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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Rincon : Rincon - Center Route & R : Rincon (5.11a)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Oct 5, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Shame on me for not doing this climb earlier, but all the spray and hype scared me off. The pin is fine. If you have seen the pin on C'est La Vie, then you know what a bad pin is. This pin is nowhere near the catastrophe that the C'est La Vie pin is. I did not use it because as far as 11a's go, this thing is soft. Stem all the way up and reach high left for a bomber lock and pull - all done. I would say you don't even need to place the nut (a la TB). Way easier than Super Slab, Art's Spar, Grand... more >>
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon : River Wall : River Dance (5.12b/c)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Sep 18, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Darren's book gives this 12a/b which I think is fine given AKT is 12a.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : Capitol Peak : Northwest Buttress (5.9)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Sep 8, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: I would only submit that just because the climbing is easy does not mean it is not 's'. I never had problems finding gear either but it was because as you stated the climbing is really easy for the most part. I did not stop to look around and only took what was staring at me in the face.
My post was simply meant to warn people that were hoping to climb this route where 9 was their limit and who were not comfortable running it out on 7s. I see more and more of these type of people in the mount... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - Pony Express t... : Ignominity (5.9)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Sep 8, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: 70m rope one pitch. Not a problem.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - Pony Express t... : Sooberb (5.10c)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Aug 17, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Run the 1st and 2nd together makes this a much nicer climb - did it with 70 meter I think my belayer had to make a couple of moves. The crux had no jamming for me. Jugs the whole way through. I put a #2 at the wide slot at the top of the crux.
I won't comment on the rating. Suffice to say, this is not as hard as Grandmother's and no way near as hard as Art's Spar. Both similar grades and roofs.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : Mt. Evans : The Black Wall : Good Evans (5.10d)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Aug 10, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: You no longer need 2 ropes for the rap. Not sure how long it has been like this but we brought to ropes and rapped by extra set of chains on every rap. Sure if you want to rap faster you can but then you got to drag it out of there.
Great route. We linked 2nd and 3rd without a problem. You could also link 1 and 2 as well but it is more fun watching your 2nd through the crux. The 2nd pitch I thought was the hardest 8 crack I had ever done.
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : Capitol Peak : Northwest Buttress (5.9)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Aug 3, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Just did this route this weekend. The first 2 pitches are wet, really wet water running down the 9 crack at the top of p1 and water gushing out of the chimmney.
With that said, what a route. It is long, loose and chossy. It just keeps going and going. We had snow on every pitch, loose rock everywhere.
This route is not for the faint of heart. Every pitch is S and some are VS all 5.6 and above. The descent would be hell for a party that did not know it and could be consdered the hardest part of... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The Bastille : The Bastille - N Face : Northwest Corner (5.11a)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 27, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: I think I do this different than everyone else. First, the XM start is much nicer and adds another 10 pitch to the climb.
On the crux, I climb over the tiny roof and get my left hand in the good slot between the two pins in the crack. Then I reach out with my left foot and toe in on a tiny edge (out left) and balance forward on that while moving my left hand high and right hand to a gaston in the crack above the pins. My left hand hits a high edge and I pop my feet up and move to better holds r... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Redgarden Wall : Redgarden - Lumpe to the to... : Grandmother's Challenge (5.10c)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 10, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Train on climbs 11a to onsight 10c?
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Redgarden Wall : Redgarden - Tower One : Grand Giraffe (5.10a)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 6, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Went up to do this route on the 3rd. Anyone who says you don't need a 5 or 6 for that matter is basically free soloing the whole off-width. I went up with 2 4s and could not find spots for them and was looking at free soloing the whole off-width. I declined and went and cruised Art's Spar which in retrospect is a lot better climb anyways.
I will go back up there but not without a #5.
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Location: International : Canada : British Columbia : Squamish : The Chief : ... : The Grand Wall (5.11a A0)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Nov 5, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I am looking to do this route next summer. What is the best time of year (least crowded and decent weather window)? Also, I have done Diamond routes, is this similar in commitment?
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon : Creek Side : Spun Gold (5.12a/b)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Aug 7, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Ah thanks for the beta Richard. So I ended up pulling it both ways..lol.
I went left first and made it clean but did not like the traverse back right to the next bolt at the base of the headwall so I came back down. Then I went straight up (harder) and hung a couple of times to figure it out. Guess I got the full potential of that one then!
