cold cuts, 80 feet of meat's draws can be seen to ...
Description
While not nearly as good as "80 Feet of Meat," this is a fun route that still sees plenty of traffic and is just as popular of a morning warm-up, especially on weekends.
Cold cuts climbs the long vertical wall immediately right of "80 Feet of Meat " and finishes at a separate set of anchors up on the same ledge. It's a bit chossier than its neighbor, so make an effort to stay on route.
This route is basically a low crux on pockets to lots of easier climbing to some funky crux biz in a series of faint corners up high.
While it's gratifying to make people feel weak by downgrading all the routes they climb, I really wish you'd stop. Cold Cuts only feels like .10d if after warming up on it 100 times and getting it wired.
Hey anonymous, I haven't been downgrading the routes at all. This is what the route was rated when it was put up (the first ascent party left the bottom of a tin can with the rating 10d on it affixed to the first bolt). It may have appeared as 11a in subsequent guidebooks, I don't know.
It's not about making people feel weak -- it's about contributing to the database. If you don't agree with a rating say it -- but do a little research first.
Sorry Matt. I get fed up with everyone in Rifle downgrading every freakin' climb in the canyon (unless it's their project), so I guess I was overly touchy when I saw a few suspect downgradings on this board.
I do, however, feel that you should have done some research too. I think you based your grade on the opinion of a select few people, while ignoring the consensus of the guidebook authors' research. Cold Cuts is .11a in the first guide, and I think it might even be .11b in the new one. Whichever grade is settled on, I feel that .10d is too low, especially since a nice polish has accumulated from a million ascents, and holds broke down low.
5.11 climbers tend to struggle on the route (as do stronger climbers at the beggining of the season), and there aren't too many climbers who want to downgrade it. Those who do are both way too strong to know what 5.11 feels like, and have the climb way too wired from warming up on it every single climbing day (of course it's going to feel easy then).
Hi Anonymous, I understand your frustration with the blanket downrating that takes place at Rifle but I'm the wrong guy to blame. If anything, I think you'll notice my postings for Rifle tend to err on the uphill side of a rating if it's a slash grade.
I also did my research. I personally removed the tin can "route plaque" from the first bolt on this route when myself and other locals decided it was tacky and wouldn't look good to city council members, who that year began coming up to the Canyon to look at all the shiny metal things we'd drilled in the rock.
And when I removed the plaque it said "Cold Cuts, 10d," a grade I've often seen applied to this route by other locals. No, I haven't done it 100's of times and I don't have it piss wired cuz I actually think it's sort of a shitty route. It probably is 11a now from the added difficulties of boot polish and chalk caking, a point I've made about other routes in the Canyon.
I'm not one of those "downrate the 5.11's to feel good about myself kind of guys." You must have me confused with someone else. Anyway, bickering about ratings at any standard is simply a subjective splitting of hairs.
I've been climbing at Rifle for a decade and certain routes have always had certain grades (whether holds fall off or not) amongst the locals no matter what some guidebook calls them. I think you'll find this holds true at any area -- the South Platte for example, or Eldorado, both known as "sandbag" areas.
If you disagree with any other ratings I've posted on here then say it. Other people, beside you and I (whoever you are) surely have their opinions too, and could help us reach a consensus grade.
I can't believe that you folks are spending this much time about one little route and not a very good one at that, over one letter grade. Is this a joke or something? Bob
As of late July, 2003, this route has all new bolts and hangers (real ones, not sketch-mo welded shuts) thanks to Erik Schildroth and the ARI. Thanks, Erik.
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