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The Owl 

5.7

   
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FA: Layton Kor, Ben Chidlaw 1959
Type: Trad
Consensus: 5.7 [details]
Length: 2 pitches
Views: 4,222 page views

Submitted By: Michael Komarnitsky on Jan 1, 2001


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Ben Mottinger doing the 5.10 variation on P2.


Description 

Begin almost directly under the huge boulder just to the right of the A-shaped roof. Skirt a small bulge, instead following a crack from the left up and to the right. Look for the horns on the face to your right. Move up, through the nice fist crack, and belay from the ledge above the boulder.

Pitch 2: Same as for Cozyhang. Cruise up to a wicked small a-shaped roof. Jam and stem up and out, and follow the crack up the face to the left another 10 feet.


Protection 

Standard rack.



Photos of The Owl Slideshow Add Photo
Tony Troia and Jason Alexander at the base of The Owl, The Dome, Boulder Canyon.

Tony Troia and Jason Alexander at the base of The ...

Marga Powell on the hand traverse on the first pitch.

Marga Powell on the hand traverse on the first pit...

Marga Powell pulling onto the chicken heads on the first pitch.

Marga Powell pulling onto the chicken heads on the...

Marga Powell jamming the easy crack to the summit.

Marga Powell jamming the easy crack to the summit.

Christa Cline headed for the chickenheads on the first pitch.

Christa Cline headed for the chickenheads on the f...

Christa Cline starting up the awkward overhang on the second pitch.

Christa Cline starting up the awkward overhang on ...

Brenda Leach cranking the move to the chicken heads on the first pitch.

Brenda Leach cranking the move to the chicken head...

Ran is traversing into the corner. From below, this bit looks like it will be hard and scary, but there's gear, and the holds are big. You can also climb over the roof directly into the overhang (I think I've done it that way).

Ran is traversing into the corner. From below, thi...

Starting the hand crack. Cozy Hang traverse to this point from the right. There's a photo in the Rossiter guide of Nancy Pritchard from above in this same position. It looks like she's soloing.

Starting the hand crack. Cozy Hang traverse to thi...

Anna Clarke finishes the great hand jam section with right side in and left out on a bucket on the arete. This is the end of challenging climbing on P1.

Anna Clarke finishes the great hand jam section wi...

Scenic view looking down from the 1st belay station.

Scenic view looking down from the 1st belay statio...


Comments on The Owl Add Comment
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Comments displayed oldest to newestSkip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Nov 10, 2009
By Michael Komarnitsky
Founding Father
Jan 27, 2002

From the belay atop P1, you can also take the 5.10/9+ hand crack that exits the roof 15 feet up and right from you. It's somewhat awkward, in that it's half roof / half hand traverse, but an enjoyable and well-protected exit variation.

By Aaron Shupp
Feb 4, 2002

The roof on the second pitch can be made very easy by getting a wide (but not too wide) stance in the chest high shelf that starts below the horizontal part of the roof and leaning a bit to the left.

By Anonymous Coward
May 27, 2002

I must have missed the easy way around the roof. I thought It was another boulder classic sandbag route. What a great climb. Both pitches have good moves. Not a good beginer lead.

By Stephen Allen
Apr 12, 2003
rating: 5.7

I left a 7 BD hex and a carabiner on 4-12-03 to lower from when I got off route. If anyone wants them they are about an inch up and to the left of the woman's head in that picture of the two people at the base of the owl. Once I figured out the route it was really fun (the two roof sections are awkward, but well protected).

By Tonya Clement
From: Boulder, CO
Jun 19, 2003

This was a lead I feared for a long time, in fact I hated following it because I always muscled through the pigeon poop crack and had to take on the roof...a couple nights ago a friend showed me new techniques and it made all the difference. Tonight on lead I learned this route can be easy but I agree it is not a beginner lead. On lead I found (being short 5'2") that reaching for the chicken head on P1 was the hardest move since I was a bit above and right of my last piece. The crack and the roof protect well and in a relaxed state are oh so very fun. Now I gotta find the nerve to lead P1 (over the bulge) of Cozy Hang.

By Jay Hippel
From: Denver, CO
Sep 23, 2003

I agree it seems like another classic boulder sandbag. Don't go climb 5.8's at Happy Hour and think you've got it easy. Great climb though. Bomber gear. Tricky but rewarding crux moves. Not a beginner climb, go do east slab.

