One of Eldo's top ten classic climbs. Super Slab begins at the top of the ramp that leads from the roof routes to the base of Ruper. Begin fifty feet left of Ruper underneath some heavily chalked underclings twenty feet above the ground. This climb offers spectacular and scary climbing on generally solid rock.
The first pitch checks in at 10+ and is the strength-related crux of the route. Climb up into the underclings and up the left-angling seam above, 10+ protected by good pins. Continue up thirty feet until parallel with some pins leading straight left. Traverse straight left past three pins (9) to a belay at the base of a left-facing dihedral.
Pitch two is a short one, continue up the dihedral for fifty feet (6) to a belay ledge.
Pitch three has two options. We traversed left into the 11a/b third pitch of Doub Griffith. I recommend this as the climbing is great on this variation and is pretty well protected with two bolts and a decent pin. For this variation traverse down and left on runout 5.6 from the belay. Head up for and obvious bolt and continue up a sort of arete with an delicate 11 section after the pin. Continue up on 5.7 climbing to a small belay ledge at the base of the beautiful 70 degree slab.
The normal way to do this pitch is to traverse in from the left, above the bolts on nebulous terrain to join the second half of the pitch I just described (8+).
The fourth pitch is the best on the route, and is the route's technical and psychological crux. This pitch checks in at about 10c with delicate balancy laybacks and precise footwork. Climb up to the obvious bolt fifteen feet above the belay. The crux is the twenty-foot section above this bolt. Head for a shallow left-facing dihedral with a pin scar. Make a scary blind placement (small TCU, or stopper) hope that it is good (you can indeed get a good placement here, if you spend too much time trying to place this piece and fall, you will probably hit the belay ledge, not a good prospect) and climb right of the dihedral for ten more scary feet to reach a good hold. (If the TCU blows on a fall from this section, injury is almost definite, however as I said you can if you are patient get a good piece in here that will hold a fall from the crux moves above, it is a hard piece to place though). Continue up on slightly scary 5.9 that traverses left under an overhang and surmount this on good holds on the left (9), do some 5.8 out right to reach the upper ramp. This pitch is about 10c overall and instead of requiring pure strength, requires a good sense of body position and good footwork.
Protection
Bring a purple Metolius TCU or equivalent for the crux. Otherwise a light standard rack is suffficient.
Actually there are two protection possibilities. The first is as described (blue Alien) the second is about four feet higher, left on the arete about the height of the flake on the face. This finger pocket will take a well placed (but slightly tight) yellow Alien. With both pieces in place I felt this climb was reasonably well protected.
When Steve refers to the Doubious-Grafitti variation, I believe he is referring to the traditional third pitch. Although it is possible to link the second and third pitches together.
This climb didn't deserve the 'r' that the guide gave it. Unless you're super-pumped, you have plenty of time to get in a solid Alien at the crux. The rest of the pitch is classic but easy. Great climb.
My opinion, the slab crux is harder than the opening moves on the first pitch, they felt like 10a to me. Placing gear at the slab crux is awkward and pumpy. Also, its difficult to see your placement as its kind of a layback there. Overall, be prepared for some fairly spicy climbing with ledge fall potential if you blow it.
In response to Steve Levin's comment about falling on the bolt; my partner fell above the bolt before he had gear in and broke his ankle. Just a heads up. It's a great route though.
Climbed this again this past weekend. My partner placed two good ballnuts at the crux of the last pitch, a #2 and #4. Much better than the single micro nut that I had blindly placed when I lead it.
By Charles Vernon From: I'm in transition right now Jun 14, 2003
Finally got on this today...in response to the third comment above, about the yellow Alien placement: I placed it behind a flake just right of the shallow corner, above the pin scar placement--I couldn't imagine where else it would go. However, the flake is noticeably fragile (it shook when I tapped it), to the extent that I wouldn't even feel comfortable with the thought of hanging on the piece, let alone falling. Given that, I think overall this pitch may deserve an "s"--if your pin scar gear blows (it seemed to be the only even potentially good gear above the bolt), you could definitely land on or near the belayer/ledge, from quite a ways up.
All that said--wow! WOW! I think this is the best route in Eldo! The slab is fantastic, the climbing above it is amazing steep juggy stuff, and no one, including the original descriptor, has even mentioned the third pitch, which involves a blind reach and step around an arete with massive exposure, and gets my vote for the best 5.8 in Eldo! The first 2 pitches are excellent as well.
Charles, I thought this route had half decent pro and the first time I did it was in 1978. I would think that any route could be consider an "s" route if the gear pulls! I thought the gear got better and better (RPs or small stoppers) the higher you climbed above the crux. Good route with great position!
