An excellent bolted slab climb in a fantastic location and with a name from a Bob Dylan song to boot!

Surprisingly this route does not receive as much flack as Genius Loci for being so close to a classic trad route.  Perhaps it makes people feel silly to rail against a Slow Train that's coming.  Anyway, the climbing is devious and requires wicked foot work on tiny holds.  This is a good route to do if you're coming down from the Upper Ramp with time on your hands.  It could also be used as an alternative start to the Naked Edge. (But only after you've done the real first pitch.)

After finding your way to the first pitch of the Edge, climb down a few feet and head right around the corner.  It's a little airy over there which adds to the excitement.  Then climb up and left passing the 2nd and 3rd bolts and the crux of the climb.  Hang in there on small holds and think positive thoughts about your footwork.  If your toes are going numb, you're probably doing something right. This route ends at the same bolted anchor as pitch one of the Edge.  Eight bolts total, no gear necessary on this pitch.

Slow Train Coming

Venus de Milo

Jules Verne

No Lo Contendere

Orifophobia

Seams Beyond Variation

The Briny Deep

Bolting for Glory

Scratch and Sniff

Green Willow Wall

Old Bad Aid Crack

Slots of Fun

Natural Mystic

Cave Pitch

The Contest

T2 Direct Finish

Shasta

Dizzy Miss Lizzy (aka Scrutiny on the Bounty)

After The Gold Rush

Jules Verne Straight Up First Pitch Variation

Genius Loci

The Diving Board

The Inset

Plastic Jesus

Le Void

Sickness Unto Death

Ghoul's Turn

Element X

10,000 Leagues

PsychGillLogical

Seize of Holds

Love Minus Zero

Centaur

Wingless Victory

The Naked Edge

Predator

Between Heaven and Earth

Wild Kingdom

Bolter's Lament

Avoid the Rush

Physical Graffiti

Seams Beyond

Fools Learn

Lene's Dream

The Serpent

One Way Out

Rise Above, aka Mr. Malcontent

Touch 'N' Go

Rosy Crucifixion

King Tut

Weeping Willow

The Superlink

Hayden's Line

The Edge is one of the most classic climbs in America.

There are several ways to reach the base of the Edge, the easiest and quickest is

Touch 'N' Go

.

Touch 'N' Go

had a line on it when we were racking up, and we took a runout .8 crack thirty feet to the right that ended at some bolts near the base of

Anthill Direct

. From the Lower Ramp climb the

Cave Pitch

, an interesting 5.8 overhang, and reach a three-bolt belay at the base of the first pitch.

The first pitch, a classic finger crack, is a great start to a very memorable route. It is a clean finger crack 5 feet to the right of a classic arete. It lies in a sort of groove which lends it nicely to stemming. Make some 9-ish moves to get to a small rest stance halfway up the crack. Getting off this rest stance is supposedly the 11a crux of this pitch. The moves off the rest are accomplished by stemming in the groove and using a small edge for your left hand. Once in the crack, the finger jams are very good yet the steep sustained nature pumps you out for one last 5.10 move to the two-bolt belay. This last move, while not very hard in and of itself, is definitely the crux of this beautiful pitch. This pitch protects very well with small stoppers and TCUs.  If this pitch felt hard, remember that the last two are significantly harder and more involved.

The second pitch is just as classic, if a tad spicy. Begin with twenty feet of unprotected 5.8 slab up to a bolt just right of the arete, climb for twenty more feet up to another bolt (5.8) and step around left to the other side of the arete. This deposits one at the base of a left-angling crack. Crank up this crack a little ways to an ok stance. A good #1 Camalot can be placed at the base of this crack, but this piece will be below your feet for the crux move off a sloper. A fall off this move would throw you back around the arete and wouldn't be too pleasant. For this reason, some guidebooks give this pitch an R rating. Perhaps it is if you are incompetent at placing stoppers; there is a textbook RP placement right in your face for this move, this placement eliminates any s rating this pitch might have. The belay at the top is double bolt on a stance on the arete. All of the pitches on this route are approximately a half ropelength (80-90 feet) and some can be combined. However the rope drag would be heinous.

The third pitch is 5.8. It heads up the right side of the arete to a mantle onto a juggy hold. It is the easiest pitch, and if for some reason you are taking a second who leads in the 5.9 range, you might be inclined to let him lead this pitch. Be aware that it would be a pretty runout lead. This pitch wanders quite a bit, and long runners are needed to alleviate rope drag. Set the belay at the base of a rotten ramp/alcove deal.

From here the fourth pitch should be obvious, a right-leaning dihedral that turns into a chimney with a roof at the top. This is where the climbing gets intense. The initial dihedral is a thin 10c affair, and has a pin protecting the hard move. Gear can be had below the pin, and while this pin is not great, it is adequate for the move. The dihedral takes you up and right into some underclings where you encounter a second pin. This pin is definitely suspect. I have heard many wildly varying accounts of this pitch. Rossiter gives it an s rating in his latest guidebook because of this piton. I have heard people telling me it was a death pitch.  None of this is true. A small purple Metolius TCU can be placed below the pin, together these two pieces provide adequate protection, and a fall from the crux onto them would be reasonable. One could probably back these pieces up even more if so inclined. This is definitely not a death pitch, it is only mildly spicy. From this last pin, intricate moves lead up and into the chimney. I couldn't identify a single crux; there are about four or five very technical moves to get situated in the chimney. The hardest might entail hiking your right foot up onto a left-angling rail. Once in the chimney, you can clip a pin below the roof and back it up with some small stoppers and a blue Metolius TCU. Resting before the roof is very awkward as you are very scrunched in this chimney. The next moves are 10c/d, I believe they are considered harder now because of a missing flake. At any rate, crank right around the roof with poor feet. This will feel hard after the endurance required for the rest of the pitch. The belay is obvious, a three-bolt affair below a right-angling ramp. This pitch can be considered 11b overall; it is very technical and sequency climbing.

