PRINT: Climb Viper, Lumpy Ridge

Viper

C3-, Aid, 3 pitches,

Avg: 4 from 3 votes
FA: Kor and Dalke, 1965.
Colorado > Estes Park Valley > Lumpy Ridge > Twin Owls

Access Issue: 2024 Partial Seasonal Raptor Closures lifted 7/21/24 Details

From the Denver Post 7/21/24: some of the raptor closures have been lifted, officials announced.

Upper & Lower Twin Owls, Rock One, The Book and access trail, Bookmark, and Left Book were opened based on a park new release.

Closures have been extended for Thunder Buttress, access trail, The Parish, Cathedral Wall.

Closures above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond trail have been extended.

Per Brent Frazier: the raptor closures have been lifted in the Lumpy Ridge and Loch Vale Areas ( nps.gov/romo/raptor-closure…)

Each year, Rocky Mountain National Park initiates temporary closures in certain areas of the park to ensure that birds of prey will be undisturbed during their breeding and nesting seasons. These closures begin on February 15 and continue through July 31, if appropriate. Monitoring by park staff and volunteers have determined that all remaining closures can be lifted on July 28, 2023.

Per Matt Coghill: the Golden eagle nesting activity has extended Lumpy closures through Aug. 15, 2022 on Sundance, Thunder Buttress, and Needle Summit!

Per A.Eaton: the raptor closures have been lifted as of 6/4/2022 at Lumpy for the following formations:

Twin Owls
Rock One
Batman Rock
Batman Pinnacle
Checkerboard
Lightning Rock

Per the Denver Post: as of Feb. 15, 2022, Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Bookmark Pinnacle, The Left Book, Bookmark, Twin Owls, Rock One, and the Needle are closed for raptor nesting. These closures will continue through July 31, 2022 if needed.

All areas [were] OPEN to climbing for the 2021 post July season.

Closures ending July 31:
Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Lightning Rock, Checkerboard Rock - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Sundance - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
The Book Area: Left Book, The Bookmark, Bookmark Pinnacle, and the entire Book formation (including Renaissance Wall, Isis Buttress, Pages Wall Area, and J-Crack Slab Area)- nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Thunder Buttress and The Parish - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Twin Owls and Rock One - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Cathedral Wall - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…

When closed, the closures include the named rock formations and the areas surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes, and climber's access trails to the formation.

Areas not listed are presumed to be open. These closures will be lifted or extended as conditions dictate.

Description

Viper is a quality line located just to the left of Crack of Fear. Look for a bolt leading to a scary-larry line of fixed heads and there you have it.

P1. C3-, fixed or A4 if the heads are gone (which they rarely are). Make a tricky move just off the ground to reach the bolt (or if youre not feeling all tough guy bring a stick clip). The head ladder above isn't super inspiring; however, there is a yellow TCU-sized pinscar half way up. After reaching the crack, it's all C1 stoppers and cams. As long as you have enough gear, skip the 1st belay mentioned in the guidebooks and continue onward switching to the crack out left and on up to a two bolt anchor(one good, one bad).

P2 5.7 C2 fixed. Aid a C1+ left-facing flake, then mantle or use a large hook to stand on a flake out left. The rock shoes may come in handy here as you make some mixed moves to gain the next flake above. Pull on fixed gear, and follow this flake until you're able to climb out left on a diagonal crack passing an old suspect angle. Then freeclimb up a 5.7ish corner until the rope runs out.

P3. 5.3, run to the top via easy cracks and ramps.

Protection

Bring the old Lumpy aid rack. Doubles from #0 TCU to #3 Camalot. One #4 Camalot, two sets stoppers, tri cams, one #1 Lowe ball, maybe a big hook and some rock shoes.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The Owls West face routes.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Tortilla
Fakeville, USA

The first pitch isn't as hard as the second if you go to the anchors just to the right of the big roof above 'Copperhead'. The copperheads seem to be pretty sturdy, but the crux of the climb comes higher up in the "C1" crack with some hard to stick, yet well protected moves. All in all, probably C2 (2+on a high gravity day). Cool climb. Feb 12, 2005

Ken Decker
Grand Prairie, TX

Did w/ Dan McClure in Feb. 1976. We thought it might have been the 2nd ascent. Kor and Dalke rated it A5. We thought it might be A4 (C4). There were no bolts or fixed pro. I remember it being terrifying. We finished up the 4th pitch of Crack of Fear. Apr 26, 2022