By Matt Chan
From: Denver, CO
Mar 11, 2004
rating: 5.7+

Fun climb that protects fairly well too the summit. Seems like rope drag could be a real problem on the second pitch if you don't a have a least 1 extra long runner (especially in the dihedral slot). Anyone ever test the pin on p2?

By Stephen Allen
Apr 5, 2005
rating: 5.7

I found a stopper below the first belay on The Owl / Cozyhang. I think it's a #11. Give me a call at 303-929-2041 if you want it back.

By Michael Kullman
Apr 18, 2005

I've lead this twice now, and it surely feels stout for a 5.7. Definitely not a good beginner lead. That old pin on p2 looks fairly manky (the ring is pretty rusted), probably a good idea to back it up.

By ROC
From: Englehood, CO
Mar 19, 2006

1st free solo day on this route!!!

By Jayer Chung
From: Denver, CO
May 11, 2006
rating: 5.7

Watch rope drag on the 1st pitch, and stay on route. 5.7 roof move on the last pitch is committing. Aliens, 1 set of hand-sized cams, and nuts (BD stoppers #4-8) sufficient.

By Cody Munger
From: Carson City, NV
May 16, 2006

I've done another 5.9 (?) exit variation to the ending that slips around the left side of the final roof and climbs a steep face to a frictiony dihedral. Not in the Rossiter guidebook that I saw.

By nick moeckel
Jul 24, 2006

If 5.7 is around your leading limit and you're looking for climbs in this area, I personally found this to be a little harder than the Standard Route on the Elephant Buttress and a little easier than Cozyhang. And the ten minutes or so that I spent gathering the nerve to grovel over to the chickenheads rank as perhaps the most humbling that I can remember off the top of my head.

By Merlin
From: Boulder
Mar 21, 2007
rating: 5.7

I'm with Nick on this one. I plugged a Grey Alien in the crack before the chicken heads then spent 15 minutes thinking about going for it. The move is really easy once you grab them but if you have trouble reaching them it can be intimidating.

The roof at the top is pretty easy though, skip the piton and sink a number 2 BD to your right to keep the rope out of your way, climb up high, stem super wide, jam and arm, and it's over. I personally found grabbing for the chicken heads to be a lot more commiting than the roof. Overall a great and varied climb but I would have been very unhappy to tackle this as one of my first 5.7 leads.

By Ryan Kane
From: Denver
May 4, 2007

Left lots of booty yesterday, if anybody cleans my stuff I'd love it back. My partner could not unclip a BD Neutrino QD in the old mangy pin I clipped just for the hell of it. Also, in the final hand crack, I tried and tried and tried until my bloody hands gave up to fish out a green Metolius cam. If found and returned, good beer is your reward. Thanks.

By Scott Sinor
Feb 16, 2009

A 70m rope will get you to the top in 1 pitch with bad, but bearable, rope drag (finishing via the p2 .10 handcrack variation). Accidentally did an interesting variation on p1. Instead of jogging left under the bulge and traversing back right, I went straight up to get into the small dihedral before traversing right to the chickenheads. If you look in the photo with the description "Ran is traversing..." the line I did goes up the small crack about 10 feet right and a little bit down from the climber. An insecure layback over ok gear was fairly exciting and felt more difficult than .7.

By Rich F.
From: Colorado Springs, CO
Jun 7, 2009
rating: 5.7+

Fabulous route! Climbed it with my wife on Friday. Probably the toughest "short" 5.7 trad climb I've ever led. Protects well, but had to think through the zig-zag bulges and roofs. The moves through the A-frame roof seemed harder than 5.7 to me -- especially on my first attempt! Second try went better after my wife graciously pointed out a good place to stem with my right foot. Despite (or maybe because of) the challenge, I loved the route. I'll be back!

By YDPL8S
Jun 8, 2009
rating: 5.7

"The moves through the A-frame roof seemed harder than 5.7 to me -- especially on my first attempt!"

The key to that move is the infamous "head jam", makes it a piece of cake :-) (see pictures on CozyHang)

By Edward Burin des Roziers
From: Boulder, CO
Nov 10, 2009

No need to worry about the manky pin on P2: the ring and eye are gone. I wonder if someone accidentally tested it. A grey/yellow Alien fits below the pin. Along with the #2 BD, this felt well protected, as long as your belayer keeps you off the slab.