The Hand

Description 

The Hand, so named for its resemblance to a mitten, is home to a "handful" of difficult sport lines. The steep lines on this formation are comprised of hard crimps and flakes on the upper sections of the wall, and gentle huecos at the bottom. Routes ascend the south and west faces of the formation and receive sun from late-morning to mid-afternoon. All the best lines finish at two bolt anchors for easy lowering off. The classic line Power Bulge (5.12c) takes a line up the steep south face of the formation, and the ever impressive Rock Atrocity (5.13d) takes the severly overhanging blank face high on the formations southwest corner. The south face is closed seasonally for bird nesting, but the west face remains open all year round.

Getting There 

Park at NCAR Mesa and hike the Mallory Cave trail uphill for approximately 30-40 min. After passing the Der Zerkle formation there is a faint climbers trail that skirts up the left side of The Hand's east face (slabby) into a rocky and wooded gully (if you find yourself at Mallory Cave you've gone a little bit too far). Continue up the gully, The Hand's south face should become aparant on the north side of the gully after several hundred feet. It is recognized by two sport lines that start on fifteen feet of enormous huecos. The west face routes can be found on the backside of the formation just uphill from the west face. Across the gully is Frankenstein's tower and Der Freischutz.

Featured Route For The Hand

Power Bulge 5.12c  CO : Flatirons : The Hand

This route is on the south face of The Hand, just to the (climber's) right of Rock Atrocity on the very overhung southwest face and to the left of another slightly easier bolted line....[more]