Candelaria's Connection, Castle Rock, Boulder Canyon, CO.

Start with

Black Crack

, a smoke-stained crack a few feet left of the 5.12

Gill Crack

. The crux is a big step left to get out of the crack and onto a good foothold. From the taxing foothold rest below the roof, place a big RP/offset nut, then clip the pin off tiptoe, pull the roof to the bolted anchor (5.10, 15 meters).

Black Crack

seems comparable in difficulty to the

Outer Space

overhang on The Bastille.

From the first bolt belay, place a small cam, tiptoe up (5.9), and then traverse right on run out and devious, but almost-restful, friction knobs to the thin crack of the

South Face's

second pitch (5.7 R). The first chance to get protection is blind. If the gear fails, then the very clean looking fall will likely result in hitting the ground (estimated via "thumb survey" from across the creek, not by actual falling). The second bolt belay is just a few meters above this crucial gear (10 meters).

The third pitch is the same as for the

South Face

/

Jackson's Wall Direct

, 5.10a, PG-13, 20 meters. It has excellent rock and moves... but not the pro so much!

The third pitch ends at a bolt station on a nice ledge. The fourth pitch is not that great, and the rappels are convenient. Alternatively, it is nice to climb 200 feet up

Jackson's Wall

, 5.5, to the same anchor and then toprope everything while rappelling!

The fourth and final pitch starts with dodging a roof (15 meters, 5.6) and then makes a long traverse left before topping out. The descent off the summit, towards the highway, is harder than 4th Class. A harder direct finish is possible, but I forget how hard.

HISTORY:

this bold connection is not described in any of the modern guide books to Boulder Canyon. After researching all the guides at the AAC Library, only Jim Erickson's book briefly tells of Rob Candelaria's bold lead:  "...head up to a roof and turn it right (5.9) to rejoin Jackson's Wall Direct..." (

Rocky Heights,

1980)  Today, most agree that 5.9 for BC is a sandbag,  but, in

Rocky Heights

, the first pitch of the Bastille's West Buttress was rated 5.8+!

Candelaria's Connection

Innocent Victim

Rope Wars

Athlete's Feat

E-Z Action

Born to be Wild

Crank It (aka Slabio)

Deadline

Invisible Idiot

The Campaigner

Nuclear Winter

Wild Times

The Black Crack

Nintendo

No Fly Zone

Boot Lead

Hit Hard Tactics

Left of Acro

West Face, Direct Start

Circadian Rhythms

Subterranean Homesick Blues

Atlas Shrugged

Mexican Picnic

Standard Bulge

The Big Splash

Cage Free

Polyester Leisure Suit

The Flow

Free Range

Pass Fail Option

The Replacement Killers

Times Past

Midnight Express

Nobody's Home

Final Exam

Deersquatch

Cussing Fingers Variant

Hardboiled

The Acro-Ace

Jackson's Wall Direct

The Gill Crack

Acro-Aerial Sit

Jackson's Wall

Alien Sex Toy

The Sting

Route 66

Trainspotting

Close To the Edge

Smokey the Bandit

Country Club Crack

Fallout Zone

Tongo

Water World

West Face

Englishman's Home

Citadel V1

Acrobatic Overhang

The Citadel

Coffin Crack

Never a Dull Moment

Bailey's Overhang

Cussin' Crack

By Gully

Comeback Crack

Cadaver Crack

The Queen is Dead

Storming the Castle

Victim of Circumstance

The Acro-Aerial

Tourist Extravagance

Surface Tension (aka Two)

South Face

Beetle Bailey

Rebellion

Altered-Acro

Curving Crack

Stingay

Dropout Option

Big Deal Pinnacle (AKA: Square Diehl)

Gluten Free

Direct Start

Skunk Crack

This obvious crack ascends the South Face of Castle Rock just to the right of

Tongo

and

Atlas Shrugged

.  Good hand jams and a few awkward moves up the large crack lead to a left-facing dihedral 20 feet off the ground.  Look for the fixed pin under the roof (use a long runner to clip it to avoid nasty rope drag) and finish to the right after pulling over the roof on large holds.  There are 2 bolts at the top (only 1 is shown in the Rolofson guidebook).

