PRINT: Rock Climb T-Rex, Glenwood Springs

T-Rex

5.13a, Sport, 85 ft (26 m),

Avg: 3.3 from 6 votes
FA: Dave Pegg, 2009
Colorado > Glenwood Springs > Main Elk Creek > Main Elk Crag

Description

This is the King line of the Main Elk crag and the most difficult by assigned grade. The crux of this route climbs more like Rifle Canyon than Main Elk.

Climb up easy, intro rock for a few bolts before encountering some tricky, face climbing moves. A good rest presents itself part way up where you can hang out as long as needed. Leave the rest through another short crux, and get established on a decent shake below the imposing roof. From here, power and kneebar your way through the steep, tiered roof to a final finishing jug. Lower here to save your rope if working the route, or if sending, climb easier rock to an anchor just before the top of the cliff.

A left kneebar pad is helpful.

A 12b variation of this route "Baby Rex" climbs the lower face before breaking left to finish on "Triceratops". Don't follow these bolts which break left into the dihedral.

Location

This climbs the obvious buttress just to the left of the approach trail. To the left is the shared start of the popular warm-ups "Velociraptor" & ""Triceratops". To the right is the obvious crack splitting the buttress "Howl Roof".

Protection

15 bolts to anchors. Rope drag can be a pain, so it is best to backclean or sling the first few bolts, and use a few long draws on the route.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

D F
Carbondale, CO

5.13a

I don't want to be an a-hole by downgrading this fun and beautiful route, but some modicum of honesty seems to be in order. As one of the proudest routes at the entire cliff, it naturally sets a benchmark for whatever grade it receives. Main Elk consistently feels about a letter grade soft compared to Rifle. That's fine and fun to have some feel-good fluffy routes now and then, but I can't accept 13b for T-Rex. At Rifle, this route might even pass for hard 12d. Besides, I don't think it's that much harder than Eternal Flame (12d), which is just around the corner and which I would say is spot on for the grade. Pardon me for the ego check. I hope everyone continues to enjoy this fantastic line. Nov 25, 2019

Shirtless Mike
Denver, CO

5.13b

Guess I probably should have mentioned that this route is pretty low in the grade in the description, especially with kneebar technology. I just kept the FA Dave Pegg guidebook grade in the initial posting. FWIW I had just came from the Hurricave when I climbed this and it felt like low end 13b as compared to the routes there. I'm not sure if everything should be graded in comparison to Rifle, but it is certainly easier than 13b in the canyon, and could even be easier than a few of the hard 12d's there. But Rifle is Rifle and has some of the stiffest sport climbing grades of routes I've climbed in and around the Front Range.

Anyways, this is one of the best things about MP, getting an accurate grade consensus, so no worries on the down grade here.

Also Thundercats felt significantly harder than this when I tried it, not sure how that got the down grade in the guidebook from the FA grade. Nov 27, 2019

D F
Carbondale, CO

5.13a

Yeah, no attack on your writeup here, Mike—I knew you were basing your description on the guidebook. I made my comment for the sake of going on record with an honest opinion. Seems to me that Main Elk is becoming an area where a lot of climbers are cutting their teeth, and thus I want to give them a more accurate consensus on grades. When Dave started bolting this area, it seemed destined to obscurity. I imagine he might have fluffed the ratings a tad to make the cliff more attractive to visitors. He certainly left us with some wonderful gifts. Dec 2, 2019

Tyler Stableford
Carbondale, CO

5.13a

I found two kneepads helpful and used two right knee scums in addition to the key left kneebar. Mar 6, 2024