Ahh the fifth pitch! Begin with an 11a move onto the ramp. Rossiter calls this the crux, yet I thought the bombay chimney was quite a bit harder and more involved. The bomber fixed gear here eases the strain of the climbing. Once on this ramp, you are led up and around the arete to an awesome, spectacular, overhanging hand crack with some    fixed pro at the base. With a #1 Camalot, two #2s, and one #3, this final crack will be completely sewn up, a very important thing to to for your second. If they fall here it would be hard to get back on. This final crack is the final blow for the leader. I suspect that seconding this thing is quite a bit easier, placing pro on it is very strenuous. Next to the bombay chimney, I thought this was the second hardest part. The crack in and of itself is maybe 10b/c, yet feels very strenuous on lead, and after the initial crux section of the pitch it is very pumpy. Indian Creek climbers will enjoy this section. It consists of liebacking on good hand jams in small flares. Fire up this section to a wider, yet easier section, and get a belay right at the top of the crack in order to keep a close eye on your second. Overall, this pitch is 11b too, and is probably one of the most spectacular in Eldo with 600 feet of air below you!

From here, a final easy (5.6) pitch leads to the top.

Two quality V7-ish boulder problems stacked on top of each other. Despite its diminutive size, it's actually quite good and would probably be a well know "classic" if it were elsewhere in Eldo.

Perhaps this is not worth the approach in its own, but it is a worthwhile diversion after topping out Redgarden. It get's all day shade and is protected from the wind.

This route has been somewhat immortalized by the local film

Scary Faces

, which has fueled the idea that it is a desperate & frightening run to the top of Redgarden.  It's not.  While it certainly brings a little spice to the leader's day, and for me, a serious dose of paste-mouth, it isn't the scare-fest some have made it out to be.

This is a 6 pitch line starting with

T2

but immediately breaking left at the 1st pin over the roof.  Follow good holds past another pin and up to a shallow roof, clip that pin and head left on positive underclings to a line of buttonheads over a bulge.  Continue up to an obvious belay perch.  Numerous draws & slings are helpful.

P2.- Head up & left following the obvious line into a large chimney/dihedral with many pounds of bird shit lining the rock, and belay at the base of

Naked Edge

(5.8+ (the + due to turd-smearing)).

P3.- Follow a left leaning, right-facing dihedral with a pillar on small fingers and good stemming to a small roof (smaller wires & Aliens), place a couple of bomber nuts (you don't want to belay here) and run out the remaining 15 feet straight up on smaller holds (.11a).  Follow the rotten band up & left for 50 feet on easier terrain to a belay/rap station just left of

Lene's Dream

, which I think might make a better finish to this pitch - - although I haven't done it yet. The remaining pitches follow easier rock to the top with an isolated .10a roof move, and a slab finish.  There is also an option to join the upper pitches of

Lene's Dream

.

This is a stellar line if only for the climbing.  Factor in the historical significance of bold ground-up ascents in Eldo, and it's a must-do!

This is on page 300 of the new Falcon Eldo guide.  It is on the corner 50' right of

Touch 'N' Go

.

An alert belayer is required. Some may call this 's', but I think the risky moves are not within 2 number grades of the difficulty of the crux.   A small nut protects a bouldery start, then carefully step up to clip the first bolt. A hold out left expedites this clip. The crux of the first section is found when stepping over the rooflet. A good stopper can be placed at the stance above. The second section follows two bolts out right to the arete, although some have gone straight up from the first, and up to finish on

The Contest

.

The climbing is technical in spots but there are frequent rests.

My only reason for submitting this route can be found in the following....

No Lo Contendre

This route starts to the left of, and eventually joins,

The Contest

, hence the name which pleads 'no contest' in a court of law.  It came into being after I saw the possibility of the upper half and thought to climb the lower BEHIND THE TREE route to reach it. I led it onsight on natural gear with my friend Mark Miller some time later.

It was an adventure for me, but in those days, I was willing to add bolts to some of my routes after-the-fact and this one seemed appropriate. It had two cruxes that risked very bad falls. It lacked the aesthetic position that might have encouraged me to keep it as a 'death lead'. I asked the opinions of other local climbers who supported the idea.

The fly-in-the-ointment was that the bottom part, the BEHIND THE TREE route, was in the book as having been done before by 'unknown'. I was on the FHRC at the time and thought that proposing to add a bolt in the bottom half and 2 bolts to the top half would make it safer though still as sporty as some other Roof Routes.  More importantly, perhaps, was its value as a test case to promote public debate about adding bolts to existing routes. This issue, and the idea of replacing fixed pins with bolts, still lurks.

The FHRC made its decisions in public meetings in those days. I had hopes of a lively discussion, but there was little debate, and it was approved (with me abstaining).

Over the years, I have heard from a few people who were taken aback by this sequence of events. I told them I wished they had attended the meeting and voiced their objections then but that it wasn't too late. If they wanted to propose to remove one or more of them, then they should do so. I used Rawl bolts, so that they could be unscrewed easily and the holes camoflauged.  I would be willing to attend the meeting, plead 'no contest', and help with the removal and repair. It was my intention to make the offer for "the good of the community", but it was probably misguided.

I think this is a good time for the debate on this route to take place, and this is a good forum.

take time to care,   Steve Dieckhoff  11/6/2001

This route begins just left of the arch formed by two large boulders.

Chimney up a few feet to reach the lowest huecos, take a breath, then launch up the overhanging and slightly crumbling jugs for the top! If you're lucky, you my find some pro before hitting a short section of crack marking the end of the difficulties. Move right and belay, you should be back near the ground for an easy walkoff.

This starts on

Seams Beyond

(5.10b R) and breaks right where SB breaks left.

From the P5 belay, move up and left (30ish feet) to the block described in

Seams Beyond

. Climb straight up steep jugs to reach a small ramp.

From the ramp, climb straight on obvious jugs through the roof. You are now 30-35 feet above your belay with no gear. Climb higher trending right till you reach a broken band. Follow a seam up and right, that often opens up to accept larger gear. Top out 10 to the left of

Jules Verne

.

Use 'Improve This Page' to add a description!

This excellent finish to

Touch 'N' Go

breaks off right at the ledge at half height and ascends the smooth face to the right of the

Touch 'N' Go

's upper section.  Start as for

Touch 'N' Go

, going up and left below the initial overhang and straight up a right facing corner into a slot that turn into a nice finger crack to a ledge.  this climbing is no harder than 5.8 and is very accepting of gear.  Bolting for Glory goes up and right from the ledge.