This is basically Alec Sharp's "

Victim of Circumstance

" direct. Instead of going out left at the end of the lieback section over said "rounded knob on the blunt arete," continue up the small corner, and tackle the boulder problem that breaks right through the sloping bulge and which eventually finishes up in the undercling jug above. It was said that Jerry Moffat did this direct FA accidentally.

Quoted from Rolofson: "what Moffat climbed, must be a very short direct variation at the top of the corner, where VOC steps left into "

The Campaigner

". This would involve a few very difficult moves to reach the undercling flake. I vaguely remember trying this direct on toprope."

With zero approach, "Innocent Victims" makes for a good 13a trad lead that's relatively safe to protect. With great movement using a lieback crack and smearing feet, culminating to a "crux" bulge where one has to find a way to transfer over and above right of the initial lieback crack via a boulder problem, using a high right diorite nub and a tiny left foot smear. Once pulled through

this initial 35 feet, the climbing eases up significantly and feels like a victory romp up to the "Viceroy" chains above the ledge.

There has been much confusion on this climb and its contrivances.

I would give this route a PG-13 rating because of the difficulty of placing the gear and the size of the gear. We didn't place anything larger than a small blue DMM offset nut through the crux section, and that being said, they are lieback placements, so you'll have to pull over and check them once placed.

P1.

Head towards a small tree, passing a big tree on the left. Continue up past the tree to get to Cclass 3/4 terrain. Belay from a good ledge at the beginning of a sport route (

Gluten Free

) (5.4).

P2.

Head up  left of

Gluten Free

towards an upward-pointing angle formed by two cracks - this may well be the crux of the route by can be protected. Step left around a large bulge, then continue up and to the right, above two parallel, left-slanted cracks. Do not go up the gully on the left. Pass the last bolt on

Gluten Free

, and head towards the bolted anchors above (5.5).

P3.

Scramble up to the summit. (Class 4).

Descent:

scramble down to the northwest. You can either continue scrambling to get down or rappel off a tree.

This is one of the very best climbs around Boulder, and a great testpiece for the very solid 5.10 leader. It starts just west of the SE corner of Castle rock - just left of

Country Club Crack

. The pitches are all short but full-value.

The first pitch (right off the road) is identified by a pointy boulder with a bolt above it and a ledge above that. From there, the route moves left and follows an obvious, large, zig-zag, right-facing dihedral.

P1: mantel onto the ledge above the pointy boulder (clipping a bolt on the ledge--make sure you don't blow the clip). This felt hard for 5.11a but is basically a boulder problem. Belay from a 2-bolt anchor about 10 feet left.

P2: ascend a bulging corner with a flared crack, above the belay, thuggish 5.10d. It has excellent protection which is very awkward to place.

P3: ascend the very short, overhanging corner by 5.10 jamming or liebacking, but be careful of some loose flakes up high in the wide crack, which appear at first glance to offer good placements for medium Friends. A #4 Camalot gives good pro; a #5 would sew it up. This pitch is about 40 feet.

P4: climb the slabby corner which is much harder than it looks (Lumpy-style), 5.10b. Belay from bolts to the left. (One can do two rappels to the ground from here, with a 60 meter rope.)

P5: climb the 5.9+ crack above the belay or the 5.8 corner to the left, reaching the summit.

Climb twin cracks through overhang. This route was FA'd in 1989.

Mother nature has mostly reclaimed this route. Start in the dihedral, and move onto the slab when you can. After the roof feature (this route mostly skirts it), follow another small dihedral. A crack in the back provides handholds and cam placements. Although possible without, it's a big runout without supplemental gear. The anchor is shared with the 12d that joins halfway and the 13 to the right.

I have not climbed this route. I have tried to climb this route. Dave Graham has flashed this route, according to 8a.nu. Climb the thin smooth corner left of

Jackson's Wall

, right of the

Aid Roof

. Do a hard boulder problem and then layback up the slickest dihedral at Castle to a no-holds stance below the anchor. Let go with a hand and clip it. Good Luck.

