PRINT: Rock Climb Acid Crack, South Platte

Acid Crack

5.5, Trad, 100 ft (30 m),

Avg: 3.3 from 37 votes
FA: Ken Trout & Kevin
Colorado > S Platte > Goose Creek/Mol… > Sheeprock > Velcro Wall

Description

Maybe this is as close to a Half Dome as we can get in the Denver area. Now that the fire damage is fading a bit, Acid Crack is again an outstanding climb for novices who like to hike in rough terrain. A rappel is normally done to descend.

HISTORY

Colorado Mountain Club climbers where bagging hard summits at Chair Rocks in the 1950s. I used to think Sheep Rock was probably climbed back then, because Kevin and I found a single angle piton rap at the top of the crack. Later, at the old CMC library on Alameda, I found a Trail and Timberline account of the clubs preference to climb the low angle southwest slabs and then rappel off the summit via Acid Crack.

Kevin and I didn't rappel, because we simul-soloed the crack ropeless. Kevin was a Keanu Reeves look-alike; a surfer dude from Cali who showed up ready to learn climbing in 1973. When I told him we could walk off the back, he believed me. Oops! After dropping and climbing, we came on to the realization that there was no walk down the back. So I down-soloed under Kevin with the idea that if he slipped I'd spot him off the excellent finger locks.

We didn't know that Colorado Springs climbers had been calling the area "Acid Rock". It would be no surprise to find out that Earl Wiggins or any number of guys from the Springs did this route earlier and under similar conditions.

Protection

Finger sized stuff.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Climber on Acid Crack.

Acid Crack.

The yellow line is the approximate location of the Acid Crack.

The route with a rope and gear following it.

Red dots for the boulder filled gully up to Acid Crack. A blue dot for Velcro Wall.

In the left crack, which is about to end.

Starting up.

Upper Acid.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

slim

5.5

This is a terrific crack at the grade (5.1, yikes, I think I called it 5.5 or so in my notes). Linking up Fractured Fairytales to Acid Crack to the summit of the Helen's Dome massif is the ultimate date climb with somebody who is just beginning to climb. Jun 30, 2009

Wiled Horse

5.5

Your "HalfDome" comparison/description sounds like the CMC route, Ken? Maybe already posted as South Ramp!? and

This is the lower large crack system for the belay. You can see the top belay above.

Jun 30, 2009

slim

5.5

Finger crack sounds right though. Man, what a nice little finger crack for the grade. Jun 30, 2009

Wiled Horse

5.5

Little more description of this little gem.

Probably most insecure move is the first 8 feet starting off the ground. After that, solid jams in diagonalling splitter crack. Takes larger stoppers. A few hand sized cams work higher too. At some point, you step right and switch cracks, and follow this until you pass a quarter-inch bolt, signaling your rope is about out, the crack dies out and you belay with finger size pieces OR sneak right to a two bolt anchor of the bolted route. From this point, you can walk up the summit slab.

I think of this route as kind of a low-angled Charley Don't Surf. Jun 30, 2009

slim

5.5

That's funny, I was going to say that if this route was steeper it would be like Charlie Don't Surf. Jun 30, 2009

Jeremy Hakes
Golden, Colorado

5.5

You can keep running this crack up a full rope length. It doesn't get you to the top, though. We set up an intermediate belay 190' up, then my 2nd belayed me from the rap anchors on top of the Bolted Route. Takes all sorts of gear - nuts to #2.5 cams and tri-cams. Great stuff. Apr 18, 2011

Mark Roth
Boulder

5.5

I would say 5.3 except for one tricky slab move after the crack ends (maybe a 5.5 move).

It's easy at the bottom until you reach the crack. Then it gets easier. When the first crack ends, step left to another. The crux comes after the 2nd crack ends. I stepped left again to a big flake then up right to the crack that leads to the summit... super fun.

We simul-climbed all the way to the top. But I think it would be easier (and safer) to belay when you run out of rope. And then either walk up unroped or do it as a 2nd pitch. Jul 1, 2011

Tombo
Boulder

5.4

You'll need a 70mm to descend. Jun 2, 2014

Ken Trout
Golden, CO

5.5

I fixed the grade to 5.5. Also, several photos have been embedded in the text so that they are more prominent for phone use in remote places. Thank you all for the comments and photos posted! Dec 9, 2015

Mike Piwowarczyk

5.5 PG13

The climb itself is a classic! The approach is terrible and confusing if you don't climb Acid Rock. With a 70m, you can make it to a two bolt anchor of the bolted route (5.7?) but seriously with only a few feet left of rope. The communication was non-existent with my belayer after 40m or so. I wish I had some more #1s with me. From the anchor, it is a class 3/4 to the summit. We rapped down the bolted route (2 raps), but!!!!! from the 1st rap (70m rope) the knots ended up being about 3 feet above the anchor - just be ready for that. A South Platte must do! Not difficult but spectacular! Nov 9, 2016

M Clark
San Antonio, TX

Can anyone provide input on the best approach to Velcro Wall/Acid Crack from the top of Helen's Dome? Climbed FF last week, and we were looking to do Acid Crack but got chased off by a storm before we could figure out the best path over to Velcro. Aug 3, 2022

eli poss
Durango, CO

So I was originally told that Acid Crack was the large dihedral around the corner to the right of the bolted route, but after looking into it, clearly that was wrong. I'll have to climb this one some time, but I've always been too lazy to bring gear up, because I usually climb bolted routes on Acid Rock or the north face, but I'm curious about this dihedral that isn't Acid Crack. I figure that with such an aesthetic line on such a prominent formation there's no way that nobody has ever climbed it, but I haven't found any info on it. Anybody have any clue what it might go at and if there is any info on it? Aug 19, 2022

Ken Trout
Golden, CO

5.5

I double checked my book. The corner is listed as an unnamed 5.6 hand crack. No need to descend into the "Velcro Gulch" to enter the corner, start just right of Acid Crack. I'll get the topo digitized soon and add it to the page. Oops on me for not doing this sooner. Aug 20, 2022

Alex S
Denver, CO

The crux was moving left to other crack once first crack ends after ~60 feet or so. Belay at the top of the crack with small gear, or if you have a rope longer than 70m, can reach the horizontal crack on the right at the summit with #1-3 sizes at 80- 90m?

Lots of small gear. Nov 6, 2023