The initial moves up to the first bolt are not too difficult, but can be intimidating with a ledge fall possible.  Move up and right after the first bolt on smooth dark edges past two more bolts to a horizontal break (the 10a crux is just below this break and well protected by the bolt).  Just above this break a handle grip formed by two interconnected huecos can be slung with a standard length runner.  Move up and left past a fourth bolt to a leftward move around a bulging corner to finish at the

Touch 'N' Go

's anchors.

The route is great climbing on sweet edges and a great variation to the ever-popular

Touch 'N' Go

.  Being south-facing and the rock dark colored in nature, the climb can get very hot during the summertime making the holds slicker than they have to be.  It's best climbed in the fall or spring (or shade!).

This is located to the left of

Touch n' Go

. It can be toproped from the chain anchor below the 2nd half of

Touch n' Go

.  The route starts under the roof, and a couple of strenous moves about 11c I think get you situated in the roof. It is a strong pull over the roof and then your typical Eldo face climb. This is slabby with little for feet with highly technical and balancy moves.

This very aesthetic line tackles the middle of the broad green face left of

Jules Verne

and, despite its two bolts, offers spicy climbing much like its neighbors.

Begin on the left-trending arch 50 feet up and left of the start of

Jules Verne

(the coninuation out the arch is Cameron Tague's

Weeping Willow

-- 5.11+ X).  Head about halfway out the arch and turn the lip at one of two spots (a big cam is helpful).

Step right onto the face and move up on slopey features past two bolts to finish either at the

Jules Verne

anchor or on

Lene's Dream

for extra value.

It is a sporty but thoughtful pitch on killer stone.

This exciting climb begins at a roof with a thin seam above. It has very nice climbing on an aesthetic wall. Good-sized campus moves on buckets lead to a flake in which gear can be had. Continue with adequate gear to a stance at the obvious overlap. From here, fire the very committing and somewhat reachy crux with easier, runnout clmbing above. It seemed to me like it would be possible to traverse left to

T2

if the crux doesn't feel right.... Finish on a ledge and either traverse to the

T2

anchors or the midway anchors on

Touch 'N' Go

to descend.

This fun little route ascends the leaning crack located inside the cave/arch formed by two huge boulders. Figure out a way off the ground and into the mostly hand-sized crack, then smear, jam, layback, and shuffle to the top. The angle and style of this climb make it awkward and a little tricky, you may find yourself in some odd positions....

Natural Mystic is another direct line that gains the summit of Tower 2 from the T2 exit ramps. It climbs about 15'-20' feet to the right of the final pitch of

Shasta

.

Start directly above the largest tree below the T2 exit ramps. There is a nice belay on the upper, chocolate colored ramp in a shallow, right-facing dihedral. That "loose" corner leads upward toward the triangular roof, but I climb the steep pocketed face instead, starting with a door knob in your left hand. Tricky pocket placements and some bold, slightly runout, pocket climbing leads up to the lower, left side of the triangular roof. More face climbing leads to the obvious, rightward-trending crack system for 80 more feet to the top of Tower 2. This starts out overhanging and stays fairly steep for the remainder of the pitch.... It is super fun and has good gear!

More of a land mark than a route, this is the cave just below the first pitch of

The Naked Edge

and just up and right from the top of

Touch 'N' Go

. This is the most common approach to the

Edge

, it leads to the rappel route down

T2

, and allows access to the Upper Ridge. From the anchor atop

Touch 'N' Go

4th class for 100' to the base of the cave. Climb up and right through the large roof, awkward 5.8 to a good crack that leads to the bolts after 15 more feet. Either continue up, traverse to the Upper Ramp, or rap to the ground in three raps from bolted a [description ends here]

Hike up to Redgarden Wall as for

C'est La Vie

or

Touch 'N' Go

, starting from the old concrete slab just SW of the Whale's Tail.  Make your way up to the cliff and walk left a short distance to an obvious bolted line on a flat but broken, right-facing wall that overhangs slightly.  This climb is on an obvious arete more or less 1/2 way between

C'est La Vie

and

Touch 'N' Go

.

The line of bolts follows a line of sharp holds up and left to the arete, then left at the corner.  These holds start large but get small, and are somewhat painful in spots.  Follow said line of bolts up, then left to the arete, then around the edge and up to the top.  It's kinda fun, but kinda short, and kinda sharp.  Still, it should give even a strong climber a good pump.

From the top, a fixed station lies up and left.

This pitch has some adventurous climbing on a seldom visited face. If lichen and runouts are not your thing, you should probably traverse off on the standard finish.

The direct finish starts right at the end of the final, 5.9 pitch on

T2

.  From the belay nook, traverse slightly left and find the best spot to pull through the roof. A marginal 0.5/0.75 cam can be placed before pulling through on positive holds. Wander up the face on positive but sometime lichen covered holds to the obvious roof crack.  Finish up on easier terrain.  The descent off the top of tower two is a little tricky, the obvious solution may lead to a dead end. (4th class)

A great 7 pitch 5.9 linkup starts on

Touch & Go

, traverses to

Jules Verne

, climbs upper

T2

, and finishes on this pitch.  You could also lengthen the linkup by climbing

Body Tremors

and

Smoke & Mirrors

to the summit of Tower One.

[This route was originally TR'd by John Paine and friend in the '80s and called Dizzy Miss Lizzy for John's girlfriend, Liz, who accompanied the climbers and was uncomfortable with the [exposure] of the East Slabs. John gave permission for the retro bolting but asked that the name to remain.  Retro-named] Scrutiny on the Bounty, [it] is located on the "Wall of Holes" which is basically in a deep cleft/gully on Tower Two, just above the top-out of Redguard.  The route climbs up behind a large pine tree that is growing out of this gully and was quite easy to find.

This route is really, really fun, well-protected, and steep!  In fact, there probably isn't an 11 move on the climb, but surviving the pump is what probably gives it the grade.

Make an awkward stretch to a huge jug and make the first clip here.  Continue up on incredible huecos to the fifth bolt, and pull onto the slab and a sixth bolt.  The crux is probably the transition to the slab where you must step left and making a technical reach to a hidden, incut edge.