Located on the Southwestern side of Castle Rock, Deadline tackles the improbable looking roof using a combination of crack and sport climbing skills .

In essence, the route consists of two complicated boulder problems separated by an insecure kneebar.  The lower crux tests your crack climbing skills while the upper crux centers around finger strength, and body tension.  Expect difficult clips.

Although this route isn't much to look at, the movement and position are among the best I have encountered on the Front Range.  So whether Rob or Jerry did it first, this route is a must if you can!

Addendum:

This route has been written up in

Alpinist 18

.

Find this route by going 1/2 way between Curving Crack and Bailey's Overhang. This 'dihedral' as it is refered to is a system that is predominantly hanging 20' above the deck, and the upper part of it and the upper arete/exit moves are visible in the right hand side of the attached picture (which is of Curving Crack).  To climb Invisible Idiot, start by stemming and some lie-backs on slopers to reach a good black flake on the left, place a 1" cam or TCU in a so-so placement there (you are already runout on 5.9 moves and placing from a layback/ stem). Place a 1.5" cam up above at the bottom of the hanging dihedral- a wider unit will be poor pro. These are key points of pro and if you take up wider units, will not fit well and will be bad. Now go up into the hanging dihedral on slopes and scoops, getting feet on the left-hand wall. This portion of the climb is reasonably protected. You will reach a spot just below an overhanging headwall, with a dirty and obvious traverse to the right or a less obvious exit up the arete to the left. Place a few good [pieces] a horizontal (2.5" & 3"-3.5" cams, place both) will go in to protect the weird exit moves. Go up the arete a few moves on secure sidepulls and reasonable feet and then to a solid chain anchor above.  Descend by threading the [beefy] anchor.

If you TR this, please use 2' slings for the sake of your rope and the links.

Climb the leaning, overhanging, corner crack just right of "

Dead Line

."  Bicep pumping, under-clinging, crack fusion madness and solid, core tension coupled with a delicate dose of old school foot smearing should see you though to the more perplexing moves of pulling around the bulge and into the right-facing corner that joins with the ending of "

Rebellion

" and "Victim of Circumstance."

Great line!!  Both powerful and technical climbing that is sure to entertain all those who attempt this obvious and attractive old school classic.  Don't get ahead of yourself on this route and you should do fine.

Either 2nd the line on (TR) to clean it or continue to the summit (not recommended) via 1 or 2 short pitches if you wish.  Beware of lose rock towards the summit if topping out "Castle Rock."

It's possible to (TR) this line by climbing "

Rebellion

" if you can get some gear in just around and under the crux bulge.  Still...it's a much better lead!!

Starting in the

Cussin' Crack

gully, climb up and left through Fallout Zone and under the visor/roof of Viceroy eventually meeting up with its upper anchors.

Begin up the Horan 5.12 on the far left side of the crag. After some intro slabbing, traverse hard right at the 3rd bolt to a hanging arete and a tricky exit slab. There is lots of fun, interesting climbing on this one, especially by Boulder Canyon standards.

There is a fixed draw on the 5th bolt to help with a difficult clip.

It's obviously possible to escape onto the 5.11 to the left at the last bolt, but the climb is intended to go straight up and slightly right at the last bolt. This adds another quality, difficult section.

This problem slaps up the double arete right on top of the Hard Boiled boulder. It is a miniature version of Atari. Somewhat stupid but worth warming up on if you are at Hard Boiled.

This route is situated between Another Roadside Attraction and

Skunk Crack

. Boulder up the overhanging face, angling up and right to a good sidepull. From the sidepull, pull onto the slab (crux) and place gear (small stoppers). Continue up the seam and small roof to the 2 bolt belay above

Storming the Castle

. The crux has the feel of a highball boulder problem and a couple pads would reduce the risk considerably.

This excellent toprope or very serious lead is located on the pretty slab just to the left of the start of

Jackson's Wall Direct

. The route follows a very tapered crack that runs horizontal for about ten feet and then heads straight up. While most toprope this pitch, it is an excellent route to headpoint and is a must do for anyone with a fondness for granite slabs. A word of advice though, get it wired before leading it.

