Escape Artist Buttress from Russian Arete. Climbers on COMIC.

All Locations > Colorado > Gunnison > Black Canyon of… > N Rim Routes > SOB Gully (skie… > Comic Relief (5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b)

Escape Artist Buttress from Russian Arete. Climbers on COMIC.

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Lightning bolt crack.

The exit gully (if you don't do the Escape pitches).

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phil wortmann

Sep 29, 2008

“Escape Artist Buttress from Russian Arete. Climbers on COMIC.”

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Nearby Photos

Comic Relief.

An awesome spot above the Black, looking down the SOB Gully (to left). You can see the Comic Relief Buttress in the sun. The Lightning Bolt Crack, in the dark orange dihedral, is near the top of the buttress (far left-center).

Comic Relief.

A route overlay for Comic Relief.

Just above the crux on P2.

Hand traverse after the black dihedral.

Escape pitches from Comic Relief Buttress.

On the black left facing P6 corner. This pitch looks like junk, but it's good and hard. The left wall is smooth (my foot's on the only big hold), so you're forced to face into the steep corner. There's one particularly hard move about 2/3 up. After this some fun and safe moderate pegmatite leads up and then right to the summit slabs.<br>
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Photo by Luke Clarke.

Approach to Comic Relief and Escape Artist.

The "lower rap" - located through the cave/slot. Locate a cord/tat anchor. Rap diagonally toward exit gully (which looks almost vertical, it is not, it's okay), past the 3 huge chockstones. You'll find a tail leading toward the exit gully.

Starting up P2, 10a? There's a medium hard move to start that gets you to this stance, and then another harder move to another stance. Technical, but lower angle than the sustained 9 above.

Climbers on COMIC, 9-28-08.

Traversing to the beelay after the Black Corner

Lindsay having no problem running it out the crux pitch!

This is the approach to Comic Relief and Escape Artist. The topo line shows the scramble across the white slab that leads to the base of the route.

See my comment for more info. Essentially we found a bolted rap anchor instead of the sling rap anchor into the gully. From the escape pitches' rap anchor, scramble down/left, traverse an easy slab, and scramble up and then east to find a bolted rap.

Me cheesing at the belay on the upper 5.7 pitches.

Eric sitting down on the top of pitch 2.

There's a hard move here past a closed off section of the crack, then the climbing remains hard thin hands as the crack leans to the left.

Upper half of pitch 3.

The standard pitch 4 start, traversing left to a flaring corner.

Starting up the 5.9 orange left facing corner of P5. This is up and a good ways right from the top of the P4 corner.

Maurice Reed follows the traverse from the top of the Black Dihedral to rejoin Comic Relief, October 9, 1983.

At the crux move of P5.

P4 traverse above the Black Corner option.

Climbers high on Comic Relief, May 20, 2009.

Jeff Bevan belaying on "lightning bolt ledge".

Luke climbing the summit slabs. 1+ pitches or simulclimbing.

Alex charging through the 5.8 pitch!

06/24/2004. Crew approaching the top of P2 on Comic Relief.

P1, taken from Escape Artist.

Lightning bolt crack.

Escape Artist Buttress from Russian Arete. Climbers on COMIC.

The exit gully (if you don't do the Escape pitches).

The Black Corner option for pitch 4.

Charles nearing the end of the crux splitter on Comic Relief. Photo taken by Bernard Vachon from the first belay of Escape Artist.

The start of pitch 5.

Starting up P1. 5.8 or maybe easy 9.<br>
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Photo by Luke Clarke.

A climber on the pitch below Lightning Bolt Ledge.

Squeezing into what was for me the thin hands crux of this pitch.<br>
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Photo by Luke Clarke.

The stance after the crux. The piece at Luke's feet is a big brass that well protects the crux move.

Starting up the aesthetic P4 9 pitch. I thought I'd stem my way up this, but this "stem" to a ledge on the left was my last.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

Well, that's one way to finish the route - great job, Rob.

Starting up P3 5.7 or 8? The guidebook said this wandering pitch was 5.5 and 5.7 (or 5.7 then 5.5?), but there were several hard sections. We ran the pitch (with a 70m rope) all the way to the end of the leftward "hike" from the base of the Black Dihedral to the base of the right facing corner.<br>
<br>
Photo by Luke Clarke.

Alex walking across to start the 5.9 traverse pitch!

4th Class approach to base of Comic Relief and Escape Artist.

Alex jamming his way through the stellar 5.10 pitch #2!

Pitch 1 upper half.

Maurice Reed leading the possible first ascent of what became known as the Black Dihedral, October 9, 1983.

The start of pitch 3.

Black Corner

Starting up P3. Just above the crux pitch.

The rappel from top of Comic Relief Buttress to get to exit gully. (If you don't do the Escape pitches).

A 5.10+ variation to the 1st pitch of Comic Relief done in the early eighties (83 or 84 I think). Note the Whillans "nut buster" and Vibram soled Vasque Ascenders. This Variation starts 15 to 20 feet to the right of the regular start. This is a Rincon quality crack well worth the small wires required. You can see the classic finger crack of the second pitch.

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