Great route!

This is a new classic for the crag. Two separate pitches on either side of the upper ramp make for a slew of new link up options. Eldo gear skills are a must as the bolts only protect where gear does not. The rock quality is excellent, the climbing is varied and sustained, and the pitches are both long.

First of all, I have been reluctant to take credit for the FA, because it is such an obvious line (Derek probably soloed it onsight). I believe, after me, the pitch was later lead again by a talented local known for his huge whippers.

I led this in 2000 after inspection on rappel (a headpoint). This is a very good pitch and very serious in its upper half. Do the initial 1st pitch roof crux of JV but where that line arcs out left via undeclings, go straight up to another small roof. In these underclings, you can deposit good finger to thin hand size pro. Here will be the actual crux; an awkward and difficult mantle move out the right side of the roof. Once above the mantle, you will be standing in a black water streak. Climb about 10' to a small overlap on the left. Try to finagle some manky small wires, and then carefully tip-toe up a leaning closed out seam to a a couple other overlaps where more bad gear can be found. Go to the ledge. The section through the seam feature is in the 10+ range with another 10 section above. The 3rd pitch crux of JV won't feel so bad after doing this first.

Genius Loci, Spirti of the Place, is one route put up by Alan Nelson that has sparked more controversy than any other. Perhaps the most droll comment to emerge in the brouhaha was the one made by the hapless climber who, climbing The Naked Edge, claimed to be drawn against their will to clip bolts on Genius Loci rather than protecting the Edge with natural gear. Climbing on Genius Loci begins from the belay above the cave and to the left of P1 of The Naked Edge. This is around the corner from the Edge, which is entirely invisible until approaching the top of the Edge's  P1. The right hand does work the arete left of the Edge's crack. Climbing is on small edges and corners and is largely very continuous. The pitch is long, finishing up near the end of P2 on the Edge at close to 150 ft. Regardless of the controversy, the climbing on Genius Loci is excellent, tricky, and solid. From the top it is possible to run Jule's Verne on a TR, it also provides a good look at Steve Levin's headpointing masterpiece, Goul's Turn. After all the noise has subsided, it is possible to enjoy this route as the fine line that it is, in a great location, on a brilliant face.

Follow

Redguard

through pitch 4 (5.8s). Diving Board begins from the pitch four belay of

Redguard

.

P1. Traverse left across an obvious, black ramp (spotty pro, 5.6) to left side of the pigeon flake. Continue up the left side of the pigeon flake trending slightly right to a modern two-bolt belay anchor.

P2. From here, traverse left across an airy shelf with modest pro and power up into the steep, left-facing dihedral, belay at a modern two-bolt anchor (5.10c, 80 feet).

P3. Head straight up from the belay into an exhilarating hand / fist / off-width crack (5.11a, 80 feet).

It is possible to link pitches on

Redguard

, and it is also possible to link pitches 2 & 3 on the Diving Board with careful rope drag management.

This climb is fantastic. The position is among the best in the canyon. It is the

Naked Edge's

redneck cousin (more fun if a little rough around the edges).

This is an overlooked and under-traveled pitch.  The unappealing start (awkward, but not bad) is followed by a great second half.  Were the entire pitch like the upper half, there would be a line from it daily.

Scramble up easy territory to the

Touch and Go

roof a few meters left of that start of that route. Place a #3 Camalot overhead in a short section of solid crack and pull up and right past that gear into a the bottom of a left-facing flake.  That flake rises up and left on laybacks and underclings with solid gear and great holds. Too bad the whole route is not made like this section. After passing the top of this flake, move up a few moved in a shallow, right-facing corner to a ramp/ledge.

You can improvise a belay at that ledge or continue. The best continuation is to go up to the first bolt of

Bolting for Glory

and continue up and left on the same diagonal line to intersect the upper pitch of

Touch and Go

and finish that pitch to the anchors for a 140' pitch with little or no rope drag, provided you put slings on key gear placements.

Another in a long line of great Frenchy-named routes in Eldo. I'm a bit hesitant to post this route, since I haven't actually climbed the whole thing, but it's pretty cool, and anyone with more knowledge of the whole route can feel free to add a comment.

Le Void starts off the upper ramp, about 30' right of

The Serpent

, and maybe 100' left of upper

T2

. To find the climb, look for a pair of left-leaning, left-facing dihedrals that lead up about 40' to a big, overhanging, downward-pointed flake. Start in either corner, the left is 5.9+, the right is 5.11. Both corners are well protected, and they merge on a ledge maybe 40' up.

From here, the route gets much harder, as it ascends the overhanging flake. For the first bit you can use cracks on both sides of the flake, as well as stem. The crux (11d) comes when you have to commit to the right side of the flake. A series of thin, powerful, lie-backing moves culminate in a lunge (at least for me) to a much better hold. From here, the pitch is much easier, and again ends at a small stance with rappel slings.

This is as far as I have ever gone on this route, but according to Rossiter, it continues up though a roof with a thin crack (11d/12a), and then merges with

T2

to get to the top of the wall. If anyone has beta about this part, I'd love to hear it.

Edit:

Tried the roof pitch today, wasn't very impressed. Tons of loose junk, nearly every gear placement and handhold relied upon flakes of dubious quality. If one was willing to yard on the loose stuff, the roof might be 11d, but it's definitely harder if you have any concern for your belayer and anyone one else who might be downrange. In my opinion the first two pitches (easily linked into one) deserve 3 stars, but -1 for the choss-fest roof.

Again, expect big exposure while approaching, climbing and even belaying this route. This is a pitch for the "been there done that" 5.12 leader. Make sure you and your partner can communicate due to the noise.

This is a long, elegant, but dangerous face route on the long-overlooked plaque of rock left of Jules Verne and Green Willow Wall. It starts about ten feet down the ramp (right) from Fool's Learn (a 5.10+ seam) and just left of a long, left-trending arch (Cameron Tague's Weeping Willow).