This route was first led by local climber Chip ? and his partner...a brillant ascent. If you know the names of these brave lads, please fix the ascent info.  Thanks.

This is the standing start to "

Surface Tension

."

From a standing start climb the over hanging southwest arete just right of "The Citadel" problem on the "Castle Rock Cube" A.K.A. "The Citadel Block.  This problem is some what marred by having a tree to the right side of your back for most of the climb but still worth doing.

This is a warm-up, don't think too hard; start with whatever you damn well feel like, and pull a few nice 'n' juggy moves until you can mantel left onto the downclimb. This is a good warm-up and preview of the downclimb slab for the other routes.

{{This space is intentionally left blank to be pedantic about all the possible lower starts, contrived traverses, or high finishes for bonus points on one's 8a scorecard.}}

This well-protected pitch has no doubt been climbed many times over the centuries, but as it's not in the guidebooks and we've been climbing it a bunch, figured the addition here would give others a nice alternative to the often crowded first pitch of the

West Face

route.

Start in the chimney just left of

Tongo

(the right angling ramp) on the south side.

This is an interesting route and kinda fun but nothing special.  It's just funny watching people go up the chimney and arrange themselves for moving out to the face.

Squeeze up the chimney, then (like the pic below) you may sling the top horn of the chimney.  Before committing to the face you can get some RPs in, but they are not the most solid, meaning that they may rattle around a bit.

Greg Hill led this and sewed up the crack with RPs which is probably a good idea.  After the business of the short, thin section, move straight up and to the next ramp/ledge.  From here, traverse right to the second anchors of

Tongo

.

Rap from these anchors.

Overall, the this may warrant an s- because of the less than ideal gear throughout the route.

Great slab climbing on a nicely featured wall.

Pitch 1: 11b/c Climb up and over a small roof (gear) and make a weird move to the first bolt. Crank up a seam past several bolts with dicey moves. At the sixth bolt, make a hard move straight up, and then continue straight up (gear & bolts) the cool slab to a two-bolt anchor. 100 feet.

Crossing the river in high water was the crux for me.

Pitch 2: 5.12a Blonde on Blonde pitch:  Bob D'Antonio & Ron Olsen:  Crank up a flake and seam past two bolts, make a very hard slab move clipping and moving past the third bolt. Cool climbing past five more bolts leads to a two-bolt anchor.

Rap the route doing two-single rope rappels.

Great route that will only get better with a little more cleaning.

A bold lead if you're feeling strong! Also a great toprope, this climb mixes sequential face climbing with a few burly crack moves.  There are some sketchy moves below the first bolt that can be protected by RPs (check it out on TR first if you're not sure about the placements), but the rest of the climb is fairly well protected.

Climb the face past 2 bolts then head up and right to the undercling crack.  Traverse this up and left and prepare for the big final move!  A good TR or a bold lead- either way it's a fun climb.  A toprope can be set up by climbing the first pitch of

Tongo

to the left.

Climb up the bulging north face via some cool sloper/slapping moves to the top-out.  It is a very cool line and much harder than it first appears.  It's a must do on the "Castle Rock Cube," A.K.A. the Citadel Boulder.

This climbs a rising traverse on a dike just out of the river. The first pitch can be done during low tide. The name refers to the result of trundling a large block just above the first belay and one just below it.

Pitch 1: There is a fun move at the first bolt. The crux is at the 4th bolt. It can be easier 5 feet right of 4th bolt, but we did not clean it that well.

Pitch 2: Begin just left of the anchor. Short cruxes are encountered at each bolt. The crux is at 5th bolt when the climb steepens. A red Alien may be placed before the 5th bolt. Originally the climb went 25 feet above the current anchor, but that just created rope drag and poor communication.

You can either lower/rappel to the river or traverse right into the woods at the level of the first belay anchor, depending on the water level.

Gets good early morning sun if the rest of Castle Rock is too cold.

This is the stand start to the line called "

Free Range

," V13.

