Medicine Man, 5.12-, Sentinel Spire

Best route in the Monument? You be the judge, but it’s certainly the best we’ve been on. The choss on the first pitch has seen enough traffic that it’s realtively clean and offers fun, sport-climbing-like movement protected by decent gear until you get to the crack proper. The second pitch serves up some green camalot fun in a corner, delicate moves past a scary hanging block, and a slightly sandy crux before the belay. And then you get the money, a long, steep, red camalot splitter with a burly overhang where it pinches down before relenting just before the belay. The last pitch is funky, in typical Monument fashion, but the gear is good and the rock surprisingly solid for the top of a desert tower.

Otto’s Route, 5.9, Independence Monument

This might be the most bizarre route you’ll ever climb, but as far as offering an easy passage to the top of a spectacular summit in 5 short pitches, you can’t beat it. Back in the early 1900′s this guy named Otto carved a path to the summit, boring out holes and steps to aid him along the way. It’s a common first tower for many, with only two crux sections that are both short. Don’t be deceived by the modest rating, however, as the final crux overhang now features super sandy sloper foot holds, and would likely be 5.10 on most sport cliffs in Colorado. If you are in the area hitting any of the other towers, this is also a good one to tack on to the end of your day, as the rack is small and the climbing goes quickly.

Fast Draw, 5.10, Sentinel Spire

Only two pitches long, but after spending some time in the Monument you’ll soon learn that quality is way more important than quantity. The first pitch serves up a short crux off the ground, followed by a beautiful splitter hand crack. A traverse left into a wide crack takes you to a spacious belay, from which a final pitch of some more wide but mostly moderate climbing brings you to the summit. As a bonus, you can get down the way you came with a single 70m rope, keeping it simple.

Long Dong, 5.11, Kissing Couple

This tower has a big, adventurous feel to it, offering good climbing and one of the most unique last pitches anywhere in the Colorado Plateau. It begins with a long stretch of excellent 10+ climbing that leads to the crux traverse left. At one point these edges were crisp and the moves were probably 11-. Well worn and sandy, the movement is no longer aesthetic and most will be happy to yard on the draw staring you in the face to get on with the rest of the day. Other highlights include a moderate but mostly unprotected chimney, and the final tunnel through the caprock to the summit.

Desert Solitaire, 5.11

I’ve admittedly not climbed this one, though it’s been on the list for awhile now and others have attested to its quality. Not a tower, but a good mulipitch adventure in the scenic Monument Canyon, there are several excellent pitches of Wingate crack climbing, along with the usual fare of funkness to deal with. The short , face climbing crux can easily be pulled through on gear, and the Lighting Bolt variation on the 3rd pitch is supposed to be one of the best splitters in the CNM.

Honorable Mentions

Sundial Dihedral is reported to be a good outing, on the south face on Independence Monument. Relics offers two pitches of decent climbing, and then some of the worst “rock” I’ve ever seen. Get A Life is also supposed to be good but the last pitch is junk and said to be scary and runout.

If you are looking for a fun way to climb a couple of these, you may be ready to step up to the Tri Colo Natl, a link up of Long Dong, Fast Draw, and Otto’s in a day. Good fun and not too hard for even a moderately competent party. Our time car to car was 9 hours and change.

I swung smoothly under the roof and punched it to the overhanging block above. A friction wrap of the block with my thigh and I was through the crux. I smiled with satisfaction, relaxed, and took a sudden lurch backward. Faced with a head-first 15 footer back into the corner, I channeled my inner orangutan and fired through to the anchors. The route was only 5.9 and was well within my range yet I nearly took the worst fall of my life. What gives? I was reminded with a quick glance at the guidebook that this route was put up in the 70’s and fell into my favorite category of climbs: 5.9 trad.

