Blade Runner (aka The Ginger Arête)

High on the east face of Rainbow Mountain and just above Ginger Cracks is a striking, 350' knife-edge arête. Blade Runner - AKA The Ginger Arête - climbs this feature in three wild pitches. The line, which is easily visible from the highway (and unmistakable when illuminated by the morning sun), is both really fun climbing and, for those capable of climbing the grade, destined to become the natural finish to Ginger Cracks. Keep in mind, however, that this route is demanding: Though the hard moves are all well-protected, you don't get pro every body length. Also, as is the case with many routes in Red Rocks that haven't received much traffic, Blade Runner has quite a few fragile holds and thin, hollow flakes. The route will undoubtedly clean up with time, but the climbing will "feel" harder because the rock demands a light touch.

Approach: Climb Ginger Cracks through pitch 5 to the beginning of the 4th class 6th pitch. Rather than scramble up to the start of the final corner, look right: Careful study of the arête will reveal a lone bolt about 25’ up. Begin here.

P1 (110’, 5.8): Climb up incut but fragile holds on the face just left of the arête passing a few optional gear placements en-route to the first bolt. Avoid a huge, overhanging block directly on the arête by moving back left to gain a short hand crack splitting a large patch of black varnish. Continue briefly up this before returning again to the arête and a second bolt. Four more bolts lead directly up the exposed edge to an awesome belay platform. A total of 6 bolts and some hand-sized cams protect.

P2 (130’, 5.10b): Climb directly up the arête passing 9 bolts for protection. Belay on a great ledge formed by an oven-sized block (careful). This pitch is amazing.

P3 (110’ 5.9): Continue up the arête, climbing on both sides, passing 5 bolts before gaining a low angle hand crack. Follow this to a sixth bolt and a final traverse left on an obvious ledge to a bolted anchor. Again, 6 bolts and some hand-sized cams protect.

To descend, rappel straight down from the anchor with one 60m rope to a dedicated rappel anchor (do not skip this anchor on rappel or your rope will get stuck). A second single-rope rap leads to the notch between the main wall and the standard top out of Ginger Cracks. From here a third single-rope rap from a bolted anchor (formerly a slung chockstone) leads into the top of the bowl above Power Failure. Continue rapping from here via the route All You Can Eat (do not descend into the bowl to rap Power Failure or the dedicated rap route which is now Life Aquatic).

9x draws, a hand-sized cam or two, and at least a 60m rope.