Any suggestions on a first 5.13a lead?

This next summer I have a goal of leading my first 5.13a sport route. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions of a great first 13 lead. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Depends on your style. For long, steep enduro, Maple's Pipe Dream Cave. Sprout comes to mind. For shorter, cruxier routes AF Canyon's Billboard and Cannabis Wall.

Note I don't climb .13, so these are mostly suggestions from watching friends work routes in these areas.

Cross-Eyed and Painless, bottom of BCC. Stellar route at the Dogwood Crag.

mountainproject.com/v/utah/…

i am looking to break into 13 as well. suggestions for front range areas?

Ditto on that goal, any suggestions for SW colorado?

Front range I think the gold standard is Sonic Youth in Clear Creek.

And unlike many local "13a" routes, nobody will come along trying to convince you it really is just 12+ later...

I don't climb .13's yet nor do I climb things in your neck of the woods, but out of the ones I have hungdog my way through; Dead Sea at the Homestead, AZ and Travesty at New Jack's City, CA felt the most do-able to me. I've only played with a handful of .13-'s so far though...

I've only climbed at Maple in your area but it would be a great place for your first 13. In fact it was where I got my first "guidebook" 13a Rucksack Wanderer. It is a great summer area, the routes are well bolted, and there will be plenty of climbers to work routes with and share beta. Just be prepared for the Pipe Scene.

For guidebook 13a's, although you will have to put up with people downgrading them and the probable downgrade in the new guidebook if it ever comes out.
Rucksack Wanderer - Fairly bouldery and steep, a great line
Just a Little Something - Really soft, not real pumpy, and no really hard moves.

For real 13's that aren't going to get downgraded any time soon.
Sprout - Very continous, the easiest line that climbs out most of the cave. Great moves.
Diggler - Harder moves than Sprout but lot's of kneebars to rest.
Loser - I've never been on this one, but I've heard it is good.

Some great routes to train on and prepare for the endurance oriented 13's are:
Deliverance
Orgasmo
Functional Idiot
Space Lord

Wow thanks for all of the suggestions!! Has anyone done teardrop at the cannabis wall? A friend of mine suggested that one.

There's some hardcore proj's @ Dogwood. Waaaay harder than anything mentioned above. If you can only find the crag...

richard magill wrote:Front range I think the gold standard is Sonic Youth in Clear Creek. And unlike many local "13a" routes, nobody will come along trying to convince you it really is just 12+ later...

I'd agree this climb has a bit of everything. It's a hell of a lot steeper than one thinks from looking at it from the road. It's overhanging, technical dihedral, and a boulder problem going to the anchors. Now that the hold after the crux at the top broke I don't think many people are arguing 13a vs 12d anymore. It feels pretty solid at 13a.

zoso wrote:There's some hardcore proj's @ Dogwood. Waaaay harder than anything mentioned above. If you can only find the crag...

Are you talking about Cross-Eyed and Painless? or some other crag? Sounds interesting!

Phoenix

mattjbudd wrote: Are you talking about Cross-Eyed and Painless? or some other crag? Sounds interesting!

No. I think it's called "I think I'm going bald". Check it out.

mattjbudd wrote:Wow thanks for all of the suggestions!! Has anyone done teardrop at the cannabis wall? A friend of mine suggested that one.

I'll start by saying that I'm no .13 climber but I have pestered my friends with this and this is what I hear:
+1 on Teardrop for the fun factor. Haven't sent it, but its a good one to work. Another is Underdog because the grade is stout.
also +1 for Crosseyed and painless. I hear its best to not even bother with the start, do the .11d start and be sastified with a great climb at .12d
Center Trinity if you're good at bouldering.
That's what's on my radar but they all feel hard to me.

You should totally check out those Dogwood routes. I hear some of them might be in now.

If you have ever seen Goliath at The Enchanted tower you would probably shoot for that one. Never climbed it or got on it but I hear the midway anchors are 12c, route name is David. Then Goliath tops out at about 110 feet or so??? Really cool overhanging top with serious exposure, and guys who have climbed it tell me that They fell a couple times towards the top on redpoint burns and its a really big fall with serious exposure. Don't know how far you are from the Tower but I'm suprised no one has suggested that one yet.

OK, sorry if this one is a little on the stout side, but I think it might be a good candidate (more of a bouldering problem, I admit, perhaps good training for the 13a?):

mountainproject.com/v/south…

Eric Krantz wrote:OK, sorry if this one is a little on the stout side, but I think it might be a good candidate (more of a bouldering problem, I admit, perhaps good training for the 13a?): mountainproject.com/v/south…

Nice! LOL!

zoso wrote: No. I think it's called "I think I'm going bald". Check it out.

That one is a 5.9 it looks like. Hmmm.

hankhelms wrote:and realistically, its more up your alley.

And how would you even know what "my alley" is? What an assumption!!

hankhelms wrote:I really don't- I'm just calling it like i see it, but being that most of your ticks are well under .11, the hardest routes on your to-do list prior to this thread contained Black Monday, and Misery and you wrote under Right Pile just this past september "Still far from redpoint" and under License To Thrill "Still need to work it more"...most breaking .13 leaders warm up on your actual projects. i'd say you've you got a little more than just work to do. Set your sights high, but don't be ridiculous. Go work Isotoner Moaner first, or Naked Nebula. Go try the Padded Cell or Left Pile. You want a good .13, how about Hell? but I bet there's no way in hell your getting up that. Save your bail biners for worn out anchors. And don't knock it till you try it, Dogwood is hard, like pro hard. That is if you can find it.

Are you for real dude? The OP is just psyched and set a lofty goal for himself. I see nothing wrong with that. Sure, he should do some 12s, but that's not what this post is about.

This elitist tone turns so many people away from sport climbing.