[Hide Comment] Seconding Tony on this, I damaged a hold below the first bolt (see the first picture below). It's loose but I couldn't totally pull it off. If you elect to run it out to the first bolt, this hold could be a nasty surprise. If you place the nuts shown in the picture, you will be fine. If you think you can remove the baseball-sized loose part safely, please do. It will not drastically affect the difficulty of the climb. Jul 21, 2003

[Hide Comment] Following Bryson on this route, I too encounter loose rock below the first bolt. Use extreme caution in this area, as it is very likey that any rock knocked off will land on the road below. And there is plenty of loose rock in this section. I broke off a foot hold yesterday, which scared the hell out of me, but did sail clear of people on XM. Yikes!!

I think staying low and traversing out left after putting (or cleaning) gear in the crack will help you avoid the worst section of rock, though this may add to the difficulty. Jul 22, 2003

[Hide Comment] One star, at most. Loose, yes. Spice, yes. Didn't pass mustard on public nor FHRC vote first time through. Persistence on the part of the retro-bolter did push it through the second time. Jul 22, 2003

[Hide Comment] Clipping the 1st bolt can also be done solidly from a big side-pull on the left and this is better for a shorter person. Or anyone really.

Yes, traversing lower past those 1st nuts is better - I didn't use that "loose" hold for much more than balance but if someone wants to pry it off then go for it.

Yes, I did rap down to clean what I could, and did hang slings .... from RPs. Mea Culpa.

If Charlie did lead it, then he must have used some other Very Loose Holds that were balanced up there...not to mention front-pointing on the lichen I cleaned. Lichen grows very slowly so maybe it was Lewis & Clark who did the FA....

This is a serious route, but not 'very serious'. It's not "for the masses" If you're not up for it then fine, but don't whine about it. Mar 1, 2007

[Hide Comment] Regarding the first ascent. I did not know that there was new first ascent standard in Eldorado, the "rumor has it" standard. If we start with that, we will never end. Steve, I think it is best to do your fact checking correctly and explain who, what, when, and where rather than starting a cascade of dubious revisions. Now I am concerned to think that you might be writing a guidebook to this area. The "rumor has it" guidebook is bound to be an interesting one....

Saturnalia, together with Innerspace, is one of the better pitches in the Bastille. It is a great final pitch to many of the cool three pitch link-ups that the Bastille has to offer. It provides a great alternative to the often crowded and overclimbed Outerspace. I like very much the fact that it provides a bit of pumpy climbing over the roof, as well as a techincal, thin crux higher up. If finished via Lost in Space, it is just a great pitch. As for loose rock, I don't think there is any at all, but of course that is a subjective appreciation.

I think it deserves 3 stars.
rolo Apr 4, 2007

[Hide Comment] Saturnalia is certainly a worthwhile route to finish on. Pumpy, rough rock and a thin, balancy sequence at the end make it all the more satisfying. But there is loose rock up there, and it isn't as good or sustained as some other climbing on other, three-star routes. I give it two stars for quality. Rumor has it that Charlie climbed just about everything in Eldorado Canyon. Mentioning this isn't an attempt to set a standard by which first ascents are graded. Merely a way of keeping people honest. Giving historical value.
When it comes to trad first ascents in Eldorado, one can't always be sure that someone hasn't come before. At the time, when the name was proposed there was a lot of speculation about who might have first climbed the rock that became the route known as Saturnalia before Michael and Steve got their fair due.
It only adds interest that CF might have gone up there before anyone else. Who knows? Maybe Duncan soloed the thing. Apr 5, 2007

[Hide Comment] Three stars for sure! Pumpy, overhanging climbing to airy arete slapping and crimping; how could this not be three stars?

Seems 90% of the loose rock has been taken off by past parties. We too found that square hold (on the traverse to the first bolt) to be loose, so we took it home. Thanks to all who cleaned the route.

After getting to the first bolt, I took a huge sigh of relief, and was pleased to find no more long/dangerous runouts. I was also happy to be very tall while clipping the second bolt!

All and all, great climb. Jul 13, 2011

[Hide Comment] A true diamond in the rou...well actually it's surrounded by other great routes, but the first 30' is do-not-fall terrain, so I can see why people don't like it, but I think it's an excellent climb, so I'll give a blow-by-blow to hopefully psyche y'all up!

It's spooky, crazy roof cranking to clip a bolt at the lip then physical jamming and laybacking on a flake to clear the lip (assorted gear). Continuous laybacks and jug hauling on a gently overhanging face leads to a diagonal crack that takes great gear (#3 & #2). Catch my breath, and then gently face climb up to a bolt. Clip that, and survey the options. A blunt arete on my right hip leaves me looking around. Nothing out left and some crimps out right, but how to get them? Careful footwork and opposition allow me to lean into the blunt arete with my left and reach out to the crimps on the right. Eh, the first crimp is ok but not great, but it allows me to bring my feet up a bit while still leaning hard into that arete with my left hand. Feet up, and reach up for a...really good crimp for the right hand! Bump, bump, bump up the arete with the left hand, and bring my feet along while cranking on the crimp. Turn that left hand into an undercling as a crack appears! A bomber 0.75 under there before I step up into a small ledge. Whoa, that was a full toolbox of movement, but now, choices! Bail out to the final bit of Outer Space, or journey straight up into Lost in Space? I've bailed into OS the last two times I've been on it but decided to explore straight up on Saturday crack appears with good small cams (blue Metolius and similar). Plug those, and check out the final 20' to the top: small dishes on solid rock to the right, lichenous and hard to read holds on the left. After handling the right holds, I decided to cut hard left, and found several good holds among the lichen! Might not be LiS directly, but the ledge below many have blown my ankles if I blew the exit. Savor the exposure, and crank to the top. Now that's a good rock climb! Jul 14, 2019