On the left-center of the Citadel Boulder's south face is a good side-pull/underling.  Start with both hands on the side-pull/underling and paste your feet on the wall and then pull hard reaching out left to a bad (L)hand side-pull.  Adjust your footing and toss with furry to the lip of the boulder with your (R) hand.  Mantle for the top-out and walk off.

Short but if your in market for flying this is a good place to earn your wings!!

The route lies on the west end of Castle Rock, Northwest of

Curving Crack

and

Skunk Crack

by some 50+ feet.  The route is easily found by locating a very large roof which hangs 30' above the ground, and 50+ feet below the right-most of two Doctor-Seuss-looking pine trees.  There are 3 bolts on the face above the roof.

Climb a left-facing open book to the left hand edge of the roof, then lock off hard in a few horizontals, get your body horizontal, then push hard with the feet to move out right the the center of the roof.  You will grasp a good square hold out above, from which you can clip the first bolt.  Match on this edge, flip though to horizontal and then head back left with a very big move to a good jug.  This can be done statically or dynamically.  Either way it is another big move.  Match again and once more flip though to face right again.  Set some feet and move up before reaching high right to a bulbous side-pull.  You can now clip the second bolt.  Head up the face for an anchor on the tree, passing one more bolt along the way. You can rap, but not lower from this due to drag.

Tall people will find that this route is appropriately graded.  Steel shoulders and height are the keys here.  Shorter people will find the route to be massively sandbagged (5.12+?)  I tried to do the route straight-through on TR without the back and forth and found it utterly impossible to even dog my way up it without bumping left to the jugs in the roof.  In hindsight, the wandering line is a great gymnastic and mental workout which seems out-of-line but in effect never takes you far from the line of protection.

Basically this is a direct way up

The Citadel

arete. Start sitting with left hand pinching the arete and right on one of the various features. Set up for the dyno via a few bad crimps. Get your feet up and throw for the slopey lip. Top out.

If anyone has any info on FA or other edits, let me know.

The stand start is called

Cage Free

, V11. On the left-center of the Citadel Boulder's south face is a good sidepull. Use this to reach left to a bad sidepull and jump to the top with the right hand.

The sit start is called Free Range, V13. The sit start goes with a left hand on a pretty good pinch and a right on a variety of low holds. The low left spike is on for your feet. Bump right to an edge, cross to a pinch and traverse into

Cage Free

.

youtube.com/watch?v=RMalzKx…

.

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.

Follow the directions as per

Final Exam

.  Approach the upper roof, 70 feet off of the ground, via

Final Exam

,

Bailey's Overhang

, or

Coffin Crack

.

To climb Pass Fail Option from

Final Exam

, do not belay - just continue upward.  If approached from

Bailey's Overhang

or

Coffin Crack

, you will want to set a belay at the center of the roof and bring your partner up, to avoid drag.  Jam through the middle of the roof on awkward-sized jams, get horizontal, and go for it before the pump completely saps you.

Once above the roof, continue upward on easy ground to reach a ledge up and left of the center of the roof and belay.

From there, a set of raps or downclimbing to the raps above

Polyester Leisure Suit

will get you back to the ground.

A different finish to

Hardboiled

, one heads left after the slap to the sloper at the lip, grabbing a left hand crystal and squeezing up the arete. Kind of intimidating because of a boulder at your back, and big moves to slopers.

This route lies on the Big Deal Pinnacle of Castle Rock, just right of Polyester Leisure Suit and some ways left of Curving Crack. To find this route, pull into Castle Rock from the highway and park just aside of it shortly after pulling in. Where the slope of the hill between the rock and the "driveway" disappear where rock is level with road for the first bit, you will see a pinnacle standing perhaps 130' tall against the main rock, as a buttress at the bottom, and as a needle at the top. A reasonably large pine is seen halfway up the tower. The left side of this pinnacle holds the Route Polyester Leisure Suit (11b, in attached photo), Just right of that large roof lies a discontinuous set of finger cracks through a bulge that wraps around the right side of the aforementioned pinnacle at mid-height.