A grey Metolius TCU can be placed blindly in the shallow, left-facing corner above the crux. It's actually quite bomber (I've almost fixed it!) and protects the hard high-step into the corner (if this feels scary, use double ropes). Once standing in the corner, all kinds of RPs and other stuff can be placed -- of course standing there and doing so is a whole different story. I don't think this pitch deserves an "s," but it is a hard and exciting lead for the grade; if you wobble, it'll feel harder!
Man, I wish we had all this beta a couple years ago. I fell about 6' out from said pin scar, which doesn't take nuts too well! Luckily, I flew right by the belay ledge! Cool route. Seems kinda 'R'... -AK
By Mic Fairchild From: Boulder Nov 3, 2003 rating: 5.10d
Two pitches of 5.10+ that are very different in style. P1 very physical, p4 thin edging. back in the day, there was always a fixed piton at the p4 crux. It kept falling out because the placement is so shallow, but kept getting replaced. A proposal to slap a bolt there was shelved by the Fixed Hardware Review Committee in the late '80s, but might ultimately be a good idea. This trade route should be protectable without having to go to Neptune's and buy a micro cam or Loweball (I use the red one to protect the p4 crux).
Overall, perhaps among the top 10 Eldo routes and an absolute must-do.
I have to disagree that a crux bolt would be a good idea. It's not unreasonable the way it is and not wanting to buy a piece isn't a good reason to place a bolt. It's a trade route in that it is done regularly, yes, but at .10+ isn't like a Bastille Crack that will have many inexperienced climbers leading it. There are so many sew-up routes in Eldo that there's no need to make them all accessible to those who don't want a runout.
I agree with Dan. The crux is well protected with a purple TCU or black alien. No disrespect Mic, but saying a route should be protectable, "without having to go to neptune and buy a micro cam ..." is about the worst excuse for placing a bolt that I've heard in a long time. And doesn't a purple TCU fall under the category of "standard rack" for Eldo 10s and 11s?
By Charles Vernon From: I'm in transition right now Nov 5, 2003
I, too (despite my comments above) would hate to see a bolt where the pin used to be. It took me a couple of years to get the nerve to lead this pitch onsight , and as a result, it was one of the most intense and rewarding experiences I've had in Eldo.
I realize that this is an old tired argument, and that Myke wants us to discuss this stuff over beers rather than on the 'net, but it's also worth repeating that the pin clearly was never bomber pro for a lead fall. So a bolt would drastically change the nature of this lead. Also, I would think most people who lead 10+ trad in this area own a #0 Metolius (or equivalent), and/or the small nuts needed to "protect" this section. There's a hell of a lot of routes in Eldo where you need that stuff.
Excellent climb. On the first pitch, the hold up and left after the undercling was key. Maybe the most efficient sequence for a taller person is different, but for me, that hold was key. Also, you will reduce quite a bit of rope drag using a long runner 2'-4' on the first pin as you start traversing left.
I know others have mentioned placing a small cam above the bolt on the third pitch. I happened to use a #5 HB offset. The thin face moves and subsequent moves finishing that pitch were sweet. Every time I needed a hold, it was there. Excellent line.
By Charles Vernon From: I'm in transition right now Jul 8, 2004
If you are at all unsure about the pro,I would recommend doing this route NOW (despite the heat). I did it again today and there are TWO bomber fixed pieces in the pin scar--a nut, and a very fixed #0 Metolius TCU.
The fixed stopper and cam on the fourth pitch are still there. So if hanging out at a precarious stance fiddling with pro is the reason you haven't done this classic get up there and do it. The climbing is fantastic.
My partner (Deb Piranian) and I have different ideas about which pitch is the crux. I say it's the fourth, though she led it. She says it's the first, though I led that one. Figure that one out.
The pitches are short and there is plenty of fixed gear so take a light rack; a single set of cams up to a number 2 Camalot and a single set of stoppers should do it.
Awesome!!! Every pitch is of excellent quality. The TCU is still fixed at the crux and is not going anywhere. I found the first pitch to be more strenuous and sustained, had a good flash pump going by the time I hit the belay ledge. The last pitch is just fun slab with maybe 3 tough moves. Save a red Alien for the huge pocket after you traverse left and before you pull through the headwall. It fits in the bottom of the pocket to the left and you don't get anymore gear for a while after. Enjoy!
Climbed Superslap at sunset on Sat 5/21 and I wasn't disappointed. However, if you're looking for the fixed piece from last year at the crux, you might be seriously disappointed.
I personally was confused about where I should go to turn the "blind corner" for pitch 3 (5.8) described in the book (also partly because I wasn't sure where p2 ends, since there are several options for a belay station).
