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The Temple
5.11a,
Trad, 110 ft (33 m),
Avg: 3.8 from 11
votes
FA: Rob DeZonia
Colorado
> Estes Park Valley
> Big Thompson Ca…
> Palisade Mountain
> Skull Rock Area
> Skull Rock
Access Issue: Access issue - Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc. - open since 2023
Details
Update: per Bruce Hildenbrand: the area has been open since 2023. Per
JF M: as of May 2022, there is no signage on-site, nor information on the USFS webpage for the Cameron Peak Fire (nor on their published map of closures) that indicates the area is closed.
Per
Bruce Hildenbrand: it appears that the Forest Service has closed access to all the climbing areas accessed via Storm Mountain Road (Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc.) until they can clear all the dangerous dead trees from the Cameron Peak fire.
I worked this issue with Eric Murdock at the AF, and it looks like the Forest Service picked Devil's Gulch Road as the southern boundary even though all the climbing areas on MP.com were not burned.
Description
This mixed route climbs the arete to the left of
Skull Fracture. Begin in an easy crack, or on the face to the cracks right(5.9s), and work your way up to a bolt. Follow a couple more bolts straight up to a small roof at the base of a left-leaning groove. Clip a bolt and mantle over to a stance. Place a piece into the crack on the right, and make a balancy 11a no hands move over to the crack. Follow the flared 5.9 crack to its top with good gear. Move up left to the next roof and clip another bolt. Pull over the roof on awesome rock and great holds (10+) and move out right to the arete. Follow the arete to the top clipping more bolts.
There is not a bolt anchor at the top, so bring some extra gear. The easiest way to descend seems to be srambling off to the west down an easy slab and then around to the south face.
Location
Start to the left of
Skull Fracture. Look for three bolts protecting a slab 20' up. The Temple starts 20 or so feet to the left of these bolts in a right-leaning system. We like to climb the clean face to the right of the easy cracks straight up to a cool flake.
Protection
Bring a standard rack and some quickdraws. I used about 6 cams from finger to hand-sized. Bring extra gear for the anchor.
Per
Ken Duncan: there is a bolted anchor now.
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Ft Collins, CO
There is a bolted anchor now. Jan 26, 2016
Longmont
fort collins
To find this route, look at the skull of Skull Rock - this one goes on the left temple and climbs up along the left of the eye socket. Start up the cracks to the left of the first bolt.
The trad pieces I used were:
I placed the blue #3 first about 6 feet below the first bolt. Then, a few bolts later, pulling up above the first roof I clipped the bolt, and a few feet above I placed a 0.5 in the finger crack to keep me from decking on the ledge below - very important mentally. To pull over the first crux, I pulled up on another 0.5 to get into the finger crack and then moved that piece up. My partner sewed up the finger crack section with a few more smaller cams, but I just pushed to the easy stuff and put in a large #2 below the second roof with an extended draw (you can also lie down on the ledge here and rest up and enjoy the view!). I clipped the bolt above roof 2 and removed the #2 below to reduce rope drag. From then on up, it's all sport bolted up the steep face, crimping on small holds, and having good feet, and sidepulls from the eye socket of the skull! Great route, and one I think is very send-able due to the liedown rest right in the middle of the route. It's also rewarding to do it a few times and feel the sequence. Apr 9, 2022