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Northern Rib

5.0, Trad, 600 ft (182 m), 4 pitches,  Avg: 2.1 from 32 votes
FA: ??? - undocumented
Colorado > Boulder > Flatirons > North > Regency
Warning Access Issue: 2024 Crag Closures & Temporary Trail and Raptor Closures DetailsDrop down

Description

The Regency is a large crag and certainly has climbing other than the documented line on El Camino Royale. The crag is large enough, in fact, that other scrambling opportunities offer climbing with no overlapping area and none close to it, as well as of a significantly different vantage point and rock character. One such line is the NE Ridge.

From the base, head up and North along to the last of the various aspects and buttresses and climb that up over 3 overlapping slabs from bottom to top. The rock is mostly very good and clean. It is a 3-star line if climbed through the best and most continuous features.

To borrow from Nick's comment below, perhaps for greater clarity since a few people have reported poor conditions on their scramble: "the key to keeping the climbing fun and clean on this route is to maintain your position just a little ways down and climber's left of the crest of the NE Rib. Staying true to the ridge proper gets you into some stupid not fun terrain that is harder than 5.0. Keeping to the cleaned, mostly lichen free rock about 100' or so below the ridge crest will keep the smiles coming :) "

Location

This route climbs up a series of walls on the Northern edge of the crag, going up and over 2 false summits along the way and up the next part of the formation. This is so 'detached' from the listed route, El Camino Royale, that the listed route can scantily even be seen from it.

Protection

Although the rock is given to scrambling/soloing, I suspect a standard light rack could be used to protect it about normally for an easy Flatiron climb. We did not attempt to place gear, however.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The start of the route.
[Hide Photo] The start of the route.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Bat Masterson
Red Rock, AZ
 
[Hide Comment] Didn't find anything good and clean on the far north side of this formation (as far north as possible). More like two inches of lichen + exposure. Good times! Maybe Tony got North and South confused ;) Jun 29, 2018
Tony B
Around Boulder, CO
  5.0
[Hide Comment] Looks like we were on different ribs. I am quite sure of where we were, and I checked my pictures. NE Rib it was.
There are some sub-formations recessed a bit down that I was on, as mentioned. Keep looking! Jun 29, 2018
KansasBoarder
  5.2
[Hide Comment] Same experience at BatMasterson: Tony is correct that the formation is large enough for multiple lines - I believe I wandered somewhere between north and mid on a bunch of lichen and fragile rock. Makes 5.0 feel insecure, IMO. Aug 29, 2018
Nick Esker
Arvada
 
[Hide Comment] This is easily a 2 star climb at least, only slightly lower quality and less fun than Camino Royale and certainly easier. After many laps up this one, yesterday I believe I figured out the best route that avoids the dirty, chossy, insecure garbage others have alluded to.

Approach: after making the turn off Mesa Trail and getting onto the old mining road heading to Regency, to your right/north, find 2 boulderfields separated by a strip of grass (the first is wider, the second boulderfield is skinnier). Immediately after passing the second, skinny boulderfield, look right/north to find an excellent climber's trail leading toward the NE Rib. Do NOT follow all the way to the highest point of the trail. Rather, about 2/3 of the way up the hillside, look for a clean toe of rock reaching the ground that extends further down than the surrounding rock. Leave the now dim climber's trail to traverse over to this toe. It is about half to 3/4 of the way up from the lowest point of Regency. There are downed trees that will scratch you as you mount the bottom part of the slab.

The key to keeping the climbing fun and clean on this route is to maintain your position just a little ways down and climber's left of the crest of the NE Rib. Staying true to the ridge proper gets you into some stupid, not fun terrain that is harder than 5.0. Keeping to the cleaned, mostly lichen free rock about 100' or so below the ridge crest will keep the smiles coming :) Apr 8, 2022