What is so great about 5.9 trad? In gyms and sport climbing areas grandparents, kindergartners, and people with the general fitness level of elephant seals routinely send 5.9. The grade was originally established in England almost 100 years ago. For a long time 5.9 was the top of the scale, and a host of routes earned the rating as the ceiling on what constituted 5.9 crept gradually higher. Finally some genius suggested adding 5.10 and we were off to the races with the numbers chase. Despite the current mania for 5.15/V16, that old school 5.9 rating remains a proud and appealing standard. Anyone who has climbed real 5.9 trad knows what I am talking about. Try some routes of the grade at the Gunks, Tahquitz, the Valley, Eldo, Cathedral, or any of the truly trad meccas out there. Better yet, check out the ultimate sandbag rating of 5.9 A2 in Canada.

There is a treasure trove of 5.9 routes established in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70s’ that is within reach of average climbers like me. They combine the perfect combination of “hard enough to be interesting/ easy enough to get the free climbing flow.” Herewith a tribute to my Personal Top Five 5.9 Trad Climbs. I am sure these will spark debate among the cognoscenti so I will add a few arbitrary parameters to further define the discussion.

1) The route is at least 4 pitches long and is rated (wait for it) 5.9
2) The route requires placing gear the whole way (ie., not Crimson Chrysalis)
3) The route actually tops out (no arbitrary ending halfway up at the fixed anchors)
4) The climbing is actually fun- bonus points for a big smile at the end of the route

Here is my list in no particular order:

1) Recompense/ Beast, Cathedral, NH. An amazing route with a strange down climb on pitch 3, a perfect exposed layback flake on the second pitch, and an awesome finishing corner. Props if you can convince your partner to lead the mossy opening pitch on this one. Finishes with the sweet walk down the paved road from the top of the cliff.

2) Regular Route, Fairview Dome, Tuolumne, CA. I know it is cliché because it is in Roper’s Fifty Classics but this one is really good. The first 4 pitches are the real business and serve up tasty Tuolumne granite crack. Extra points for the view across the high country from the top and the obtuse and improbable start to the downclimb. (Don’t stray too far right)

3) Frigid Air Buttress, Red Rocks, NV. Yeah, yeah, Epinepherine is the classic Red Rocks 5.9. Have fun in the conga line up that one. Frigid Air Buttress has no chalk, no fixed anchors, a squeeze chimney, an off-width splitter crux, and finishes on a beautiful exposed finger crack. It earns bonus points for the convoluted descent of right-at-the-knots full length rappels, downclimbs, and confusion.

4) Sykes Sickle, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. A long approach and an obvious line on a big granite alpine face make this a standout. The hike alone is worth the price of admission, though most climbers like hiking about as much as they like regular bathing. The first pitches are pretty cruiser, though I had a fabulous off-route, terrifying slab adventure on pitch 3. The coolest moves are over the absurd roof on pitch 5. It just doesn’t seem like it should be climbable but “it is all there”.

5) North Chimney, Castleton Tower, UT. The first pitch makes the route. It is about as much moderate fun as you are allowed on a desert crack in Utah. Good gear, varied sizes, multiple great jams- don’t ever let your partner lead this pitch, you will regret it. The added bonus of the heinous ¼ inch spinner at the start of the second pitch, the unlikely cross to the other side of the tower, and an iconic summit render this an unforgettable climb.

There are hundreds of fantastic 5.9 trad routes that I have ignored, neglected, bypassed, fallen off, or just plain not climbed yet. I open the flood gates and invite the ongoing discussion of the rest of the world’s Top Five 5.9 Trad. I look forward to lengthening my tick list as the opinions trickle in.

Dave Meyer is the world’s foremost expert on the art of toproping. This is his first guest blog for SplitterChoss.com.
Interested in becoming a guest blogger? Shoot us an email!

That being said, we had heard about a relatively new route in a canyon outside Moab that follows a line of massive huecos up a wall. We decided to investigate and found a unique and novel climbing experience that’s completely unlike anything else in the area. This is not a destination climb by any stretch, but if you are in the neighborhood and want to check out something totally different, it’s a casual 5 minutes from the road.

