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El Sol

5.6, Sport, 45 ft (14 m),  Avg: 1.9 from 119 votes
FA: Stewart Green and Brian Shelton, August 2004
Colorado > Colorado Springs > Red Rock Canyon… > Solar Slab
Warning Access Issue: Reopened after flood damage! DetailsDrop down

Description

From the guidebook: pleasant 40-foot pitch on the far right side of the slab. 3 bolts to a 2-bolt anchor.

Other notes: it is route #2 in guidebook. The route length is my approximation - use your own judgment. The moves just below the first bolt seem to be the most difficult.

Location

This is immediately to the right of the first group of trees that you see in front of the slab as you approach it from the North. The route behind the trees is Helios (5.8), right of Helios is El Sol and right of El Sol is Frigga (5.7).

Protection

3 bolts plus a 2-bolt anchor.

Eds. note that the hangers are thin and do not have rap rings or links. You may be able to thread these and rap, but these are not the beefy, Metolius-type rap hangers.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

At the top of the route.
[Hide Photo] At the top of the route.
El Sol, 5.6.
[Hide Photo] El Sol, 5.6.
[[Helios, 5.7+]]106330573.<br> [[El Sol, 5.6]]105841885.<br> [[Frigga, 5.7 TR]]106330560.
[Hide Photo] Helios, 5.7+. El Sol, 5.6. Frigga, 5.7 TR.
Dana leading El Sol.
[Hide Photo] Dana leading El Sol.
Lee Rittenmeyer leading El Sol.
[Hide Photo] Lee Rittenmeyer leading El Sol.
El Sol.
[Hide Photo] El Sol.
Jackie near top of El Sol.
[Hide Photo] Jackie near top of El Sol.
Dave leads El Sol. Photo by Dan F.
[Hide Photo] Dave leads El Sol. Photo by Dan F.
The nice looking shelf I have my hands on is a little treacherous, holds a lot of dirt, and catches more constantly from the wind. Right before the anchor.
[Hide Photo] The nice looking shelf I have my hands on is a little treacherous, holds a lot of dirt, and catches more constantly from the wind. Right before the anchor.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Nathan Van Horn
Colorado Springs, CO
 
[Hide Comment] There are a bunch more routes on this wall very good lines in the sun good for fall climbing! Why are they not posted???? Sep 28, 2008
Rich F.
Colorado Springs, CO
  5.7
[Hide Comment] Climbed today with Dave G. and Dan. Challenging crux getting past 1st bolt -- pretty much just feet and friction there. Felt like 5.7 to me. Short but fun climb. Jan 1, 2009
Leo Paik
Westminster, Colorado
[Hide Comment] The move at the 1st bolt may perplex those less than 5' tall. Mar 31, 2011
Arlo F Niederer
Colorado Springs, CO
  5.6 PG13
[Hide Comment] First bolt is 20 feet off the ground. Many of the easier routes here have very high first bolts - 20-25 feet off the ground. Mar 27, 2015
Dustin Haxton
Colorado Springs, CO
  5.6
[Hide Comment] This is both a great first lead (if your learning) and a solid introduction into what you can expect at Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Jan 9, 2020
corey wager
Colorado springs
[Hide Comment] The anchors were updated, and Mussy hooks were added. Please consider a donation to the PPCA or ASCA for further hardware updates. Dec 18, 2023