The Cathedral Spires are closed from March 1 to July 31 for raptor nesting.
Buckshot on the right. The handcrack of the last p...
Description
From the top of the trail to Sunshine Wall, head left past two short vertical cracks (the base of Squatters Rights). Past these you'll see a newer one-pitch bolted line angling up right with a two-bolt anchor. Walk up into the bushy gully behind another 40 feet to the base of Buckshot. Squish on the left angles up left and into the noticeable off-width, 40 ft up. Buckshot is on the right in something of a dihedral. To its right is a large chimney. Above you can see a dihedral and the obvious handcrack of Buckshot's third pitch to its right.
P1: Head straight up. The 10a (right)/10c (left) variations present themselves at the overhanging block 60 ft up. Look for the knee lock up underneath on the left for a rest. Great varied climbing including stemming, arm locks, vertical finger cracks, jamming, and a mantel just past the crux. (This pitch is in the shade in the winter--hands might get a tad cool.) Belay on top of the block by the old red webbing, or continue up and left to combine the first two pitches, to another good ledge (in the sun!) 30 feet up.
P2: "We Scared O' de Goofa Man" heads right up a low angle gully type thing; you want to cross over and up to the left. Jam the short crack and gain the "perfect" South Platte belay spot.
P3: Not the dihedral above, but the body-wide ramp to the right that angles up to the vertical handcrack. Use passive pro while the climbing is easier to save your mid-size and larger cams for what waits above--hard, sustained jamming. In our estimation, this was clearly the hardest climbing of the route, several grades more challenging, strenous, and sustained than the 10c crux of the first pitch. However, the Hubbel/Rolofson guide has it listed at 10a. After 20 feet or so, it relents toward an easier angle. Continue up to the top.
Walk off the back, picking your way down a gully. There's a single necessary rappel from a pine on the right next to a big slab. The slings are a bit dicey.
Strenuous right out of the gate with finger jams, hand jams, stemming, and awkward body positioning getting over the boulder at the top of the first pitch. (Do this route in the summer as your fingers will get very cold!)
Pitch two consisted of steep armbar to fist jams which felt a bit overhanging with no rests. Look for a slung Wildcountry Rock with blue webbing that I could not get out. This pitch ended with great hand jams and easier climbing to the top.
Great route. A #3 Camalot is also useful. I also combined the 1st 2 pitches with not problem. The last pitch felt 10c to me also...steep for a good section after going over the roof.
By SirVato From: Toyota-rado Dec 18, 2006 rating: 5.10a
This is a nice route. Cool chimney-ish moves up the v-slot. I didn't go right, but I gotta say there is no way that going left over the block on p1 is harder than 10a. I didn't look at the topo when we fired off on this one and, had to ask my partner if that was 9+ or so. . . Link pitch 1&2 for a great time and much better belay ledge. Pitch 2 is definitely harder, but if you can climb crack, then it's not too bad, I'd say 10a is a fair grade. It's kinda wide (cupped) hand for me and is definitely steep.
By Tombo From: Boulder, Colorado Sep 15, 2007 rating: 5.10a
Be careful of rope drag linking pitches 1 & 2. We did the right hand variation on pitch one which is a little awkward and strenuous for a move or two moving over the block. Pitch three takes a perfect blue Camalot from the start of the crux thru where it kicks back to 5.8. It felt 9+ to me, steep but perfect cupped hands available the whole way.
Mark "Buck" Norden and I did the first ascent of this route sometime in the early '70s. Burdened with lots of big hexes, some tube chocks and other worthless stuff, I remember a real fight. Buck worked hard for this one, too. Arriving at the belay after the crux, he thanked me for not giving him tension at his moment of greatest suffering and despair. I was always impressed by that. He was a great climbing partner; serious, focused and always ready to give it everything he had.
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