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6134 Hits
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73.06% Score
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3 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Route Type:
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Trad Climbing |
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Time Required:
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Less than two hours |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.10a (YDS) |
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Number of Pitches:
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2 |
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Grade:
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II |
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Overview
A super classic route in my opinion that is often overlooked. Great climbing and fun terrain that leads over two small rooflet/bulges makes for an interesting climb. Very well protectable, even though the first free ascent was done solo by Jim Erickson in 1972! A very fitting name for the route indeed. This crack line is found in the middle of the West Face of the Bastille.Getting There
Getting here is not difficult. From Denver head North on I-25 towards US 36. Take the CO Hwy 170 exit. Follow it as it curves around a new shopping complex, and go past CO Hwy 93 to the town of Eldorado Springs and to the state park. Yes, this is a state park so there is a fee required (5-6 dollars depending on the time of the year.)From Boulder, take CO Hwy 93 (Broadway) South until you get to the first stop light after leaving Boulder. This is Eldorado Springs Dr. Take this West until you hit the town. The park entrance is at the end of the dirt road into town.
Route Description
Pitch 1: The line is very easy to spot. It starts as a hand sized crack that runs diagonally up and right for around 100 feet. Jam up the easy crack to some more technical moves in the middle of the pitch. Climb up past a small chimney that is well protected and go until the crack splits into two. To the left crack there is a hand size crack that easily swallows pro as it ascends an overhanging bulge(5.10a). The right hand crack is very thin crack and takes very small TCUs, aliens, or nuts as it ascends the same bulge (5.10c). Both require some balance, footwork is key here! Belay on a ledge right after pulling the bulge.Pitch 2: Move over a little to the climbers right to the blocky bulge that is seems to be a little overhanging (5.9). There is a wierd balancy move to pull over a bulge, but this is well protected. The bulge can be avoided by face climbing on the block, but is significantly harder and not very well protected (5.10c/d). The pitch gets easier as you go higher and you eventually end up in a very wide chimney to the summit (5.6).
The two pitches can be combined, but rope drag is usually a large issue at the start of the second pitch, and this is why the route is broken into two. Relatively short, but really good quality route.