The answer is: look for a ~2ft niche (indentation) in the contour of the arete on the left. This is where you'll turn the corner. The traverse to it from start of p3 looks unprotected, but it's not - there are good cracks in left-facing corners which are simply not visible from the start of pitch 3.
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.
Did this classic a couple of years ago. P1 was way harder (but safer) for me than the crux pitch. I guess that shows my strengths/weaknesses. I don't recall the bit above the P4 crux being much harder than .5-.6, but I do recall having a fist sized foothold break off under me. Fortunately, the equally sized handholds were a bit more stout...
I thought this route was great! Having 2 easier pitches on it that were high quality is great if it's at your second's leading ability. I went into it thinking the first pitch was .10c. If you look at it as a sport pitch, which it kind of is with all the 4 pins in the first 30 or so feet, then it's not to bad. The last pitch was awesome, I was able to place a grey and purple TCU at the base of the left facing corner, but they weren't "blind placements" as I have read. I was staring the right in the face as I climbed up from the bolt.
Took a HUGE fall at the crux on Superslab on 11/22 during my onsight attempt. Like most, I had placed a purple & grey TCU in the blind pin scar. I gave a quick visual check of the placements as I climbed past them deeming them good. I pulled the moves and climbed past the thin flake on the right and almost up to the ledge with fixed nut, when I unexpectedly popped. I heard the distinct ?popping? sound of gear ripping and watched in disbelief as I fell past my belayer, slamming my ass on the down-sloping ramp down and to left of the belay ledge and coming to stop once the bolt caught my fall.
The fall pulled three pieces in total; my first piece off of the belay (from an upward pull on the rope), the purple TCU and the silver TCU. It exploded the silver TCU cracking two of the three cam lobes and pulling flat spots on the lobes of the purple from the piece pulling out of the crack. I figured that I was at least 10-12 ft above the TCU placements and 18-20 ft above the bolt (that finally caught) when I fell making for a 40+ ft fall with rope stretch.
It took me about 5 minutes to get my wits about me after getting back up the belay ledge, but I sent the rest of the route clean on the second go.
I'm very fortunate to have are no broken bones, but I do have a two sore and purple arse cheeks from the fall to the ledge. A slightly different body position in the fall would have seriously ruined my day and had the potential for serious injury.
I'm still not quite sure what caused the fall? I wasn't pumped, wasn't sketching, and wasn't on difficult terrain, it was completely unexpected. What I am confident of is that the available gear will likely not hold a fall. I'm fairly confident that the TCU placements would hold body weight if you needed to stop and rest to figure out the moves at the crux.
It's likely that ACE won't consider a bolt here after reading the above comments, so the moral of the story is to place the gear and go and DON'T fall!!! When I do this route again, I'll place screamers on both pieces and won't fall!
A big thank you to Brian W. who caught my arse in the fall.
On a side note, I led both P1 & P4 and thought that P4 was a full number grade (11a?) more difficult than the crux pitch on P1 (10-).
By Leo Paik Administrator From: Westminster, Colorado Nov 22, 2006
FWIW, there was a proposal submitted to the FHRC for a bolt to replace the yet-again fallen-out pin at the crux some years back. It was a healthy discussion, and it was quite controversial, but the proposal did not pass. I recall a now-deceased climber relate a similar experience where she broke ribs taking a similar fall at that meeting. Anecdotally, I recall following Roger Schimmel, a well-seasoned Eldo climber, on this around that time and his pro pulled out very, very easily with a test yank.... Best not to fall & to consider it R or S.
I've seen 2 people take that same fall and pull gear. The first was a woman in the late 90s, she pulled the pin, probably the last one before everyone gave up putting it back in. The 2nd pulled a TCU and knocked me off my stance while I was belaying my partner on the last pitch of the DG. Neither were really hurt.
A couple of thoughts on gear and beta for the crux of the 4th pitch. I suspect the TCUs pull because the long trigger bar and stiff stem creates a fulcrum point that levers it out of this placement where an Alien with its longer, flexible stem and shorter trigger can't create a fulcrum point. I gave up TCUs because of this levering issue in some placements.
My beta for entering the corner is to commit and move up before placing the gear. This way you get to use that slot for a hold with no gear in it which IMO is way easier than if it is filled with pro. Then, when you do place the gear it is easy to see what you're doing. If you relax and get on your feet, you can drop both hands here...put the gear in first before trying this stunt :-).
I agree completely with Chris Beh's comment above, Aliens are definitely going to hold better than TCUs at the crux. Also, I've been able to get very good small Aliens (2) a few feet above the start of the lieback crux, although it required stemming a bit left of the crack and not going straight into the lieback initially.
