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Ten Years After

5.9-, Trad, 2 pitches,  Avg: 3.3 from 69 votes
FA: unknown as an aid route, FFA: Leonard Coyne, Dennis Jackson, & Mark Rolofson, December 1975
Colorado > S Platte > W Creek > Sheep's Nose

Description

Ten Years After is an excellent, basically one-pitch climb located on the South face of Sheep's Nose. Locating the route is straightforward - it is in the massive, right-facing dihedral on the left side of Sheep's Nose as you approach.

P1 - climb straight up the obvious crack in the dihedral, using a few jams, laybacks where necessary, and a couple of opportune face holds. The entire pitch is fairly sustained, but the crux probably comes in the first 25 feet, until you move past the obvious, wide section. The gear placements on this section are more than adequate but not quite as straightforward as it appears from the base - the crack flares to the inside. The upper section protects well with nuts and small cams. We rapped off from a nest of slings at the top of P1 (60m rope was plenty, I suspect you would be fine with a 50m).

P2 continues up the dihedral. There is one bouldery move right off the belay (you can easily protect the belay though), followed by a long 5.easy ramp for the rest of the pitch that takes you to the walk-off. The first moves are fun, but that's where the climbing basically ends.

Protection

Standard rack to at least #4 Friend. #5 might add some peace of mind but is not necessary.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Peter Spindloe follows the Ten Years After (5.10a)' at the Sheeps Nose in the South Platte. Photo by Tony Bubb, ~2001.
[Hide Photo] Peter Spindloe follows the Ten Years After (5.10a)' at the Sheeps Nose in the South Platte. Photo by Tony Bubb, ~2001.
Nate committing to the lieback.
[Hide Photo] Nate committing to the lieback.
Finishing up P1.
[Hide Photo] Finishing up P1.
Use a long sling if you place gear in that alcove left of here... or the rope can get stuck in the crack.
[Hide Photo] Use a long sling if you place gear in that alcove left of here... or the rope can get stuck in the crack.
Beautiful rock.
[Hide Photo] Beautiful rock.
Leading up Ten Years After.
[Hide Photo] Leading up Ten Years After.
Aaron Quinlisk just enjoyin the ride.
[Hide Photo] Aaron Quinlisk just enjoyin the ride.
Bo sending the route for a fun lead!
[Hide Photo] Bo sending the route for a fun lead!
Chris following a great lead.
[Hide Photo] Chris following a great lead.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] Just got back from climbing this excellent route a couple days ago. After getting Lost on "Lost in Space Direct" we rappelled down to find this wonderful route along with Chinook 5.9+*** and Whipporwill 5.8*. Being a Yosemite climber at heart, I found Ten Years to be nostalgic of the Valley's great walls. Great liebacks to underclings and thin face. We did not complete the last pitch either (doesn't seem like many do). Enjoy! May 22, 2004
Luke Clarke
Golden
[Hide Comment] The nest of slings has been recently replaced by state-of-the-art bolts, which make for fine top roping your second on this line or on neighboring Seamis. If you do set up a top rope, take care to make sure the rope does not run near a flake out to the right of the crack near the top of the pitch which is the perfect size for trapping a rope. I speak from experience. Jun 6, 2006
Meredith DB
Boulder, CO
 
[Hide Comment] This is a great, fun route, which felt easier than it looked from below.

It is easy to do this route in one pitch if you belay from the top. Stopping at the bolted anchor just feels like a bummer - you want to keep going in this beautiful corner. Jun 5, 2009
Pink Thunder
Denver, CO
[Hide Comment] Excellent route, but it was a thrash to get up to it from Lost in Space. The feet are a lot better on this than they look like from the ground. My pal Mike led it and got a bomber #4 in. No real need for a #5, since you just have to make a couple moves and can then get in another bomber piece. Oct 10, 2013
Mark Rolofson
  5.9
[Hide Comment] This was an old aid line. F.F.A.: Leonard Coyne, Dennis Jackson & Mark Rolofson in December 1975. I believe I came up with the name. Ten Years After was a rock group. Jan 29, 2019
Josh S
  5.7 PG13
[Hide Comment] The rock quality on the upper part of pitch 1 is not great: the big flakes are largely detached and very hollow-sounding. I spent most of the climb figuring out what I could pull and stand on and where I could place gear that would hold if I fell. If you don’t have a fair bit of experience climbing and finding gear placements on bad rock, I’d give this one a miss. Aug 9, 2021