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Honey Badger

5.13a, Sport, 140 ft (42 m),  Avg: 3.6 from 30 votes
FA: Sachs, Van Schaack, April 2013
Colorado > Boulder > Flatirons > South > Overhang Rock
Warning Access Issue: 2024 Crag Closures & Temporary Trail and Raptor Closures DetailsDrop down
Warning Access Issue: Closures DetailsDrop down

Description

A 70m rope is mandatory, and tie a knot in the end!

Like its namesake, this 40+ m climb on the West Face of Overhang Rock is really pretty bad-ass. Honey Badger takes a more or less direct line up the vertical to overhanging face about 40 feet right of Snake Watching.

Access the climb by scrambling up a ramp to the right of the staging area for Snake Watching to a small tree.

From there, climb easy terrain up and right to the first bolt, then climb through a weakness in the roof and up the licheny arête (12-) to easier ground and a 2-bolt midway anchor (4 bolts + anchor; approximately 50 feet). Clip the midway anchor and set off through the first crux, a hard boulder problem that ain’t really over until you reach the A-frame roof above. From the rest after the A-frame roof, fire up through the big roof (crux 2) on bullet edges then jug-haul up through another tier to a pod rest. Rest up here, then fire up the steep headwall to the final crux boulder problem separating you from the anchor.

Oh, you wanna pull through so you can work the moves on toprope? Honey Badger doesn’t give a shit. You’ll just have to climb it.

A huge thanks goes to the Flatirons Climbing Council (FCC) and Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) for allowing yet another great route in the Flatirons.

Location

The best way to approach this climb (and all the other climbs on the West Face of Overhang) is to walk up the Bear Canyon trail until you come to the huge boulder on the left side of the trail (the Shelf Block). Just before the boulder there is a climber's trail leading up and left into the woods. Follow the trail up past a few boulders, contouring and following a few cairns until you reach the big flat rock directly under the power line. From there, head straight up the talus (walking parallel to the cliff) for about 15 yards until you can break left through the woods onto the main talus field below the West Face. Wander across the talus to the base of the climb. The climb starts approximately 40 feet right of Snake Watching. Start by a small tree atop a ramp.

Protection

18 bolts total (14 + two 2-bolt anchors). There are several bolts where long draws are helpful.

To descend, you can lower from the top anchor to the midway anchor (70m mandatory!), then pull and lower again, or you can rap to the midway anchor and repeat. A 70m rope is mandatory!

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Phil being a honey badger.
[Hide Photo] Phil being a honey badger.
Pulling into crux 2.
[Hide Photo] Pulling into crux 2.
The endless sea of Sandstone on this 40 meter route...
[Hide Photo] The endless sea of Sandstone on this 40 meter route...
The route overview relative to Snake Watching.
[Hide Photo] The route overview relative to Snake Watching.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Ben Sachs
Las Vegas, NV
  5.13a
[Hide Comment] A true odyssey of a climb.

youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg… May 20, 2013
[Hide Comment] Ooooo! The honey badger doesn't give a shit. Hilarious video! Nice work getting in one of the better lines left in the Flatirons. Putting up routes like this are butt load of work, underappreciated. 10x harder than just being able to drill while sussing out the route. Good on you, boys! May 20, 2013
Ted Lanzano
Boulder, CO
[Hide Comment] Thanks, Ben and Chandler, for a great addition to Overhang Rock and Flatirons climbing. Super fun route.

I noticed the right anchor bolt is a bit loose. I hand tightened it as much as I could, but it needs a wrench. Jun 3, 2013
Curt MacNeill
Boulder, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Thanks, Chandler and Ben, for all the hard work that went into putting this route up and keeping it safe for the climbing community. This is a great route! I think a lot of people are going to be pscyhed on this thing. It's not everyday that you get to climb a 40 meter route on sandstone with the Flatirons as the backdrop. Aug 3, 2013
Jordan Moore
Boulder, CO
[Hide Comment] The nut spun loose on one of the bolts of the low anchor while we were climbing. The hanger fell off and needs a new nut. I placed it on a rock at the bottom of the route. I'll replace it within the next few weeks, but if someone else is working the route, you'll save yourself some hassle if you bring a nut (1/2", 3/8"? not sure) and a wrench.
Comment date: 03/13/2017. Mar 13, 2017
EJM
  5.13a
[Hide Comment] Great route, bring runners to mitigate rope drag. The large jug at the lip of the roof marking the beginning of crux #2 is not long for this world - FYI.

An 80 METER ROPE will get you back to the belay ledge from the top, just barely. Nov 16, 2019
ROCKMAN2
Nederland, CO
  5.13a
[Hide Comment] Fantastic route, equally classic among all the other 13- routes on the wall. Some of the upper jugs are flexing, pull on them with care so you don't kill your belayer. Low crux feels nails compared to other cruxes on overhang, maybe I'm doing it wrong? Or maybe a hold broke? There are several fresh looking rock scars around crux #1 after the first set of anchors.

A 80 meter rope is way more appropriate for this route - will barely get you to the ground with a few feet to spare.

I removed some of the ancient QDs from the top section and left them at the base of the route, about 5 draws. The rest of the draws were in pretty good shape and remain on the route. Apr 8, 2020
Shirtless Mike
Denver, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Great route, super long with a bunch of cruxes. The rock quality is pretty good, but be careful on the jug at crux #2, try not to pull out on it too much, it felt like it flexed a little.

The crux #1 was so hard for me. I ended up taking the right variation, which was by far the hardest moves on the route. Didn't feel like I was tall/flexible enough for the standard way.

Lots of slings are key for rope drag. Backclean the first bolt, slings on the next two. Also slings on the two bolts before crux #2, and slings on the bolt before and at the big traverse right where you stand up into the pod will help keep rope drag to a minimum. Apr 20, 2020
Swavek Gaik
Superior, CO
  5.13a
[Hide Comment] Beautiful, long and exposed line. It is very fingery and skin intensive in the cruxes. May 25, 2020
Kevin Dahlstrom
Boulder, CO
  5.13a
[Hide Comment] This is a fantastic route, but it’s hard to rate, because it’s 3 cryptic V5-ish boulder problems separated by no hands rests. It’s not pumpy, but it’s way technical. The cruxes feel very hard until you unlock the beta. Aug 23, 2023