Start climbing in an obtuse corner, using face holds for lack of a crack. Early on you will find a few small stopper placements (OK) and then a medium/large placement (good). Get these in and continue upward to a short, wide-hands jam (place a 3" piece here) and then two chalked-up finger-locks below the small, A-shaped roof. You can place a stopper easily within the first finger-lock, but getting one in the second is strenuous and will take the crux hold away. At this point, the gear is reasonable, but hard to get and the crux is next. Pull the A-shaped roof on face holds or an awkward jam (can take a #3.5 Camalot or 3.8 HB in a 5" section of crack in the bulge) and up over. Continue up discontinuous seams up and right until you are level with the rap-station (tree with webbing and rings/quicklink). Belay here then rap to the ground. Lowering off is not recommended for the sake of your rope.

The route was more awkward then I generally expect at the 5.9 grade, although the climbing was not terribly tricky or powerful. The gear was not forthcoming in some spots, and a ground fall would be possible from several places on the climb. Wandering round more maybe could have given me more gear.

The climb merits a star, as I was OK with having done it, no regrets... Still, if you have not done the others at Castle Rock, save this one until you are deep into your tick list or are really bored; there are many better lines there.

Up the hill from the south face of Castle is a low outcropping/boulder with an obvious arete and flake. Start low on sharp sidepull with your right hand and a very low sidepull for your left. There have been ascents done starting with the big pinch just left of the right sidepull but the FA was done with the first method. Battle your way past several desperate moves up the flake to a perilous finish at the lip.

Certainly one of the most classic lines on the Front Range with easy access and a compelling line. Should have been picked off years ago but Ty came up with the goods.

youtube.com/watch?v=lUDMBVJ…

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vimeo.com/20157184

This is a variation to

Country Club

or for extra hard man proudness points...

Englishman's Home

.  This is probably my favorite climb at Castle... what a CLASSIC!  It's kind of like a harder version of

The Wisdom

in that you place your gear, and then punch it for longer than you want to!  Topher called this the best whipper in Colorado!  At the roof on the "second pitch", traverse right out the pumpy undercling, slam in a piece, and then punch it for dear life up and back left on a wild, sloping struggle of fear.  Rejoin

Country Club

at the anchor and if you are a real bad ass... take the victory whip:)

On the South-West face of Castle rock, slightly more West than South, there is a wall that forms a slight amphitheater.  The Buttress holding

Skunk Crack

,

Comeback Crack

, and

Curving Crack

forms the left-hand margin, and the famous old Aid Roof (now freed) form the right-hand margin.

The back left corner of this amphitheater is a huge dihedral with an overhanging wide crack route called

Bailey's Overhang

(5.8).  Just to the right of

Bailey's Overhang

, perhaps some 30 feet is The Final Exam.

Coffin Crack

lies just to the right of The Final Exam.

To climb The Final Exam, climb up and left on a flake-like feature to just below a thin crack through a bulge, not far from the ground.  Climb up through the bulge on reasonable pro, and then up the crack system until it begins to run out.  At that point step right to another crack, and after a short distance back left to a multiple cracks system, which has reappeared.  These cracks will take you to the base of an obvious roof.  At the roof you may traverse left to finish on

Bailey's Overhang

, right to finish on

Coffin Crack

, or best of all, shoot straight up through the (sandbagged)

Pass Fail Option

(5.11a???) to get above the roof.

Climb any of the finishes to reach a ledge up and left of the center of the roof and belay.

From there a set of raps, or downclimbing to the raps above

Polyester Leisure Suit

will get you back to the ground.

Start this route to the left of Athlete's Feat.  Begin on the left side of the large boulder, go left and up technical, sometimes loose rock.  Expect a good left-hand sidepull, and you've probably got the route.  Lower from fixed anchors.  Pro is sparse, so it's more like a solo if you lead it.

