Eldo Advice!

Suggestions for routes/areas in Eldo?  Looking for some easier stuff to acclimate to the style of climbing and gear placement!  And best guide book for the area?  

Thanks!  

I did Rewritten while I was passing through, it was awesome!!

calypso... bastille crack... short approaches.. easy climbing good pro.. but still have that eldo feel

Also not a local, but these are great easier routes I got on: second the Rewritten suggestion (do Great Zot start), Bastille Crack, Yellow Spur, Green Spur. 

how tough/easy did these various routes feel?  I'm going with a more experienced climber but I would like to do some leading if the climbing isn't too tough and practice placing gear, etc.  

Up to 5.9. They all have straight forward pro, and they all have very easy pitches on them.   Maybe something like Rosy Crucifixion or Grandmother's may be appropriate if you are worried about a more experienced partner being bored. 

Go with Rewritten (Zot start for sure), it is likely one of the best climbs in eldo for the grade.  I would skip Calypso (perhaps classic, but can be a very heady lead for the grade).  Another very good long easier option would be Swanson Arete.  Wear a helmet everywhere... have fun.

Yeah, Calypso is one of those life-affirming 5.6 routes.  I thought the gear was good but it was definitely thought provoking.

Realize that Eldo is a very old area so the grades are stiff by today's standards.

Also with short approaches and shady in the early morning these days: Breezy, Tigger and Wind Ridge on Wind Tower. 5.5 to 5.7 range and fun climbs. I am not sure what level you climb at, but you could be surprised how these "easy" climbs might challenge you--especially the start to Wind Ridge. Best online guide is MP. Best written guide I believe is Eldorado Canyon by Steve Levin, 2nd Edition, 2013, (it weighs a lot to carry to the crag, but I often do it anyway).

Agree that Levin's guide is now the "best," but you can get used copies of Rossiter's previous guides (Rock Climbing Eldorado Canyon or Boulder Climbs South, depending on the edition) much less expensively.  IMHO, Rossiter's guides were classics of the era (before color photographs were commonly used) and would be fine to use today, especially in connection with MP.

Rewritten is a nice route, but it is long and the decent goes down the back on the east slabs. Finding your way down can be confusing, and it is easy to get cliffed-out. It is nice to have someone who knows how to get down the east slabs show you the way the first time.

Consider Rincon wall, it is a bit of a hike and requires crossing talus, but Over and Out (5.8) and Emerald City (5.9) are nice clean dihedrals with good gear. The West Ridge also has a number of more moderate routes that are reasonable, such as Long John Wall. 

Agree with a lot of what has been already suggested - grades can feel stiff and gear can be tricky in Eldo. West Ridge is a great place to start - Verschneidung (spelling?), Chianti, Long John Wall are some of my favorites as introductions to Eldo. Gear is pretty straightforward on these routes and they protect well. Also V3 on Cadillac Crag is a fantastic, long 5.8 corner. Honestly, Calypso and Bastille Crack are 'classics' but they are both highly polished and feel much harder than their ratings. The Levin guide is fantastic and worth getting if you plan to spend much time in the area. 

jay2718 wrote:

Rewritten is a nice route, but it is long and the decent goes down the back on the east slabs. Finding your way down can be confusing, and it is easy to get cliffed-out. It is nice to have someone who knows how to get down the east slabs show you the way the first time.

Consider Rincon wall, it is a bit of a hike and requires crossing talus, but Over and Out (5.8) and Emerald City (5.9) are nice clean dihedrals with good gear. The West Ridge also has a number of more moderate routes that are reasonable, such as Long John Wall. 