The bolts are unfortunately 3/8″ers, which isn’t very inspiring in the soft rock, and the 3rd one has been used for target practice, so it’s in need of replacing. But otherwise, it’s a fun choss route that’s worth a look if you are into that kind of thing. Bring a stick clip for the high first bolt, you climb the worst rock to get to it.

More info can be had on Mountain Project. And no, I don’t think it’s comparable to Namaste in Zion, that actually looks like a good route

For a long time the Drool was one of those local secrets that, like Fight Club, you just didn’t talk about (due to sensitive access.) Thankfully that all changed a couple years ago when Pitkin County Open Space bought the property the climb sits on, and you no longer have to hike in looking over your shoulder like a little kid on their way to pillage the cookie jar. So what’s the fuss all about? This is Redstone’s premier pillar route, and it doesn’t always come in reliably, so it’s a prize to catch in good conditions.

From the parking along the shoulder of Highway 133, a mellow 10 minute hike through the woods brings you to the base of the obvious formation. Sometimes you’ll find a solid pillar, as it is currently, sometimes it’s a barely connected skinny pillar of death, and sometimes you catch it right after the whole thing has fallen down and the base is littered with massive chunks of blue ice from the recent carnage. Usually in a year with a string of cold enough days, the route will form. If you happen to hike in and it’s not in shape, don’t fret, as you’ve got another great option just over the next rise.

The second “pitch”, really just another waterfall in the same creek, can be accessed by hiking up the hill on the right for 5 minutes. This is far more reliable, and can be seen from the road if you know exactly where to look. It’s shorter and easier than the first pillar, though early season it can still offer a bit of steep ice that’s good for a pump.

Another option, if you’re feeling feisty, is the new mixed route Scissorhands, M10, which sits just to the left of the first pillar. Funky dry tooling takes you to a pebble traverse that leads to the ice at the top of the Drool. Reported to be fairly desperate.

Both pitches are worthy and make for one of the finest pure ice routes in Redstone. In my opinion only Cold Heaven is better, but good luck catching that thing in shape.

The 2nd pillar in early season conditions.

That being said, it is a truly incredible place to climb. The canyon is unlike any in the world in terms of being so narrow AND so deep. It is a timeless place, where you can look back through the eons in the ancient granitic rock. And its grandeur is overwhelming. No matter how many times you’ve been, it’s hard to walk out to the rim and look straight down to the river almost 2000 feet below without your heart rate speeding up a little.

This time of year the sun can still be hot, but fortunately one of the best routes of its grade lies in the shade until mid-day: Comic Relief. This route is a 7 pitch adventure up a clean buttress in the SOB gully, featuring pitch after pitch of excellent crack climbing. The climb starts with a fun stretch of 5.9, soon followed by the tenuous and balancey crux finger crack, Make it through this, and you’ll be rewarded with a brilliant hand crack that takes you to the next belay. The climbing from here on up is sustained at the 5.9 level, and should put a smile on any tradster’s face. The only suspect rock comes halfway up the 6th pitch, and thankfully the climbing is easy, just test those peg knobs before you pull on them.

Perhaps the only negative is that the route doesn’t top out, instead you must make one rappel down into a gully and then 4th class it up to the rim. Despite its reputation as one of the shorter, easier routes in the canyon, it’s still a legit outing involving a descent, over 900 feet of climbing, and the scramble out to the rim.

Take a trip up Comic Relief and you’ll most likely top out with a grin on your face, wondering what else the magical canyon has to offer. More info and other opinion can be found at mountain project.

Deep in the heart of the Elk Mountains lurks a route so fearsome, people only whisper its name in conversation:

“I hear it’s a tottering pile of choss.”
“I hear you don’t get any good gear for 1000 feet.”
“I heard Michael Kennedy soloed it naked in mountain boots.”

I can’t vouch for the last one, but I can tell you that the Northwest Buttress of Capitol Peak in reality is a worthy alpine climb, and not as loose and/or dangerous as many people make it out to be. Of course, this is the Elk Range, not the Sierras, so if you go expecting pitch after pitch of perfect granite you will be disappointed. But if you are looking for a longer technical adventure in the mountains and can deal with some occasional loose stuff, this should be right up your alley.