This variation starts from the lower tier of the big ledge at the base of Cussin' Crack proper.  From a fixed angle follow the crack system immediately right of the diheadral on Cussin' Crack (.9+).  Join Sticky fingers just before attaining a bush covered ledge and follow that route to a two bolt anchor.  This anchor should be backed up or avoided altogether as both bolts are 1/4".  Pitch two (.9s) ascends up and left on slopers from the right end of the belay ledge.  This is the same point where Western Pleasure and After Forever meet.  A fixed lost arrow protects the first moves onto the face and a couple of TCU or Alien placements can be found before reaching a crack/flake that leads to the top.

Upstream from Castle Rock, cross the log jam, head uphill, then bear right along the cliff band, maybe 50 yards. Then head back towards the creek a bit. The problem starts under the egg-shaped boulder. Pull over the lip, mantel, and top out.

The GPS location is: 39.977833, -105.457472.

S.D.S. below a nice long crimp rail just left of the original "

Acrobat Overhang

" by about 5-10 feet.

From the S.D.S., pull up onto the low crimp system, and quickly begin moving up and left onto a series of small but positive crimps until you find a nice crimp rail to match and set your feet up on. Toss for a nice, black colored crimp. Once you snag the crimp, continue climbing up to better holds that lead to a downclimb that is found on the left side of the wall.

Again, this is another great problem proving how great this wall really is!!! Also it is a must do!

This route is about 40' to the right of the difficult

The Gill Crack

. You can belay in the shade of a nice, large boulder.

P1. Scramble up to the short dihedral, climb up it a few feet, and traverse left (crux). Continue traversing a long way (~40') to a crack that leads up to a ledge with a bolt and a pin.

P2. Climb up and to the left of a bush, grab a jug, and mantel onto a small ledge. Continue up this easy corner until you get to a fixed ring pin....back it up, lift up your skirt, and grab your nuts---traverse left on scary insecure "5.9" climbing for several feet (anyone get pro in on this???). I think that most people will find this to be the true crux of the climb, mentally and technically. Anyway, join up with a crack, and climb it to the next ledge.

P3. Complete with the last pitch of Jackson's Wall (5.6).

To think that John Gill originally climbed this as a boulder problem in the '60s is incredible.

Bring your best tiplock crack technique!  Thin tip jams with marginal feet lead up a seam for 30 feet to the anchors of '

Black Crack

.'  Brute force won't get you up this one, you need to be able to make the best out of some pretty thin jams.

Start on a really low sit to the right of the

original start

on what looks like the last crimps before the ground. Traverse around four moves left to get set in the rail where you heel hook to send for the right hand crimp like in the stand, and top out the same way.

Despite the poor review this climb gets in the Falcon guide, it is actually a surprisingly fun romp.

Pitch 1 begins as a wide chimney that can be done in a variety of ways. Gear placements are generally good in this section. Climb up and right at the start and negotiate some chockstone boulders in the ramp. Keep climbing once the terrain gets grassy. You will pass the bolts on the left (now chopped) that lead to

Cussin' Crack

. Eventually a wall will force you to traverse right and out. You'll find a large ledge with a two bolt anchor. This should be practically a full rope length with a 60m. Communication with your belayer will be next to impossible, so have some sort of signaling system worked out ahead of time.

P2 is where the fun starts. Above you will see a crack and a possible way left. Step up, and climb left, stemming over the delightfully airy dropoff. Then, move up the face, and find a slopey ledge. Climb up the ledge, and move left, placing only a small cam perhaps as you go. You'll end up on a large ledge that leads to the walkoff. Belay in any number of places that allows you to be above the traverse. Per

Jade Gutierrez

: see the photo of the route titled “Looking up at the south west face of Castle Rock, Jackson’s Wall outlined.

The descent is located on the side facing the road. Generally, it trends to the left of the trees you see on the way down. At the short crux downclimbing part, you can elect to rappel from a chain wrapped around a tree.

This seemingly neglected route seems to have been ignored for no good reason. It's actually quite good, not polished, and well-bolted. The grade is even fair on the YDS grading scale, not the typically merciless CRDS (Castle Rock Decimal System, which was first developed in Index). It deserves more traffic. I'd give it nearly four stars for BoCan, but the crux grip is a hint sharp.

