PRINT: Rock Climb Swing Time, Flatirons

Swing Time

5.7, Trad, 3 pitches,

Avg: 2.5 from 17 votes
FA: unknown
Colorado > Boulder > Flatirons > North > Willy B

Access Issue: 2024 Crag Closures & Temporary Trail and Raptor Closures Details

The usual crags are closed for climbing for raptor nesting:

See: bouldercolorado.gov/service….

Click here for the trail closures. Some are M-F, some are 24/7. These impact the Bear Canyon/Fern Canyon regions primarily:

flatironsclimbing.org/tempo…

Click here bouldercolorado.gov/service… for the latest in raptor closures.

Description

I would give this route an S rating but both Rossiter and Roach did not.

Whether you started the climb at the lower spacious ledge above the overhang or on the next ledge up. The goal is to reach a large block located at the center of the face. There is also a large tree close to the block. The pitches to reach the block are easy 5.2 but covered with lichen. After chimnying up the block, you will be confronted by a large, left-facing dihedral that ends in a large roof.

The guidebooks recommend setting up the belay at the block, but as this made for a short pitch, we continued 40 feet up the dihedral and made a delicate unprotected 5.4 traverse left on pebbles to turn the roof on its left side. From there, a quick scramble down onto a ramp enabled us to set a belay on a decent crack (190 feet, 5.4). There is supposed to be a bolt here, but we did not see it.

Climb up the ramp some 20 feet and overcome a vertical, 6 foot wall (crux) on the right. There is some pro at this point, but I wouldn't want to test it. The crux move deposits you back onto the East face. Once there, find a crack running up the center of the face and climb one more easy pitch to the top.

We set up a belay at the crack and top roped the East Face route pitch (5.8S) that differs from Swing Time (see East Face route).

Protection

Standard Flatiron rack up to a #3 Camalot. Small TCUs will protect the crux.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

How we broke up the upper pitches of Swing Time. The "P" marks a pin, but seems to be way up the South Ramp and not near the easiest way to exit the ramp and gain the East Ridge.

Around the 2nd-3rd pitch, heading up the slab, just before bearing left around the south face, before the crux.

This shows where to leave the ramp.

Very cool summit.

This is the 5.7 crux off the ramp. The photo was taken from the gully below.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

George Bell
Boulder, CO

An alternative way to finish this route is to continue up the ramp (rather than exiting right). The is easy but exposed since you are climbing above the south face. When you are below the summit itself, head up and then right to finish on the last few feet of the east face. Nov 13, 2001

Tony B
Around Boulder, CO

5.7

This route appears to be the same as "Dihedral" in Rossiter's book. Can anyone confirm this to be the case? May 15, 2002

George Bell
Boulder, CO

I have always assumed this route was the same as Rossiter's Dihedral, but this is just from comparing the two guides (Rossiter and Roach). May 15, 2002

JamesB

We climbed Swing Time and took the alternate route that goes up the south ramp almost to the summit before exiting to the right, onto the east face. The pro up the south ramp is thin and I wouldn't want to fall on it. There is a piton about half way up the ramp. I think this might be the piton mentioned in the Rossiter guide although it is further up the ramp than the guide had led to me to expect. The Rossiter guide had suggested belaying from this piton but we belayed further down where you first step onto the south face. The rap bolts are in good condition and one 60 m rope down the south face easily got us to the bottom. Apr 25, 2006

Brian C.
Longmont, CO

5.7 R

Make sure you don't traverse too far up the ramp if you want to find the 5.7 way up. It is not very far up the ramp, just past a large, dead tree coming up from below. Although the move is short, the gear is iffy, and a fall would be mega-bad news and likely onto your belayer. I got a seemingly decent offset cam in right at the crux, but I'm not convinced it would have held. After pulling onto the east face, traversing hard right will lead to a nice crack to protect your seconds before heading for the summit. No gear other than that on the last pitch. Fun times!

EDIT: we did not find a single fixed piece on the route other than the summit rappel anchor. Jul 21, 2013

P. W.

This climb definitely deserves an R rating. We took basically the same route JamesB did and followed the ramp past the pin indicated in the pictures above. The move above the pin is scary and exposed but not difficult. Moving right to gain the east face is scary no matter where you do it. Sep 24, 2018

Bravo Tango
Boulder, CO

Fun route. Climbed this with ropes this morning, after doing Morning After/The Thing (a great entree).

A bit pressed for time, we walked up the South side of the formation maybe 80 feet, and pulled some easy moves from a log to a short ramp that seemingly skipped the bottom easy pitch.

On pitch 2, we exited the ramp at the first opportunity past the roof. The pull around onto the face is fairly mellow - lots of acceptable hands and only one smeary foot section. I slotted a green and, a few inches farther, a yellow Alien into the crack to protect the move - neither interfered with hand holds.

The top is amazing, while the rap deserves its bad reputation. Both my partner and I tore clothing trying to slide over sharp crystals on the lip. Possibly worth bringing an etrier or long loop to clip into the spare bolt for a low footloop.

We found a good descent trail by heading to the south (across the talus) and joining up with the GMP access trail.

Overall, fun route and wayyyy up there. Jul 19, 2020

MC Findley
Boulder, CO

Fun route. The "large, dead tree coming up from below" mentioned by Brian C. is no longer standing, so don't expect to use it as a landmark for finding the 5.7 exit from the ramp. Thanks for the beta on the offset cam - my 0.4/0.5 BD fit right where I needed it and inspired confidence on the exit. May 7, 2023