Alienist  5.10b

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Type:  Sport, 2 pitches, 100 feet Consensus:  5.10 [details] FA:  Scott Sills and Janice Harnak Submitted By:  bert honea on Jun 2, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (5) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Raptor Closures MORE INFO >>> FYI: Parts of Devil's Head climbing area are closed March 1- July 31 every year for Peregrine falcon protection. The official closure order and associated map can be found here: www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5280647.pdf. For questions or more information, please contact the South Platte Ranger District office at 303.275.5610. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

We tried this route last weekend based on the recommendation of new guidebook. It takes the line just left of Topaz. The first 30 feet are awkward trad and then very thin face climbing past several (7?) bolts lead to a belay just left of Topaz first anchor. Having done several 10 and 11a routes earlier we felt the 10b rating was pretty conservative - more like 10+. Harder than Black Wave for sure (11a). Other thoughts?

An excellent outing though a bit lichenified. We rapped this pitch due to time constraints but would have chosen to finish on Topaz.

Per Dave Holliday:
Pitch 2: 9+; move up and left from the anchor atop the first pitch into a groove. Stem it with a hand and fist crack on the right and a finger crack on the left. Get tucked under a small roof and pull up through it via a thin-hand to hand crack (crux of pitch). Continue on easier terrain to a bolted anchor. (Gear to a #4 Camalot.)

Pitch 3: 10; from the anchor, continue up and left to a right-facing corner. This pitch is steep and strenuous, but good gear is available throughout. Exit through a slot sort of thing to a bolted rappel anchor. (Gear to a #4 Friend or so.)

Location 

This is located just left of Topaz slab. The start is a small, broken corner. Look for a rightward-trending line of bolts about 40 feet up.

Protection 

Trad first 30 feet, then bolts. Good anchors.