Trad Tour de Platte

*  Tal Wanish and company first made Baby Helen's summit possible:  Martin Beck, Marissa Binkoski, Steve Dewitt, Tyson Ferryman, and Nadya Vorotnikova.

Climbing a Tour de Platte originally meant any combination of direct west face routes up the three main domes that look like a sheep: Helen's Dome, Acid Rock, and Sheep Rock. Below, the original 1984 connection started with Helen Highwater (old name Buffalo Tears), then Four Eyes, and finally Sheep Just Wanna Have Fun to the summit.

Above, Denver locals Lynn Fletcher and Dan McGee at the first belay of Buffalo Tears during the first connection of a Tour de Platte. 

Below, nearing the end of the earliest Tour de Platte, Lynn Fletcher climbs Velcro Strip, 5.9x??, a few bolts with trad gear here and there, still needs to be posted on MP (probably not 5.7 as I put in my book).  Dave Dunblazer and Kathy Bright had just drilled Velcro making a tour more technical than just doing the Sheep Rock Finger Crack, 1984 or so.  

Because Baby Helen's summit has now been climbed in a civilized way, it should be included as a fourth dome. Rich's photo below shows Dave Dangle on Strange Attractor (5.9), the first pitch out of Helen's Gully to climb Baby Helen.

If a party ropes up for the 5.0 downclimb/rappel of the back of Helen's Dome and then climbs Contrived and Worthless on the way up to Baby Helen, then the pitch count could be sixteen.  

DOME BY DOME DESCRIPTION

Start by climbing Helen's Dome.

The easiest Trad Tour de Platte variation is Knockin' On Helen's Door (5.11, blue dots above). Knockin'... has the shortest approach at Sheep Rock. For a 5.10 tour, Helen Highwater is hard to beat (white dots in photo above).

The photo below shows the 5.0 first pitch of Knockin' On Helen's Door.  It starts conveniently where the trail first reaches the cliff.  

Ed Quesada leading the Great Dihedral.

Instead of Knockin's... 5.11 pitch, it is easier to traverse left to join Helen Wheels. Mike Walley's photo looks down the 5.6 connection. The belayer is at the shallow pothole belay atop the Great Dihedral.

The last pitch is easy, but beware! Richard Aschert's photo shows a Bighorn patrolling the summit of Helen's.

The third class connection from the top of Helen's Dome up to Acid Rock has a real fifth class crux getting off Helen's summit. There is a single 1/2" bolt with double rings for top-rope belaying everyone down the 5.0 finger crack (and then pulling the rope). Richard Aschert's photo of Ed on the summit of Helen's shows the exact line used by both climbers and Bighorns. Taken from the Fractured Fairytales potholes.

After summiting and descending Rambo's summit crack, climb a third class wide crack up to the Diamond in the Rough Boulder. 

Pass south of Diamond in the Rough and make a short climb up to a gentle saddle above the Diamond in the Rough. 

Drop down not-so-gently into Helen's Gully and then across talus to the base of Baby Helen. The photo below is from the top of Helen Was A Climber.

Second, Summit Baby Helen

As Tal's photo clearly shows, a Tour de Platte must include topping out on Baby Helen! Definitely a harder summit by its easiest route than the Cynical Pinnacle, Bishop or Tarryall Tower.

The most expedient way up Baby Helen starts with Strange Attractor (5.9a, red dots). Maybe skip the first anchor @ 35 meters, and go to the hooks @ 50 meters. Then, bust through the headwall via either Tal's route, Would You Go With Me? (5.9, pink dots) or climb Richard's Scylla (5.10, green), the steep sport pitch directly above Strange Attractor's hooks. From Baby Helen's summit, do the eastward 35 meter rappel to the Crow's Nest. and then brave a third class step across the north face to reach Shelter Ledge at the base of Acid Rock's west face.

Third, Climb Acid Rock's West Face

From the do-your-own-anchor ledge that is partly sheltered under a giant tooth of a boulder, climb Odysseus to the top of Acid Rock. The rock quality and gear placements in the Odysseus corner are outstanding (yellow in the photo above). It's been done as a mega 70 meter pitch! Below, Blake Tate & Graham Fillo @ Kozak's Belay on the topo.

The photo below shows some rappel lengths.

Looking down on the Diamond in the Rough connection.

Finally, Summit Sheep Rock

Mike Walley's photo shows the Slab-walking from Acid Rock, across the top of The Land That Time Forgot, and then down to the base of Sheep Rock's summit dome.

The longer finish via To Hell 'n Back is how to get a total of fifteen pitches (3 pitches, 5.8). This premium finish also adds a 40 meter rappel to get into the Velcro Wall corridor. The fastest way to the top is Lightning Bolts because there is no gear placing (only two pitches, 5.7).  

Since a big rack is needed for the Knockin' on Helen's Door and Odysseus anyway, consider the two trad routes on the summit dome. The splitter Sheep Rock Finger Crack is fastest (1 or 2 pitches, 70 meter, mellow 5.5). Not yet posted on Mtn. Project in 2025, the classic 1984 Dunblazer-Bright Dihedral needs a bigger rack (one 70 meter pitch, 5.6).

For a megathon of 70-meter rope management, Sheep Rock, Acid Rock, and Helen's can all be rappelled with a single rope to packs stashed at the base of Knockin' On Helen's Door.  Of course, skip the reverse connection back up Baby Helen.  The Crow's Nest rappel is unclimbable.

Carrying no pack from the car, and instead clipping approach shoes, water, and a jacket onto harnesses leaves open good options.   For expediency, Start with Knockin' On Helen's Door, bag the summit, and then just rappel Sheep Rock (2 raps), hike up to Acid Rock and rappel Cookie Monster (5 raps), finally finishing by hiking down Helen's Gully. 

Another more exciting option is to rappel from the summit down Over the Hills and Far Away.  Starts with two wild 35-meter raps, then a bit of fourth-class to the third rappel (35m).  The last rappel is 40-meters. After a 35-meter rappel, Richard's photo shows the final downclimbing.  

Exit using The Land That Time Forgot approach.  The upper rappels provide some exciting 5.10 top-rope opportunities for maniacs who aren't tired yet.  Also in the photo is Sheep Rock's overhung and blank east face glowing in the sunset.

What to carry depends on which way you go and who you are.  Please check the hotlinks for every route mentioned.  Gear choices are personal, and I am unusually particular.  For example, on the second pitch of Knockin', I find it a lot easier to place three #4 camalots.  Also, for the fifteen rappels, I count bicolor ropes as mandatory to prevent going cross-eyed while looking for faded half-way marks.  Most of the belay anchors are reliably placed 30-meters or 35-meters apart so that mega-pitch aficionados can combine pitches.