This is truly one of the great routes in the Black, and perhaps the world. Yes, THE WORLD! Great rock and great gear throughout.
P1. Face climb trending right with gear and past 3 bolts to the base of an open corner and a two bolt belay, 5.11.
P2. Climb the amazing corner to a stance, 5.12-. Unbelievable.
P3. A short crack leads to a corner and a mantle and easier climbing to a stance below a bolt and corner, 5.11+.
P4. Climb past the bolt into yet another amazing corner. Belay at a stance below a shallow corner/slot, 5.12-.
P5. Climb the slot past a roof. 5.10. A ledge and a short difficult corner follows, 5.10. At the next ledge, bypass the corner on the face to the right. Belay at grassy ledges.
P6: Go up 5.8 corners trending slightly left. After 200' move right and continue with a little simul-climbing up stair step ledges to the base of open black corner.
Variation directly to 2 Boulder Bivy: Belay after 200' and then step a little right and go up obvious 5.8 flake corner (nice). Some slightly mungier and harder climbing tops out on the bivy.
P7. Climb a black corner (5.11a) stepping out left when convenient and finishing at the base of a obvious thin crack in a wide dihedral. An easy 50' traverse can go from here to the 2 boulder bivy.
P8. 50 feet right of the two boulder bivy. Climb a shallow splitter through a black streak. When the crack peters out, step right, then up and left to a bolt. A difficult leftward traverse (11d) ends at a two bolt belay, 5.12. Stellar.
P9. Follow a shallow crack, then faceclimb right to a bolt and mantle move to a ledge. Step left into a shallow corner and another ledge with a small crack for gear. Step down and right, then up to a rampy corner. Follow this to the top and a good ledge, 5.11.
P10. Ignore the flake going out left. Go up into twin cracks then face climb past a seam to a ledge (12-). Continue up a left leaning corner past a bolt (12-) to belay stance. Minus too much rope drag, you can continue another 40 feet up 10+ to a chain anchor (the third station on Astro-slog raps).
P11. (The extra 40' in the above pitch can be added to this pitch, too, or done as a short pitch to reduce drag) Go up corners and face climb out right past some cracks. Climb the right leaning corner to a sloping ledge and a single belay bolt, 5.11.
P12. A very difficult overhanging crack splits a short headwall to chain anchors (the second rap station), 5.12.
P13. Go up through chockstones to grassy ledges. Resist the temptation to go straight up. Head directly left under the prow to join the top of
Astro Dog. Belay below 5.9 S-crack on
Astro Dog, 5.8.
P14. Climb 5.9 s-crack. Trend left to a 5.9 corner. Go through bushes and behind a flake. Chimney up and step across. Battle drag up pegmatite ramp past a pin. Belay at the top of pegmatite.
P15. Trend right up gully and under roofs. Step around the roof to a slab and head up and left. Climb chimney corner past chockstones, 5.9. Belay at chains on top.
Set of stoppers with extra 4 through 7.
"RPs" (those BD steel micros work wonders).
Two sets of cams from purple TCU size to hands with one micro-cam.
Access Issue: 2019 July South Casm View Wall closure lifted. Prior: Rockfall potential closes some routes!
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Nederland, CO
As to Topher's above comment: On pitch 12, we put in a nut that becomes part of the anchor and the first piece for the crux climbing. It goes just below the pin scar. I fell on it a couple times. Sounds sketchy but it keeps you off the ledge just fine and your other belay piece is a 3/8" bolt in bullet stone. Jul 6, 2009
Carbondale, CO
Western North America
A few notes and suggestions:
Our original plan, and one I would recommend to anyone looking for a relaxed outing, was to spend two days on the route. It is very easy to rap in with a haulbag to the two-boulder-bivy. Take full advantage of the top-down hauling to bring beer, good food, boombox, whatever. The bivy is nice for two people. (We did not end up climbing the second half of the route on the second day, though, as threatening weather gave us an excuse to escape on Astro-dog. We came back two weeks later to climb the upper half).
As for the pitches, the long stemming corner on P2, and the p8 corner above the bivy ledge felt like the most involved, sustained leads. The hardest single move is definitely on p12 (the steep finger crack), but it's very short and easy to figure out.
The rack recommended was spot on, was glad to have a good selection of RPs and small cams. You could probably get by without the #3, or a second #2, but we found plenty of places to use them.
Finally, HUGE thanks to the FA team for establishing this line. This was definitely a route that had to be "established", I'm sure it required a fair amount of cleaning, and every one of the bolts seems pretty essential. It's not a line that jumps out at you, but it weaves its way and connects some amazing pitches on very good rock.
-Scott Jun 3, 2011
Nederland, CO
15 pitch routes don't get much cleaner or more classic than TYT, no worries, just great rock climbing! Oct 1, 2011
Westminster, CO
Carbondale, CO
Ouray, CO
Lives on the road
We didn't take a #3 and never missed it. One #2 would be fine also. A good selection of smaller nuts is highly recommended though.
The pitch above the Two Boulder Bivy was little bit dirty, but my partner brushed it as he led it and still on-sighted it.
I wouldn't call the last 12 pitch a +, 12b at the most. Sep 13, 2015
Boulder, CO
Golden, CO
Noah and I did it in 2 days. Day 2 felt like a fight. Maybe due to lack of fitness and too much whiskey during our night at the bivy. May 29, 2016
Colorado Springs, CO
Estes Park, CO
Two days is a good way to do it. We did the pitch off bivy at the end of the first day and fixed our line to the anchor instead of doing it for a rugged warm-up the next morning. Those with a good level of fitness should consider doing it in a day though, as the quantity of hard climbing isn't more than something like the Moonlight Buttress or the Venturi Effect, just a bit more moderate terrain. It might be harder to pull off in the fall due to shorter days, but certainly in the spring it should be dooable.
Also, those rappelling with a single rope and a tagline using the jammed knot method should consider bringing a few mini-biners as some anchors don't have quicklinks. We left a few up there for that purpose. Sep 22, 2020