Type: Trad, 4 pitches, Grade II
FA: Bill Cramer, Michelle Cramer, 5/92.
Page Views: 46,259 total · 188/month
Shared By: Jake Wyatt on Dec 27, 2003 · Updates
Admins: Luke EF, Larry DeAngelo, Justin Johnsen, Aaron Mc

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Warning Access Issue: Red Rock RAIN AND WET ROCK: The sandstone is fragile and is very easily damaged when wet. DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

A relatively new, but already quite popular, climb. (Makes you wonder how many other nice unclimbed routes there are further back and higher up in the various canyons....)

Approach as per Crimson Chrysalis, but before reaching the gully which separates the canyon, take a trail up towards the base of the buttress. The trails to the base of the climb aren't as well defined as the main trail, but are certainly easy enough to stay on. Like so many of the approaches in Red Rocks, the difficulty is often deciding which of the various trail branches to follow.

The climb starts at the base of the face, at a prominent crack.

P1: Climb a long pitch up the face (surprisingly steep in places), with generally good pro in the crack. The pitch ends at a huge forested terrace. Belay at or near the boulders. Be careful to not build a cam anchor under the huge table sized boulder, it wobbles slightly.

P2: Negotiate your way to the back of the terrace, and climb a crack just left of the huecoed face. Climb up to an intermediate platform with a huge boulder (possible belay), or (if you have a 60m rope) stretch it out another 50 feet to the next large terrace. Watch for rope drag if you skip the intermediate belay.

P3: Again relocate to the back of the terrace, and begin climbing a crack in the face. This face itself has a second tier, so use long runners to avoid rope drag. Aim for left of a left facing, arching dihedral. Avoid the tempation to go into this arching dihedral or you'll create rope drag you may soon regret. You'll go up (and well out of sight of your belayer) beyond the top of that arc, past a couple delicate stemming moves, to a small stance in another dihedral. Be careful of your anchor placements here, because one of the cracks is bisected with a flexing flake.

P4: Traverse right from the belay to reach the arete, then up and right, hugging the exposed arete to the summit of the pinnacle.  After reaching the top or the arete traverse right to the bolts. The gear is a little sparse on this last pitch.

Descent: Do a double rope rappel from the summit to the top of P2, then a series of single rope rappels down the chimney that winds up 50' right of the start of the climb. Avoid the temptation to use your second rope to get down the chimney more quickly, as several sections of the chimney look to be hungry. Please note: Rap anchors have been placed on top of the first and second pitches. The base can now be reached with three double-rope rappels. (If, after the first double-rope rappel, you rap the next pitch with a single rope, you'll not be able to reach the next rap anchor. There's a large rock that can be reached, if you have a 70-meter rope and you don't mind rapping off the end of your rope. You can then down climb to the anchor on top of the first pitch. From there, it you need two-rope to reach the base.)

Update: Intermediate rap line anchors now exist. According to several guides it can now be rapped with a single 60m rope, though double rope raps will likely be faster, and with the amount of chicken heads having a second rope in case of a snag would be grand. When rapping the first pitch the old anchor which was known for many stuck ropes and terrible rope drag when trying to pull is climbers left, the new anchor which is much easier to pull and has an optional intermediate anchor if you are using a single rope is climbers right.

Protection Suggest change

Standard rack.

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