My experience with the gear placements in the old pin scar was similar to that of Greg's. I also used a grey and purple Metolius TCU and was looking directly at the placements rather than placing them blindly. After moving through the corner, I placed a brass nut and promptly fell onto it, ripping it out and dropping my 225 lb onto the cams. They held and I was able to finish the route. The stance to the left of the corner is a tenuous stem on small edges but worth the effort I suppose to get in solid gear under direct visualization. See Ivan's pics of Chuck above for this approach to the corner.
Great climbing, but it's too bad about the pro on the 4th pitch. Although a decent piece could be placed above the bolt, it is really hard to get into position to see to do so. What will happen instead is a blind placement, as reflected by the other posts here, that is most likely to rip out in a fall, the consequences of which could be quite severe. When I had done this route years ago, there was always a pin that could be blind clipped from the good stance. It looked to me like the slot would take a good pin and maybe even still allow for backup brass or TCU placement. Since there are already a zillion pins on the route, it would seem to make sense to put the pin back in. This route should definitely get a big "S" for an on-sight leader at or near their capability.
By Hank Caylor From: Eldorado Springs, CO Apr 5, 2007
You can get a great "Black Alien" (with purple webbing) totally blind from here. If you can't place the gear, ya probably won't be able to do the move anyway. Waaay good like it is right now.
I hope all of the future ascentionists who haven't done the route a million times read MP so they know exactly which piece to blindly stuff into the slot and I guess they'll know exactly where. Of course those who could figure out the blind placement probably couldn't do the moves anyway.....
By Guy Humphrey From: Fort Collins CO Apr 6, 2007 rating: 5.10d PG13
The placements on P4 are not blind. Every placement can be inspected. It is possible to get small gear every 2-3ft in the shallow LF corner, if you want to hang out and place them. I thought fiddling in the gear was the best part of the pitch.
By Rob Kepley From: Westminster,CO Apr 6, 2007 rating: 5.10d
Wow, It's probably been about 8 years since I led the 4th pitch and I forgot how committing it is. I certainly wouldn't want to fall doing the move. Spicy.
Took the big fall (30 ft) on Saturday on the crux pitch. I had done this climb several times in the past, and I remember telling George that I'd never fallen on that 4th pitch. I couldn't seem to get a small cam to seat very well, I was wearing really soft shoes that didn't want to hold an edge, and maybe the sun was in my eyes or something - but I ended up pulling the small cam and falling 30 feet onto the bolt (and a certain Christine, who was gettting ready to follow the Doub-Griffith). Good news, the bolt held and nobody was seriously hurt.
Went back up and slotted a perfect RP placement in the spot where the cam was.
By mike r From: lAurora,CO May 21, 2007 rating: 5.10d
Great climb!, One of the best in Eldo!!! I read these comments before doing this climb, I wish I hadn't. The Run out at the top.... what? This route has tons of gear, is well protected, and the "super slab" should never put you in the hospital with any level of injuries. As 0f 5/21/07 there is a great deal of fixed stoppers to protect all the "super slab" crux moves. Do not believe the hype, get on this route, enjoy it, and write about how well protected it is. Falling 30 feet? who was your belaying you? The final crux move can't be more then 8 feet above the bolt = 16 foot fall plus close to 10 feet of slack. Like I said anyone who is reading this should get on this route it is amazing, do not worry at all about falling far. Even if the fixed gear does pull (or what ever you blindly place) and you are caught by the bolt.
By Dr. Evil From: Boulder, CO Oct 28, 2007 rating: 5.10+
There is currently a fixed nut protecting the crux. The nut looks welded into the crack; I fell on it and it held.
Here's some beta on the crux moves: the description/topo in the Rossiter book makes you think you should climb the face right of the corner. However, it is easier to climb up the corner, with one foot on each side of the corner. (Doing the crux this way has the advantage that you can inspect the nut in the corner before committing. The commenters on this page who refer to a "blind placement" are doing the climb the harder way, to the right of the corner.) There are some good hand holds on the mini-arete and back in the corner. The better feet are on the face left of the corner, but the feet just right of the corner are also OK.
By Mic Fairchild From: Boulder Oct 29, 2007 rating: 5.10d
... and ain't I sorry for suggesting that anyone who doesn't solo this fine line is a weak, gear-lovin', wankmeister. Some of us remember when there WAS a bolt there, before the weak piton was added. If so, so what? If not, live it or live with it. Either way, quit yur whinin' !!
Don't slap rude and sail if you're shaky at the grade.
Redgarden - Tower One
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