You can recognize this route by a black streak down low, which leads to a horn at mid-height, topped off by a long, green face tilted back at 88 degrees, and an easier crack to finish. This pitch finishes at the anchors atop Fool's Learn and can easily be toproped (bring some gear to back up the funky fixed jive).

Boulder off the ramp on flaky rock, which quickly improves. Crank left into the offset seam, placing small RP's and getting creative with stoppers (5.11). The seam leads to a horn and a nice rest stance. Sling the horn (a double-length or Rabbit runner is nice here) and run it out up the green face on crisp, but somewhat cripsy edges (5.10 vs). A thank-God jug appears just after you enter the deck fall zone ...

Easier climbing leads to the anchors.

This route has a powerful, bouldery start. After pulling above the mini-roof, you get a good undercling where you can mess around and try to find gear placements. There will not be any other opportunity for gear after this. Do some more powerful moves, and pull onto a face. Climb the technical face to a nice, ledge jug at the top.

10,000 Leagues is an interesting route that weaves a path between some classic bits of climbing. While parts are lichenous, and somewhat contrived, it's a worthwhile route for someone who's climbed everything else on this excellent sector of the Redgarden Wall.

P1: Begin with the infamous third pitch of

Jules Verne

, climb through the big runout, and then continue past the broken band onto

Lene's Dream

. A few body-lengths above the broken band, reach a slanting pod for a green Alien. Instead of cutting right to

The Naked Edge

, cast off up and left, following an incipient seam.

As the wall slabs out, traverse left to the fixed pin-nut belay on

Jules Verne

.

The

JV

-

LD

part of the pitch is probably 5.11- R, and the 10kL part is 5.10 R.

P2: Traverse right off the

JV

belay towards a short, right-angling flake system. Place good gear here, then climb up into another vague crack system. Trend left up the featured wall, through a shallow, right-facing corner, and finally rejoin

JV

below a big roof to belay. 5.11- R.

P3: Climb the

JV

roof. Continue up, and stay straight where

JV

breaks left. Chase dirty seams and thin face holds up increasingly slabby terrain, finishing on the summit ridge. 10+ R.

This route starts on the ground just left of the classic

C'est La Vie

on Redgarden Wall, directly between

The Contest

(a bolted tweeky 11+ on the left) and

Redguard

in the right, which at ground level is a loose 5.8, but goes upward to become a neat route, despite it's seriousness.   PsychGillLogical is a series of thin cracks and face holds wandering up the slightly open book dihedral between the two more well known climbs.

Personally, I think that PsychGillLogical is overgraded at 5.10b in the Eldo books and should probably be 5.9 in my opinion, or even easier if one escapes to the right at the crux moves.  Descend by rapping from the anchors as for

The Contest

.

The route is worth doing only for those of you who have 10 spare minutes in the area or are trying to do as many routes as possible.  I don't regret doing it, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone with limited opportunity to climb in the area.

Located on the "Lost to Obscurity Wall", this route ascends the steep and huecoed section approximately 80' downhill of the small arch/cave home to "Slots of Fun". Locate the large, juggy wall split in two by a right-leaning slot.

Start near the low point of the left block, and head towards the high point, stopping occasionally to sling horns or thread holes.  Once over the lip, a heavily lichened slab will take you to a decent belay perched among many loose blocks. From here, it is possible to down climb the chimney to the West (uphill).

Love Minus Zero:  Two stars if done by itself, subtract a star for the deteriorating rock above the roof, add a star if done as a part of "Roving for Love."

P1:  Begin a little ways up and left on the Upper Ramp from the black slot/crack that marks the start of upper T2.  Pull up and right at an obvious weakness to gain a crack and pro.  Probably 20' of unprotected 5.8 here.  Climb upwards for another 20' to gain the obvious finger crack and follow this up and leftwards to a ledge.  Belay.  The pitch is approximately 100' long.

P2:  Traditionally you would traverse off the left margin of the ledge to gain a very shallow left-facing corner with poor gear.  A much nicer option is to continue up and left off the ledge in the obvious black hand crack.  This leads directly up to the roof.  Step left to a flake to establish yourself below the roof and get a no-hands rest.  Currently there is a fixed hex and tat under the roof.  This can be backed up with a solid red Alien or 0.5 Camalot.  Pull the roof.  This is very strenuous and requires bringing your feet way up and liebacking in a near-horizontal position before rocking up to a good crack.  Felt like one of the most powerful 11c's I've done in Eldo.  Once past the roof you traverse left about 10' and then head up chossy rock to a belay niche.  Continue up on easy rock or traverse slightly right to a slung horn and make two raps back to the ramp (recommended - bring webbing).

Roving for Love was a great linkup: Roll Over Rover to Rover to Love Minus Zero.  Thanks to Steve Levin.

Centaur is a spectacular and varied route on the right side of the Prow of Tower Two, which parallels the last pitches of

The Naked Edge

and

Diving Board

. The steep corner and roof pitch was first aid climbed (A3) in 1967. Two decades later (late 1980s or early 1990s) it was retro-bolted as a sport pitch, but it hadn't been freed.

Climb the first 5 pitches of

Redguard

105757837(easily combined into 3 pitches). Traverse 15 feet left on the maroon band (loose) to a sloping belay with one good bolt, one bad bolt, and gear. Looming above is a steep corner and roof with bolts.

P1. Struggle up the overhanging corner (bizarre body English) to the roof. Burly underclings with poor feet lead to liebacks, tips jams, and a deceptively tricky exit to the old hanging belay [*bad gear, an uncomfortable stance, and no pro for the next 15 feet make this a poor belay]. Shake out here, then tackle the short, red roof to a no-hands stance at the first protection bolt of the last pitch.

8 bolts, fixed HB offset, RPs; 55 feet; 13c.

P2. This is an amazing pitch, first freed by Christian Griffith in 1986.

Ascend the vertical face past several old bolts (need replacement) and gear to a striking seam in a hanging plaque of stone. Jam, crimp, and paste your way up the seam (RPs, tiny cams) to a steep finish in a dihedral. It is best to belay at a tree 40 feet beyond the lip of the wall.

4 bolts, 1 pin, gear; 85 feet; 12c.

