Baron Wasteland

A new offwidth testpiece in The Platte? This thing is rowdy. It has a hard sporto pitch followed by a hard offwidth pitch with two roofs. I know every climber has looked at this thing when hiking to The Castle. I definitely have been since my first time up there years ago.

Pitch 1: this looks like a choss pile, but it’s actually really good. Start behind the boulder next to the wall, and follow the line of bolts. A bomber small cam can be placed before the first bolt. Climb past 2 bolts to an overhang with two vertical rails. The crux is pulling into the stem box and getting a kneebar. Work the kneebar up as far as you can, and pull some desperate moves to a jug. Past the jug, step left across the face into the corner system that leads behind the big tooth feature. Grovel out of the squeeze chimney out from behind the tooth and a few more moves up the face to the bolted anchor below the offwidth.

Pitch 2: Prepare for battle. Climb a few moderate moves to the first roof. Climb through the horizontal roof on #6 cams and a #7 (or a Big Bro if you are comfortable placing it while inverted) for 15 feet and then into the vertical squeeze chimney. Climb the vertical squeeze for 50 feet, which protects with blue Big Bros. A #7 and #8 cam are very nice to have for this section. Place a bomber 0.75 cam, and then traverse under the second roof on good foot holds underclinging the roof using your last #6 to a perfect hand crack with awesome exposure above some of the best views in The Platte. Belay hard left on top in a finger-sized crack.

This is the obvious offwidth that you can see when looking at The Baron’s Estate from the hike up to The Castle. It is right of the gully that splits The Baron’s Estate.

5 bolts, a standard rack to 2”, 3x #6 cams, 3x blue Big Bros, Alpine draws, and a 70m rope. #7 and #8 cams are very nice to have.