After hiking to Capitol Lake (6.5 mi), you head up to Capitol Pass and then scramble to the base of the obvious buttress. It’s the only part of the massive North Face that actually looks somewhat solid. Standing below the first pitch on your first time there, it’s hard not to get excited and wonder what all the hype was about the “loose stuff.” Before you is an incredible 150′ of excellent crack climbing on perfect granite that would be a worthy pitch at any crag. But then you get to the belay, and just above is a seam where the rock goes from bullet to fractured. It’s almost as if God said, “The good rock shall goeth no further, this is the Elks after all.” The next pitch is a funky and somewhat loose chimney, but thankfully the climbing is easy. The shattered rock will be a little unnerving after the glorious first pitch, but as long as you pay attention, you shouldn’t knock anything down on to your belayer.

Next up comes several hundred feet of 4^th class to gain the ridge proper, which reminded me of a steeper version of the knife edge over on the other side of the mountain. Several fun and mellow pitches take you up this feature, on mostly solid rock, to a big ledge. From here, we did some more 4^th class, and then one last pitch through a very loose roof, thankfully it’s only 5.7. Some more 4^th class then brings you to the top. Soak in the incredible views of the Elk Range, Pierre Lakes, and the dreadful ridge connecting to Snowmass Peak to the south. If you thought what you just climbed was child’s play, maybe you’re ready to step it up to that challenge.

So there you have it, about as good as it gets for technical climbing in the Elk Range. In California they probably wouldn’t even go near this peak, but this is Colorado, and it’s a gem in the sea of choss that is our state.

Having lived in Estes Park for 7 years I was spoiled with many easily accessible moderate multi-pitch routes. While Carbondale has great local crags, there are few options where one can go to get off the ground without driving an hour plus. So my interest was peaked when I heard about a 5-pitch moderate just north of Rifle: The Mitten Slab, 5.10, at the Rifle Arch climbing area. The approach for this climb starts at a large pullout just past mile marker 7 on the way to Meeker on Colorado off  Highway 13. The hike takes 30+ minutes and is pretty mellow. Just before reaching the Arch, there is a cairned climbers trail breaking left to the base of a number of sport routes, Mitten Slab is at the far left.

Back in March my son Tobin and I headed over to the Slab on a warm Saturday morning. Arriving at the base we were the only climbers in sight and it remained that way while we were on the route. The Rifle Mountain Park guidebook says this is a 5 pitch route, we thought we could outsmart the book and run pitches together. While it did work, it also created some hideous rope drag at inopportune times, and I’d recommend following the book’s description.

The first pitch is a route in its own right, and is called Shortbus Challenge, a mellow slab to a fixed anchor just below an arching roof at a somewhat uncomfortable stance.

Pitch two is the crux of the route, pulling through a bulge on small holds to a nice ledge with a fixed anchor. Being tall will help on this pitch. Pitches three, four and five follow flakes up the slab at a moderate grade (5.8 – 5.9), and you’ll probably want some long slings to alleviate rope drag on the fourth pitch.

Once on top, the descent is straightforward via several short raps down fixed anchors. With so many rope snagging flakes, keeping the raps short is advisable if you want to avoid rappel hell.

And there you have a 450 foot, 5 pitch route. All you need is 10-12 draws, some long slings, a 60m rope and maybe a .75 Camalot. Actually the only gear placement is not really necessary as the climbing is very easy at the only spot you can place the piece. This route faces south and gets full sun; fall, winter and spring are the seasons of choice. There are tremendous views looking south to Mamm Peak and to the west at the Roan Cliffs. With comfortable ledges (minus pitch one), this is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon soaking up the sun, climbing slabs and enjoying the views.

Lynn Sanson lives in Carbondale and can’t wait to take his newly acquired developing skills and put them to use on the local choss. This is his first guest blog for SplitterChoss.com.