Great route! Thanks Richard for putting it up!
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Redgarden Wall : Redgarden - Tower One : Super Slab (5.10+)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Aug 6, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Did this route again today. This is the best route in Eldo imo.
Fixed gear is gone on the crux. Bomber purple TCU. The third time I have placed it in the crux.
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon : Creek Side : Spun Gold (5.12a/b)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 31, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: No one will probably respond to this comment, but I went up and did this route yesterday. After getting to the hanging belay on the 5th pitch, I was confused as to where the route was supposed to go.
The hanging belay is under a bulge which can be passed on the left through a dihedral that had a bolt. Or to the right of the bulge which had a bolt as well. The bolts were about 5 feet apart at the same level. I went left and pulled it with ease but came back down after I saw the other bolt. I had... more >>
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Location: CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 3, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: River Wall is the wall directly across from Highwire.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Redgarden Wall : Redgarden - Tower One : Ruper (5.8+)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jun 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Did this route again for about the 5th time. There is absolutely no reason the upper section should be done in 3 pitches. It goes like a gem in 2 pitches.
As a matter of fact, I am now convinced that you can do the lower in 2 pitches as well if you do your first belay at the base of the Ruper crack.
Great route, there are no 8s better than the upper section.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Redgarden Wall : Redgarden - Lumpe to the to... : Green Slab Direct (5.9)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Aug 22, 2006 | view comment >> |
Comments: I did this route on 8/20. Not as good as I was expecting. I did the route in 2 pitches like Tony suggested, and that was great because it packs a lot of climbing into those 2 pitches. I can see if done as 3 it would diminish the climb.
With that said, holy loose rock! The first pictch had a lot of hollow sounds loose rock and flakes. The second pitch was better but only the crux section. I did not see a pin but climbed up the great 8 crack into the 9 finger crack, and then when it abruptly ende... more >>
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Location: CO : South Platte : Devil's Head
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 31, 2006 | view comment >> |
Comments: Went there on 7/30/06 and the flies were everywhere. If you were silent, it sounded like you were in the middle of a beehive with all the swarming. They were not black flies but annoying nonetheless and swarming all over you as you climbed.
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Location: CO : Estes Park Valley : Lumpy Ridge : The Book : J-Crack Slab Area : Femp (5.9)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 24, 2006 | view comment >> |
Comments: Went up to do J-Crack and wound up on Femp. Go figure.
For a rack I would bring 4 #2 and a #3 if you really want to get comfortable. I brought 1 #2 and no #3s and the top half of the crack eats #2s and would take a #3 as well. I really wanted my #2 that I placed on the lower half. Also, the thin section at top takes a #0.4 Camalot in the good hand slot and also a bomber black Alien about 4 inches above that. It is a great climb.
Is Femp harder/... more >>
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Location: CO : Alpine Rock : The Crestones : Ellingwood Ledges (5.7)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 17, 2006 | view comment >> |
Comments: I did this route yesterday and here is my beta FWIWs.
We slept at lower S. Colony Lake and bivied where they standard route connects back to the lake. And, yes, the road is horrible:).
We started at 6am and hiked straight across to the base of the climb from the lower lake. We climbed the entire route up to the headwall free. The only move of any consequence was the one 5.7 move over a bulge with the pin in it that Ben mentioned. We only roped up for 2 pitches total and they were the final he... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : Redgarden Wall : Redgarden - Tower One : Super Slab (5.10+)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jul 5, 2006 | view comment >> |
Comments: I did this route again yesterday. There is now a fixed micro-nut at the crux slab pitch. It is a really good fixed piece and I was still able to get in a bomber Purple TCU right above it.
I did the Doub-Griffith 2nd pitch variation. What a great variation. The traverse down and left to the first bolt is easy just be careful pulling on some of the fragile flakes.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The Bastille : The Bastille - N Face : Outer Space (5.10c R)
By: Michael McKinnon When: Jun 30, 2006 | view comment >> |
Comments: I climbed this last night for the 3rd time and just wanted to add a more recent comment. Like everyone has said, what a great route.
p1 - Bastille Crack to ledge
p2 - Chalked-up dihedral. There are three pins you can clip in this dihedral. 2 seemed bomber to me and the other one was decent. The hard part is getting situated in the dihedral. Once in the dihedral you can stem your way up using little hands.
p3- Like everyone else has said, this is not run out at all. After pulling the 10c move, ... more >>
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