Consistent exposure characterizes this 60' pitch. Expect small hands and feet while dry humping the arete the whole way. Crux comes at the 5th bolt when you bust a hard right and layback like your life depended on it to the anchors (a fall between the 5th bolt and the anchors would be very ugly) (this section is not very toprope friendly, but still doable). A link up of this pitch and "Sickness Unto Death" at the top would be AMAZING!

A very thrilling pitch in a beautiful and exposed position.  This route starts with Rosy Crucifixion and heads up and right from the first bolt on Rosy.  There are about seven bolts in 150 feet of climbing (not as bad as it sounds).  The first half of the route is the hardest with tricky balancy face moves that last for about 40 feet.  The upper part has more rests, and a few tricky moves.  Candelaria origionally rated this pitch .12a, but it definitely feels much easier.  In the future it might live up to this rating as every other hold is on the verge of breaking.  A beatiful and classic pitch.

This route begins from the top of the the first pitch of

The Naked Edge

. Climb the original Kor 2nd pitch past a pin up to a pair of historical bolts. Proceed up the steepening corner to the right. This is easily seen on the cover of the first ed. Levin guide. Gain the slab above and follow the path of least resistance (5.6), at one point stepping right to a stance above an overlap, to the ledge just left of the base of the Pigeon Flake pitch of The Diving Board. A #2 or #3 Camalot is good to have for the belay (5.9, 100 feet). The crux pitch climbs two bolts of 5.10 off the belay where gear can be had in broken bulge. Undercling up to the third bolt and clip two more through the bulge. Arrive at a stance shared with the

Diving Board

, and extend up to the left and clip a bolt. Follow the incut crack through an overlap and up right to a shallow, left-facing corner with an amazing finger section. Belay at the Black hole belay (DB). It is technical then burly (100 feet). The final pitch is exposed, improbable, and super fun. One small section of decomposed rock is easily passed, and the rest of the pitch is of the highest quality (115 feet, 5.12a).

Wild Kingdom, like its partner "Predator"  fires up the gorgeous headwell just left of Rosy Crucifixion (and to the right of Predator). Launch Wild Kingdom from the traverse on Rosy at the left facing corner just before Rosy turns from traverse to vertical. Technical and thin, the climbing on Wild Kingdom uses a host of friable flakes that are unlikely to stand the test of time. Spacey bolts with gear between makes this line a wild ride. Of the two, I thought that Predator had more fun climbing on it, and the pro seemed lots more satisfying, probably because it is not as scary as Wild Kingdom. But, don't miss Wild Kingdom if you are up here, the climbing and the exposure are superb - just hang tight between the gear.  I'm not sure that any of the moves on Wild Kingdom are 5.12, however, stringing all 150 ft together feels like 5.12-, so pick a number. Predator and Wild Kingdom are two excellent climbs by one of the finest athletes that has ever graced our state.  Rob Candelaria has done more to help every wanna-be athlete that has stepped up to him than any other individual I have ever known. From sloth to tiger, Rob has lent his experience, advice, wisdom, and character to every single one. As near as I can tell he has never asked for a single thing in return, just the cheapest daily fee on the planet for admission to CATS. To boot, he has maintained cutting edge climbing skill from the first day he strapped on a pair of rock shoes, and Rob is just as old as I am. Even in his late 40s (a while ago) he never demanded one bit less of himself than he did from guys half his age.  An olympic gymnast, a superb and implacably bold climber, and a gentleman-athlete,  Rob will always sit, in my mind, in a place where I can only dream to go.

This has two short pitches of bolts with hook moves in between and 7 or 8 hook moves that are scary but easy. The last pitch was free to the Upper Ramp, it went a 5.9-. Follow the easiest way up; perhaps the 2nd pitch of

T2

?

I did this route April 5, 1980. Maybe the 1/4" bolts are gone or toast by now. This could be A5 depending how you feel about 45 year old 1/4" bolts.

This is a fun link-up that avoids the somewhat spicey, gear intensive start to

After the Gold Rush

but still allows you to climb the really fun 12a arete.

Start on the 5.11 finger crack of

Le Void

(the right of the 2 obvious cracks). Once at the ledge, instead of launching up into the 11d tips layback on

Le Void

, step right (fun 5.9) to a stance below the bolted arete on

After the Gold Rush

.  This variation is called Avoid (Roger & Bill Briggs, 1973).

Climb the arete past 2 bolts (12a).  Step left at the top of the arete to the sling anchor on

Le Void

.  A 60m rope will get you back to the ramp.

If you want a longer pitch -- instead of stepping left to the sling anchor on

Le Void

, you can also continue up

After the Gold Rush

(11d) passing one more bolt and then climbing the 5.11 cracks above the roof.  Continue to the top via

T2

or

Seams Beyond

or rap with 2 ropes back to the ramp from a horn.  Add some extra small gear to the rack if you do this longer version.

This pitch has some fun moves on nice stone in a great position. The bulge requires you to get the Led out for sure! It is a great alternative to the junky pitch on upper

T2

. It is possible to lead from the Upper Ramp from either

Love Minus Zero

or

After The Gold Rush

into the shallow corner on

L.M.Z.

in one mega pitch!

This is probably my favorite route in Eldo. It is long, exciting, has beautiful climbing, better than

The Yellow Spur

, and the upper half sees little traffic.

The first pitch is the crux, a pumpy overhang that will be quite dangerous if you are not solid on it. Climb up fifteen feet to the lip, clip a good drilled angle, and crank onto lower angle rock. If you feel iffy on this section before beginning, you could probably stick clip the pin. The 5.8 above is pretty runout.

Take

Jules Verne

as the second pitch, a 5.8+ crack. The original second pitch of T2 sucks as it is covered in bird crap.

The pitch above the upper ramp is one of the most beautiful 5.9 pitches in Eldo, and not done too often.

The last pitch is short, .9- but definitely dangerous. It consists of overhanging talus protected by bad pins, of course if you can do the first pitch, this pitch won't be a problem.

To get off, scramble a long ledge to join up with the last pitch of

Ruper

.

"Seams Beyond-5.10bR" is not pumpy, but technical and heady.

