 10, poor gear, and a little scary looking at a factor two onto a single bolt belay.
[Hide Photo] Eli Chance fires the 10+ 2nd pitch. There are some mental gymnastics require to get to that 1st bolt. Solid 10, poor gear, and a little scary looking at a factor two onto a single bolt belay.
James Stover waiting on the sun after hunkering down during a powerful rain squall.
[Hide Photo] James Stover waiting on the sun after hunkering down during a powerful rain squall.
Eli Chance nears the top of P1.
[Hide Photo] Eli Chance nears the top of P1.
Erik Rieger traversing on the 3rd pitch.
[Hide Photo] Erik Rieger traversing on the 3rd pitch.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] This climb is so good! Loved it. Beautiful rock, perfect white stone on the bolted face, gorgeous pewter-grey rock on the steep corner, and steep spicy face-climbing on the next pitch. Short and sweet. Still a lot more of a climbing day than its classic neighbor Russian Arete. Sep 12, 2008
[Hide Comment] The old bolt on the third pitch wasn’t replaced, because there is a good small cam placement just to the left of it. When Art and I did the route small cams didn’t exist. Sep 20, 2008
[Hide Comment] When we did it small cams didn't exist for us either. I do remember some wickedly cool, "text book" tricams, but I don't recall if we even had any cams in those dirt bag days. A couple of decades ago that little bolt on the 3rd pitch actually inspired confidence. All in all a stellar Black Canyon route. It has it all. Great position, phun climbing, a little spice, and a Black Cayoneering style exit. What more could you ask for? Apr 30, 2009
Mike Soucy
Longmont, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Heading to the Black this week, and this is on the list. Any idea as to which big cams are needed for the offwidth pitch? Thanks Oct 24, 2010
justin dubois
Estes Park
[Hide Comment] Yeah, Mike! Get some. Did Ghost Dancer a few years ago, and as far as I remember, we just brought a #4. Short term memory loss may or may not be affecting me though.... Have fun! Oct 24, 2010
Mike Soucy
Longmont, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Thanks, Justin,
Sounds good to me. I'm just psyched that it has new bolts.
Hope you're well. Drop me a line and come down for some climbing in Boulder in Nov. Oct 24, 2010
Mike Soucy
Longmont, CO
 
[Hide Comment] So, to answer my own question: no large gear at all is needed to protect this route. The offwidth is easily protected with two #0.3 cams inside the wide crack. The #4.5 for the roof crack described above was nice, but definitely not necessary. A #3 could be pushed back in there just fine.
It would be nice to replace the old bolt on P3 as the moves above it are a bit runout. I could not find a small cam placement next to it.
This is an excellent route. Oct 30, 2010
Taylor-B.
Valdez, AK
[Hide Comment] A blue/black Alien fits nice approx. 6ft to the left of the old bolt on P3. This is an excellent route. Nov 15, 2010
Erik Rieger
Maine
 
[Hide Comment] Fun, challenging climbing throughout with some very heady, bordering on dangerous sections. The OW protects with small gear. Mostly great, weathered rock, but there are some large loose blocks and flakes. There's still +1,000’ of climbing (up to 5.8, a lot of scrambling) after you finish the offwidth, so absolutely a Grade IV route to the rim. The length and commitment grade in the description are wrong and will eventually mislead someone. Nov 5, 2012
MaryH. Harlan
Carbondale, CO
[Hide Comment] This is an awesome, long route, well worth doing! The only addition is that there are 3 more pitches of "real" climbing beyond those described here or in the book. They are easy, but I don't think they are 3rd class- maybe 5.8 at most. Once you complete those, it is pretty quick & easy to simul climb the last 800 feet. Aug 30, 2014
Noah McKelvin
Nomad
  5.10+
[Hide Comment] Great route. The direct way above the bolt on p3 is really cool. One exciting move of 10dish then jugs to the good gear. I thought the mental crux was p5. The peg pitch with some committing 5.10 moves but not too bad. Just spicy enough. We crossed over to the far left into the FA 5.10 ow. Which was short, had a wasp nest but was juggy! So cool. Worth doing! Sep 20, 2015
Lynn S
 
[Hide Comment] Outstanding route! The five described pitches are each very fun. On P3, going straight up after the bolt seemed pretty mellow, maybe a 10b move.