Rewritten descent does not go down the East Slabs, it has a good trail around to the west and back down to your packs. East slabs would only be the descent for stuff on Lumpe Tower and east. Rewritten is every bit of 5.7, especially for the beginning eldo leader but is easily the best route in the Canyon at the grade, IMO

Kiki, You're going to have a blast in Eldo.  I'd agree with much that was said above, but Daniel J and Erika are spot on.  Start easy, even easier than Bastille Crack.  Start with leading Wind Ridge and if you guys cruise it, you'll have the whole day to ramp things up - go with the mega classics listed above (Rewritten w/ zot start, bastille crack, long john).  If you thought Wind Ridge was real easy, Calypso (5.6) is less secure but a great route and your more experience buddy can fire up "Reggae" after Calypso's first Pitch.

If you do a bunch of reading on this classic route "Rewritten" and a jonesing to get on it, start with West Chimney>Swanson Arete (5.5-5.6), then do Great Zot [Start] > Rewritten

Cruised all that stuff?  Blind Faith, Outerspace and Tagger are good options once you've gotten your leads in.

Kiki Nicole wrote:

how tough/easy did these various routes feel?  I'm going with a more experienced climber but I would like to do some leading if the climbing isn't too tough and practice placing gear, etc.  

my guess is that rosy is a horrible recommendation for this person.  just a hunch.

Calypso is for sure my least favorite route in Eldo. Skip it. Wind Ridge is nearby and, despite the higher grade, feels much more secure. And its way more fun. At the 5.5-5.6 grade I'd also suggest Ytrid Deed up on Tower One. Pretty easy climbing and it has great position up on Tower One. Approach with West Chimney to keep the grade low or use Great Zot for a bit more of a challenge.

The best 5.8 in the park is Long John Wall with Break on Through's Pitch One. Yellow Spur is as classic as everyone says it is if you are climbing 5.9.

Levins guide is worth it and will tell you all you need to know. Oh yeah, it's hot right now so try to avoid the sun! Have fun!

Jason Antin wrote:

Kiki, You're going to have a blast in Eldo.  I'd agree with much that was said above, but Daniel J and Erika are spot on.  Start easy, even easier than Bastille Crack.  Start with leading Wind Ridge and if you guys cruise it, you'll have the whole day to ramp things up - go with the mega classics listed above (Rewritten w/ zot start, bastille crack, long john).  If you thought Wind Ridge was real easy, Calypso (5.6) is less secure but a great route and your more experience buddy can fire up "Reggae" after Calypso's first Pitch.

If you do a bunch of reading on this classic route "Rewritten" and a jonesing to get on it, start with West Chimney>Swanson Arete (5.5-5.6), then do Great Zot [Start] > Rewritten

Cruised all that stuff?  Blind Faith, Outerspace and Tagger are good options once you've gotten your leads in.

super solid recommendations here.

John Keller wrote:

Realize that Eldo is a very old area so the grades are stiff by today's standards.

So I can lead in newer areas on sport 5.10 (with falls... sometimes its not too pretty!) what would you recommend in eldo for leading and following with my given experience...?  

a Ball wrote:

Calypso is for sure my least favorite route in Eldo. Skip it.  . . . .

Hmm, I suppose there is no accounting for taste;  perhaps the OP would do better to look at stars and comments on MP than ad hoc posts, as I'd say Calypso is about as classic as Eldo gets at its grade.  (It's hard for the grade, and the gear can be a little tricky on the first pitch in spots--I would not recommend it as a first climb in Eldo to someone who isn't an experienced "trad" leader and has some idea of what they're getting into.)

Now to contradict myself slightly and made a specific recommendation--Gambit is a fun route in a cool setting that has generally good gear.

Edit:  Whoops, Gambit is now subject to bird closure--thanks for correcting me

Kiki Nicole wrote:

So I can lead in newer areas on sport 5.10 (with falls... sometimes its not too pretty!) what would you recommend in eldo for leading and following with my given experience...?  

The way you ask this question scares me.

How solid are your pro placement skills and leading theory?

Eldo is not just plugging cams in a straight line. You generally need excellent nut placing skills and need to know when and how to sling pieces so you avoid having placements dislodge behind you or pull out in case of a fall pulling tension in the entire system. Plus anchor building skills. Though some routes have bolted anchors many don't.