This is one of my favorite Flatiron routes, although the approach is substantial.  Consider combining this with a route on the Fourth Flatiron, Green Mountain Pinnacle or Willie B.  This is a great route to free solo if you are solid; there is very little pro in any case and even a roped fall would be serious.

P1. Start in the saddle between Green Mountain Pinnacle and Challenger, and follow the East Face to the top of the Spaceship.  You can belay at a tree in the middle after crossing a smooth slab.

P2. Above this, climb for the most part just left of the arete formed by the east and northeast faces (often you can use the arete as a handhold).  The position is spectacular and exposed, and the climbing is sustained.  There is a crack for pro 60' below the top, but after that you will have to run it out.  The hardest and most exposed moves are right below the summit.

Drink in the summit view.  To descend, continue west along an arete until you reach a saddle where you can scramble down either side of the formation.

East Face/Challenger

S.C.R.U.B.

To quote the first ascentionist in his new guidebook, "this wider-than-fists crack shows why 'Sport Climbers Rough Up Bad.'"

This fun line starts in a broken ramp system on the north face of the Spaceship/Challenger, and ascends an obvious wide crack with a dogleg to the right.

The boulder-y crux comes early, pulling up off the ramp and establishing on the face/crack system (blowing this little problem could lead to some knocked-up ankles).  The crack is too wide for fists, but some features on the face and the juggy dogleg of the crack keep things moderate.  Pull over the lip of the wall at the 35' mark to belay on

East Face/Challenger

.  Continue on ~110 feet of 5.5 face climbing to the top on that route.

Description

Protection

Routes in Challenger