The pitches above p5 are a bit tedious, but simul as much as you can to speed up your day. Apr 22, 2016
[Hide Comment] Highly recommend this route! New style #4 Camalot is nice. Fun, engaging climbing on spectacular rock! Apr 25, 2016
Laurent Meillon
Golden, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Very clean rock, making for fun face-climbing on good pro (except above the ripe bolt on P3. The thing is 6-8 mm, the hanger sticks out too far, best to use a nut's wire behind the hanger). It seemed to us that P1-5 were each a bit soft, but then again, don't think you're done after P5, you still got a long effort with regular full-body high-steps & occasional 5.9 moves!

Things I'd do different in retrospect: combine the 4th Class start & short P1. Fold the rope in half to simul-climb the upper section (full rope length creates unavoidable rope drag). Take face-climbing shoes (probably jammed my foot 3 times in total). Take no 4 (we placed it to get rid of it, but never came close to needing it). May 14, 2018
Patrick Vernon
Grand Junction, CO
  5.10+ PG13
[Hide Comment] Loved this route! There is indeed a small cam placement 5 feet left of the crappy bolt on P3, took me a while to find it. I placed a yellow x4. Lots of PG-13 climbing but nothing ever too serious. May 23, 2018
D F
Carbondale, CO
  5.10+ R
[Hide Comment] I honestly feel that this route deserves an R rating until the ancient bolt on pitch 3 is replaced. Plenty of other high-consequence spots, too. Definitely not a route to be taken lightly. Oct 11, 2021
F r i t z
(Currently on hiatus, new b…
  5.10d R
[Hide Comment] Stellar route! Several no-fall zones on 5.10 terrain throughout the course of the route proper. Make sure you have your head screwed on, and maybe bring chalk.

P1: twenty feet of unprotected 5.7+ slab gets you to a cool, bouldery face move out of the first shallow, RFC. Belay at a comfy seat off a bomber bolt, #0.5, and purple Metolius.

P2: dice it off the belay. A purple Metolius and marginal grey Metolius will protect you for a hot second, but you still have to make a committing move to reach the bolt. If you're short, bring a stiffy -- I'm 5'10a" and had to reach a bit. Easier 5.10 face in peg protected by a second modern bolt and a rusty quarter-incher eventually leads to good gear. I didn't link into P3 and was very happy with my decision, even though the belay was uncomfortable (#0.5, #0.75 and black Scrotem).

Funny story: I did the committing move the opposite way as most people, which involved a mantel and pulling on a peg mono with the aforementioned marginal baby grey ULMC ten feet below. I broke a hold and whipped but managed to catch myself on the jug rail, preventing a grisly factor-2 ass-hatting. After composing myself and receiving a morale-boosting pep talk from Blayne, I used the standard beta, which still feels rowdy and PG-13+.

P3: waste a sling on the comical old bolt, then step six feet left to tiny slot that takes one and only one grey Metolius. Then render those pieces useless by climbing 25 feet on 5.10 terrain through a wasp nest to the next good gear. Blowing it here will rip the old bolt and maybe your microcam. Even if they hold, you're still looking at 40-50' ledgefall. I think an R rating is justified here. Ranger Vic's excellent guidebook suggests climbing up and left to sling a horn, but I didn't want to spend any more time in the wasp zone than necessary.

P4: the only easy and safe climbing on the route proper. Still 5.10 to pull the roof, but it's all there and protects with a #1.0 and a #3.0. Big gear will just get in your way. Wander up and right after the roof, and belay at a comfy ledge on nuts and #0.5/#0.75.

P5: somewhat dicey peg leads to somewhat dicier peg. Aim for an offwidth bulge that protects on finger-size pieces once you're up there. Belay on a nice ledgelet off nuts and a hand-sized piece.

We simuled from here, 5.8 territory for a ropelength, then ledgy 5.4. As with Russian, there is an exposed 5.4 slab that may be worth roping up for.

We climbed at a casual pace and made it back with a bike-to-bike time of 11:15. The route blazes in the morning sun and then gets shade around 4:00 in mid-April, so a late start isn't necessarily a bad idea. I led the first five pitches and neither carried nor desired a #4. A single #3 was sufficient. Next time, I'd bring offset microcams and a Green Ghost for P2 -- a grey-purple Metolius would be ideal.

This route is an absolute gem, but the spice is real. It's like a shorter, headier version of Atlantis. I wouldn't throw a new 5.11a leader on it. For the myopic "5.12 Creek climber," a Beal Escaper and extra nuts might come in handy. Bring your techy shoes, and milk the hand jams -- you get maybe five of them. Apr 29, 2022
Airbiscuit
Grand Junction, Co
  5.10+ PG13
[Hide Comment] Excellent route w/ a touch of spice as most Black Canyon routes do. Wasp nests are gone. The alpine terrain at the top is fun and goes fast probably 1200’ to go after the “OW”. Sep 16, 2022