Hair City

-esgue! Start up the 1st crack encountered after the T2 pin traverse,(5.9 bulge), then traverse rightward under a large,loose "suitcase-size block" to step up on to the next diagonal ramp. Step over right even more to some solid jugs. Super thin gear at your feet but dubious (15' from last piece out rightward). Pull out the bulge and place 2 good nuts in a row (5.8), then start traversing 15' to the left on a solid hand rail of buckets.... #1-red Camalot protects a slot just before traversing left on this line of jugs. Now you've reached the TCU-nut crack that brings you another 15' straight up. Place that last nut and climb the "City of Rocks Jugs" until you have to do a slightly run out mantel (5.10a section). Then step up to the wide, diagonal crack and climb straight up. Another few placements and you come to a fairly clean looking crux up a thinly protected face. Don't step out left into the obvious corner! Step up right to find a thin RP seam with fingertip holds. Still thin climbing to a horizontal TCU seam, then finish the crux to finally easier ground. Killer jugs to an occasional placement bring you to the top (5.7R-60')

Lene's Dream is an outstanding face climb in an outrageous position.  It also makes a great finish to Jules Verne - it parallels the second pitch of the Naked Edge as Jules Verne parallels the first.

Climb the crux runout pitch of Jules Verne, place good gear in the rotten band, and, instead of traversing left, continue straight up to a nice stance above the band.  Here you can place good gear and survey the climbing above.  Continue up on 5.10+/5.11- technical face to an obvious slot for a green Alien or similar cam.  The crux is the next ten feet or so of climbing (11c).

Finish by cutting over to the Edge at the point on the second pitch where you turn the corner from the slab to the steep face.  I think the S/VS rating Rossiter gives the climb may be for Jules Verne?  Lene's Dream seemed fairly well protected, although it requires a willingness to move above small, albeit good, gear.

The route is quite good, with more protection on the lower pitches, it would be considered a 3-star classic.  If climbed as an upper half finish to

Art's Spar

or

Rosy Crucifixion

, it is probably a 3-star classic anyway.

To find the route, first climb one of the several routes that will take you to the upper ramp.  Just down and Right or upper

Ruper

(down and right of the finish of

Rosy

) lies an impressive looking, continuous, overhanging and left-facing dihedral system; this is

Le Void

.  The smaller dihedral 1/2 way between Upper

Ruper

and

Le Void

is the beginning of The Serpent.

Start on the left side of the small, left-facing rounded dihedral and climb up some distance before crossing over the edge/bulge to the right hand side (5.9+, S) Climb interesting face moves (5.8, S/VS) to reach the bottom of a second overhanging dihedral.  Although this is in the book as a "belay," the stance is small and uncomfortable and the gear is poor.  I skipped the belay and ran 2 pitches together, which may require a 60m rope.

Continue up and left through the overhang into the dihedral, a radically left-leaning open book.  Clip a few bolts and supplement with gear before and after if necessary.  The crux (10b) is a balance and stemming affair that is well protected by the second bolt.  After the 3rd both, the dihedral becomes more vertical.  Move up and right onto a ledge that caps the pitch.

From the belay ledge, climb up just left of an obvious dihedral, using the dihedral as desired for some way, (50'?) prior to traversing right around the corner onto a ledge with a small tree.  Keep an eye out for that tree as you climb and begin the traverse while it is just above you, but far right.  With a 60m rope it is possible to again skip THIS belay and continue climbing up a crack/dihedral just right of the one you've just been in (5.9+) into what should be the 4th pitch, but another belay will then be necessary later.

Belay at the aforementioned tree, or step back left and continue up a crack system that terminates to easy runout-face, tending left on a slope top finish on

Ruper

.

There is a variation or two that I have found that involve some

terra incognito

to find yourself much further to climber's right on

T2

.  This will involve non-descript climbing on low-traffic rock, with some effort expended fighting runouts and lichen.  Be my guest.  Perhaps a safe high-quality face route might go here someday if someone cleans the rock a little and then applies for and is granted a permit to put in a few bolts.

This is another "Way Out" to the finish of

T2

. Start up the 2nd crack encountered after the

T2

pin traverse (just up the ramp past the "Seams Beyond" start...). Follow the obvious, moderate crack to the large, ramping ledge above. From this alcove, step up right into the low-angle, left-facing corner to where the lichen plagues the steepness above. Place a few good pieces in the corner and step out right to the arete (this area took alot of cleaning of loose "dinner plates" and "potato chips" before it was desirable). Pull out the bulge (crux), and clip a fixed wire up and left before trending right on amazing jugs. Run it out up to the arching, right-facing corner above (this corner was heavily chocked with furry lichen but now is climbing quite clean after much scrubbing...). Follow this steep feature until you can exit leftward out a nice, diagonal, hand crack. Trend up and left into an obvious, corner system to its end... and then up and left into the next crack to the crest of the ridge on Tower 2. This is really an exciting, fun pitch! Instead of climbing 70' of runout face like "

Seams Beyond

", "One Way Out" finishes its last 70' up obvious crack systems to the small notch up on the ridge!

This is the "sport route" that climbs above

The Serpent

on Upper Redgarden. This is a unique and really cool route that I think should get more attention (and a star in the guidebook). Start with the boulder problem on

The Serpent

, then follow that sparsely protected route for 30 or 40 feet. When

The Serpent

trends left, keep going straight up, aiming for a shallow, left-facing corner system. Eventually, you'll clip the first of 8 bolts. From here, the view upward is very disheartening (it looks blank!), but hidden holds keep appearing. The first crux is right where the route veers left under a roof, and the second is at the very end and is the one of the few hard routes I've ever done where the crux of the climb is downclimbing! This is sort of like a harder, leftward version of

Le Boomerang

.

This is a great 1-pitch climb, often used as a start to the

Naked Edge

or

Anthill Direct

, and even more often done on its own. The climb begins just down below the prominent, chalked-up "roof routes", right where the roof begins. If taking the trail that passes

C'est La Vie

and

Genesis

, you'll discover the start after rounding a corner and coming out of some trees.

Begin by hand traversing under a small roof and go around it on the left (first crux, #2 Friend). You can also thread a runner or large wired nut through a hole to protect this crux. Turn the roof, and continue up thin opposing flakes to a ledge/groove. You can set up an optional belay here from good gear. This is a good idea if you expect your second may have trouble at the crux roof.

