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Routes in Ridge 1 aka Stairway to Heaven
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Ariel T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c R |
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Armed Forces S 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b |
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Arms Reduction T 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b R |
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Army T 5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b |
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Better Than Better Than Love T 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b |
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Better than Love T 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a |
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Casual Slabs T 5.4 4a 12 IV 10 VD 3c PG13 |
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Celestial Pile T 5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b |
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Devil May Care T 5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b R |
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Forget Me Not T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13 |
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God's Kingdom on Earth S 5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b |
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Guardian, The S 5.12d 7c 28 IX 28 E6 6b |
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Gunky T 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c PG13 |
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Heaven and Hell S 5.13a 7c+ 29 IX+ 29 E6 6c |
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Hellbound S 5.13c 8a+ 30 X- 31 E7 7a |
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In God We Trust T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b X |
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Inscrutable T 5.4 4a 12 IV 10 VD 3c |
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Like Hell It Is T 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c |
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Love T 5.4 4a 12 IV 10 VD 3c |
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Party Of One T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a PG13 |
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Pepé Le sPew S 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b |
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Pious Polecats S 5.13d 8b 31 X 32 E8 7a |
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Seeker, The T 5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13 |
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Stairway to Heaven T 5.3 3+ 10 III 9 VD 3a |
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Wanderer, The T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13 |
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What, What? TR 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b |
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Who, Who? T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13 |
| Type: | Trad, 6 pitches, Grade III |
| FA: | unknown |
| Page Views: | 26,224 total · 96/month |
| Shared By: | Bill Wright on May 19, 2002 · Updates |
| Admins: | Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC |
Access Issue: 2018 Raptor Closure Lifted
Details
Currently 105744237 is not applicable.
Access Issue: 2024 Crag Closures & Temporary Trail and Raptor Closures
Details
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.
NOT subject to raptor closures
Description
Head up Skunk Canyon to the base of this ridge. It will be the first ridge that touches down in the canyon, and start climbing up the bottom of the slab heading toward a big roof. The crux is moving left underneath this roof. Once around the roof continue up easy ground 4th class and some 3rd class. Further up you'll actually step off the rock completely as you come upon a deep cleft. Now step out to the right onto the east face of a pinnacle known as Like Heaven. Climb up to the notch just north of this pinnacle on typically great rock.
An extra credit ascent can be done by hand traversing out to the summit of Like Heaven. This traverse must be reversed back to the notch.
Continue up the ridge to the summit. Some might find the downclimb to the ground the crux of the climb. Downclimb to the east from slightly north of the summit. This is a steep slab with some tricky moves on mossy rock.
From the ground you can descend south along the base of the east face of Stairway to Heaven back to the base. This involves some 3rd class scrambling.
See Gerry Roach's classic and out of print "Flatiron Classics" guidebook. Gerry lists this as one of his Top Ten Flatiron routes. Despite its discontinuous nature this climb is on excellent rock with great positions and fun moves. And there is lots of it - this climb is almost a thousand feet long.
Location
If you park at NCAR, follow that trail westwards until you hit the Mesa Trail and turn north. Continue north on the trail past the bridge at the bottom of Skunk Canyon until you see a brick wall about 3 to 4 feet high. Behind that is your trail. Do not take the creek bed! Too overgrown.
The GPS coordinates are 39.98127, -105.28468 (I am not sure these are right), and the climber's trail is plainly visible on the other side of the wall.
Head up Skunk Canyon to the base of this ridge (the first ridge), and start climbing up the bottom of the slab heading toward a big roof. Heading up skunk canyon you'll sometimes be in the wash and sometimes on the hillside to the north. The route starts out of the wash on rock.
Photos
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