First pitch has exciting stemming and jamming at 5...
Description
It's hard getting back to places I've already been. Glancing up this thing you think: groody looking...I dare say it is 3 star; steep strenuous and six pitches of superb rock. Scramble up to the highest ledge, as sister route, Progression.
1.Start just left of that route. First, easy up to bush below a orange-lichened left-facing dihedral. Jam and bridge (careful of block corking dihedral) a short but vertical 5.9 pitch, 90ft.
2. Continue a clean 5.9 handcrack followed by a long 5.8 chimney. Exit left (exit right to Progression to an exposed and incredible belay (150ft.).
3. Traverse left across black knobs and pick a perfect 5.8 fingercrack to a nice grassy ledge (100ft.).
4. Choose the middle of several left-facing dihedrals. It is a sharp, steep corner tapering to a point where a narrowing lieback gives the obvious crux. Well-protected with small stoppers and reevaluated from 1978 origins to harder 5.10, as hard if not harder than Progression. Now enjoy a stiff 5.8 corner and belay atop a square pedestal (150ft.)
5. Step right or jam straight up, either way 5.8 and goes to the same area of lower angle dihedrals and slabs (150ft.).
6. Straight up another 5.8 left-facing dihedral to summit (200ft.) or horizontally right 200ft. to descent gully.
Protection
Large selection. Small stoppers to 4 cam, extra slings, there is no fixed protection/anchors.
By Luke Clarke From: Golden May 29, 2006 rating: 5.10c
This is a great route, as is Progression next door. Maybe it's because the line is less obvious from the ground than Turnkorner and the Nose, but this climb and Progression don't get the attention they deserve. The climbing experience on this one rates with those -- good sustained climbing that rarely strays below hard 5.8 and the cruxes are burly for the grade. Slim Pickens probably weighs in around 10c by current standards (not the 10a in the book), definitely stiffer than Progression, as suggested. Feeling whacked after doing this in five pitches yesterday.
By Tony B From: Boulder, CO Jul 5, 2006 rating: 5.10b
You can make this route more clean, challenging, and fun by a few minor improvements. 1) By bumping over to to do the crux of Progression as part of the first pitch, which will total 70m. This way skips some of the hum-drum territory. 2) By doing the climb in 3 long pitches plus a short top-out. You need a 70m rope though. The pitches will be 70m 5.10c, 50m 5.9, 70m 5.10b, then move up and over the top in a short pitch or unroped if so desired. Done this way, the route is 4-star 10c instead of 3-star 10b.
By Ross From: Lyons, CO Jul 12, 2009 rating: 5.10- PG13
We decided to go up the wide crack section and were rewarded with a great 70m 1st pitch. This 1st pitch is better than Progression.
After the "Slim Pickens" CH you can find a good belay on a nice horn the size of a small saddle, just before the short traverse left.
This is a great sustained route, it felt like maybe 10a.
RSS Feed
Slideshow