Every spring weekend, scores of cars pass by Colorado National Monument on their way to climbing destinations in Moab and the surrounding desert. Generally, the Monument is thought of as being a lesser climbing destination, and the mantra of “for every good pitch, there’s a bad pitch” does hold true on the majority of the routes. The 400-foot Medicine Man, 5.12, however, is a definite exception to that mantra.

Situated on the east face of Sentinel Spire, Medicine Man offers up pitch after pitch of fine desert crack climbing, with only a small amount of desert funk, even by the standards of a desert novice. Further cementing this route’s status as a desert classic is an approach that is second to none.

To get there, drive to the Monument’s lone campground, Saddlehorn, from the park’s west entrance outside Fruita. Be sure to take a left into the campground and don’t get suckered in to the right hand option that goes to the Amphitheater. Once in the campground, take the first right and make your way past the campsites until you come to the canyon rim and an excellent lookout called Book Cliffs View. Park here and make the two minute hike to the canyon rim until you can see the top of Sentinel Spire below.

Locate a couple of stout trees on the rim and fix your rope to make a speedy rappel into the canyon, leaving it there to facilitate a quick and easy ascent to the car. Once in the canyon, leave your ascenders and related hardware with the rope, and hike down to the tower, following an occasional cairn until you can skirt underneath the spire to the east face.

Four pitches of excellent climbing now await. The first pitch (5.10-) gives you a little taste of the desert funk on eroded Cutler sandstone before you finally sink your mitts into the more pleasant Wingate above. Many will want to stop at the nice belay ledge below the wildly flared corner.

The second pitch (5.11) climbs an enjoyable flared corner capped by a roof consisting of a wedged block. A couple of bolts on the face here help give you some security as you “tiptoe” gently around this block, which would surely ruin your partner’s day should it ever rip out. It’s possible to stop at a two pin belay but it’s preferable to continue on through a short section of sandy 5.11 to a recently upgraded two bolt anchor below the crux pitch.

The third pitch (5.12-) is the reason this climb gets so much acclaim. This wavy splitter cuts through the face and eats up red Camalots before a nice no-hands rest below the roof. Here, the crack pinches down for a few short, but powerful moves before finishing with an awkward mantle on to the belay ledge.

Finally, the fourth pitch (5.10) gives you a small sense of the Monument funk with thoughtful movement going left around a roof. Above, easier climbing of all shapes and sizes take you to the top where several fixed pieces and a few feet of chain await.

On the summit, pose for a few pictures and chat it up with the tourists on the rim before rappelling down the west face, where you can walk back to your fixed line and jug out to finish the day.

Sometimes you have to be ever so delicate as to not blast the whole thing into oblivion, and other years you can swing with reckless abandon at the fat ice all around you. Usually there is ice on it by early December, but whether it continues to grow or not is anyone’s guess. It seems that Avocado actually gets bigger in the warmer, snowy winters we have had the last couple of years.

To get here, follow Highway 133 south out of Carbondale for about 14 miles until you come to a big parking area on the left just before the narrowest part of the canyon. Park here, cross the road and follow a trail for ten minutes up to the base of the climb. If you get to the parking for the Penny Hot Springs you’ve gone too far.

The first pitch is fun to catch in good shape, as it usually gets buried later in the year under snow. Before that happens, there are some fun mellow ice steps that feel very alpine. Most folks solo this pitch, as even when it’s pure ice it’s pretty low key. The next pitch is the business for the climb, and usually starts with a low angle flow of thick ice leading to a short but steeper pillar. This is the crux, and can vary from a nicely protected romp to a thought provoking runout up thin ice. Sometimes this thing gets so hammered you’ll have a hard time finding a place for a screw amidst all the old holes.

The hardest climbing is short lived, however, and perseverance will reward you with lower angled ice leading to a bolted belay below the start of the third pitch. A short romp up a snowy gully leads to the last bit of ice, which offers a steeper line on the left and an easier finish on the right. Two raps with a single 70m cord, or two 60m cords will get you back to the base of the second pitch. From here you can do another rappel from a tree, or walk around down the hillside to your packs.