Follow the groove up left to a thin, obtuse dihedral and climb than with perfect fingerlocks to a bolted belay. The second crux comes at a bulge near the top of the dihedral. You can protect this with a small cam in a pod in the corner.

Descent options:

* A double-rope rappel from the top anchor.

* A single rappel with a 70m rope from the top anchor will just barely make it to the ground.

* A single-rope rappel from the top anchor down to the anchor below the dihedral (top of

Scratch and Sniff

), and a second single-rope rappel from there. The stance at the

Scratch and Sniff

anchor is a little awkward and a bit to the left of the top anchor.

* Traverse over to the top of the second pitch of

Redguard

, and do two single-rope rappels from bolts/chains down

Redguard

.

Variations: all three dihedrals just to the right of the start are climbable at similar grades with less-than-ideal pro; a great variation, called

Bolting for Glory

, is to climb the first half of the route to the groove, and then continue straight up past 4 bolts on 5.10a face climbing. Traverse left at the top to reach the belay.

This is my favorite route in Eldo. It is not too long but is one of the most elegant lines possible. It begins with a long scramble up a ramp 5.0 (left of the Roof Routes), to some 5.2 soloing. It is hard to describe exactly how to get to the base of it, consult a guidebook.

Per

Carl Schaefer

: a less-exposed alternative to the Lower Ramp is what Levin calls West Face of Lower Ramp, which starts below

Suparete

at a large right-facing dihedral and continues up and right (blocky 5.0) to the top of the Lower Ramp.

The first pitch is a 50' horizontal traverse above a roof. The exposure consists of 150 feet of air straight to the ground, very exposed. The first half of the traverse is the crux, but the second half will still keep you pumped. Make the weaker climber in the party lead it as it is scarier to second it. The belay is semi-hanging off some fixed webbing (or wires) that can be backed up with nuts a little higher. If you haven't climbed in Eldo much, you might find the pitch a bit burly for the grade.

The second pitch is 60' long and goes up a steep and beautiful 9+ finger crack to a ledge with two bolts. The crux is about 3/4 of the way up.

The third pitch is .9- and about 110'. Start with delicate moves, go up to a bolt, then make a big stem to the right. Easier ground continues up the upper ramp, where you can belay off a large tree with [no] fixed gear.

Descent: with one rope, you can rap off Vertigo (up the ramp from the finish) or the Naked Edge (down the same ramp, including a 5.4 move). With 2 ropes, you can rappel the route and end up halfway down the approach ramp. You may have to leave gear on top to get down to the P1 anchor.

King Tut is on Steve Levin obscure tour.  It is a worthy objective, but you should have your act together before attempting it. There is quite a bit of loose rock, but all hard moves are off solid features.  It is quite intimidating from below, but decent gear can be found every ~10 feet on the crux pitch.

P1: Start up steep huecos to the starting crack on

T2

off of the upper ramp. When

T2

breaks left, continue up the steep, left-facing, black groove. The crux bulge is 2/3rds of the way up the 1st pitch. Solid gear can be found and it is at your feet as you pull the funky crux moves.  A final awkward bulge leads to a belay ledge on the right. Bring a long sling for the belay horn.

P2a: The original 2nd pitch heads straight up from the belay on steep rock. This pitch finishes on runout 5.5 slabs to the T2 belay (5.8R).

P2b: An alternate P2 cuts left on a crack system with good exposure and gear to the

T2

crack system (5.8+).

As the arch terminates onto the green headwall the climb switches from power underclings to crimps with poor feet and big moves.  Fight up the face slightly right into a semi hueco, .11d R.

Cast straight up the gorgeous face from the hueco culminating in heart throbbing moves just past a tinny sounding hold leaving you to "talk" to yourself, .10b/c X.

This climb is a variation of the 2nd pitch of

Jules Verne

or

T2

.

Start from the top of pitch 1 of either route.

Traverse left and up(avoiding the major crack systems of pitch 2 of

T2

and

Jules Verne

). Climb left and up across a exposed, licheny face on shallow, hueco features. A wide, diagonal crack system just above you provides a few chances for protection along the way. When you reach a bush, begin climbing straight up(passing the bush on its right side) into a shallow, right-facing corner, 5.9R. Continue up the shallow corner (protection is now abundant) with a finger-to-hand sized crack sytem as it angles left to join the final 100 feet of

Kloeberdanz's

last pitch. Belay at the upper ramp.

The pitch is 180 to 200 feet long, depending on where you start.

Hayden's Line is perhaps the proudest positioned pitch in Eldo, linking all the difficult climbing on

Between Heaven and Earth

, with the crux sections of

Wingless Victory

. The position and exposure are incredible, and the climbing is quite sustained by Eldo standards.

There is very little "filler" climbing on the pitch, and you enter the

Wingless Victory

crux with a pump. It's essentially a link up, although it does feature about 10 feet of new terrain. That said, it greatly changes the nature of the routes, and is a truly special pitch, so I think it's deserving of its own name. I think HK would approve.

Words can't express how much HK meant to me. I'll miss you buddy. Respect.

Approach the crux pitch of

Between Heaven and Earth

via the

Redguard

route (easiest and quickest option), via

Between Heaven and Earth

proper (bit chossy), or via

The Naked Edge

or

Lene's Dream

(highest quality). For the last option, you do an easy, 5.7, rightward traverse from the top of

The Edge's

second pitch to reach the crux pitch's belay.

Start up

Between Heaven and Earth's

crux pitch. At the small roof atop all the hardest climbing, bust left across underclings and around the arete into

Wingless Victory

(#1 C4 protects this bit). Climb the final twenty feet of

Wingless Victory

past two ring bolts. A long sling on the first bolt is key to keep the rope running on the east side of the arete, and the second bolt is hard to clip without a draw in place. At the big ledge traverse left to a two bolt belay on

The Naked Edge

.

From here, you can finish up

Sickness Unto Death

,

The Naked Edge

, or rappel and do

Centaur

.

Some video shot after the FA to remember HK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6jz3e1_qLM&t=154s

.

Description

Protection

Routes in Redgarden - Tower Two