Begin with some fun athletic climbing, culminating in a long move through a bulge. Traverse right to an awkward stance. Then do some tech climbing (go hard left at the 5th bolt), before gaining the

South Face

and a two bolt anchor.

It is in the shade after 2pm in the Fall. It's easy to toprope or hang draws from the second anchor on the

South Face

.

Begin by climbing

The Black Crack

.  When you get to the point you can step right and access the bolted anchors, continue up and left in the crack and flake system.  Make a few exciting moves up and left to get to a good stance.  You can place good gear here (hand-sized cam) and a few other good pieces several feet up (good nut and green Camalot).  Make a delightful mantle move (crux) and situate yourself so you can plug in a piece or two.  Traverse left finding several good gear placements along the way and eventually finish on the crux of

Tongo

.

Start down low in a crack/side-pulls just left of "

Midnight Express

."

From the low start work your way up the steep lay-back crack on bad feet to jugs higher up.  This is a cool line that makes you fight the classic barn door that could toss you into space.

Fun and powerful this line still needs some cleaning but worth the effort to send.

This has steep face and slab climbing with positive and sharp edges throughout. It is a bit reachy in spots and will test your footwork and some unconventional body English.

The third bolt may seem far away, but there is a comfortable clipping stance, and the fall is long but safe. The climbing and angle will ease off once you pass this bolt. This ends at a two bolt anchor on the traversing ledge of P1 of South Face Direct.

It looks like this route could be a pretty cool start to Corinthian Vine.

Start on two underclings in the black part of the rock by the campfire. Throw first with your left to a microcrimp.  Match here and keep moving left.  Traverse as far as you want or top out (not recommended).

This is a Boulder Canyon classic testpiece hat once held the title of hardest crack climb in the US. Overall solid jamming with good feet, but slippery in places.

The first pitch has the crux right off the ground and involves delicate face climbing and mantling past two bolts. Finish this pitch by climbing the awkward 5.9 crack to a good belay ledge with a bolt anchor.

The second pitch is the endurance crux and is really where the classic hand crack climbing is at.  Progressively harder crack climbing leads through a small roof. Hold on because the crux is still to come. A nice but tricky rest sets you up for the thin finger crack crux which involves thin and insecure finger jamming (11a) up a smooth face for 15 feet before a nice jug traverse to the anchors.

Fallout Zone is a mega-classic route up the left headwall next to the

Cussin' Crack

gully. Climb up as for

Cussin' Crack

, and clip the first bolt out left. Follow the crack/seam up to a pin and past a wild dyno the top!

This is a fun route that involves a bit of face climbing and some good cracks.  The first pitch is somewhat runout to the first protection (spicy), but the crux can be well protected with some smaller cams.  The second pitch ascends a thin crack, and the crux comes shortly after the start of the pitch.

This fun route starts about 75' right of Country Club Crack, on a big boulder in the creek. The boulder is split in two pieces and lies below a steep wall with a roof between two wide slots (First Movement and Route 66).

Wade the creek to get to the boulder, which is large enough that you can stash packs on it, and flat enough to provide a good belay position.

Step left off the boulder onto the main wall and over to the wide slot that is the start of First Movement. Climb a short way up the slot, past an old pin, and work right to a small stance.  Place pro in a good finger crack, then step onto the right wall, and make a slippery move up and right to a good edge (crux).

Continue up steep cracks to the top of the headwall.  Clip the first bolt and make a difficult high-step mantle move onto the slab (second crux).  Continue up the slab past three more bolts to the anchor.  Lower back to the big boulder at the start.

Cool climbing!

Locate the route P

olyester Leisure Suit

as described on this site and then look 20 feet to the left.

P1: The dihedral and crack system leading up from the ground to a skinny pine tree goes at 5.5.  Belay at a two-bolt anchor just below the tree.

P2: Continue up and slightly right in a chimney and crack system behind the left side of a broken tower of rock towards the summit.  Belay from a ledge up near the top.  Use gear or sling boulders for an anchor.

Walk off to the North and West as per the usual descent.

There is some questionable rock on each pitch and although each is easy, a beginning leader might not like it.

I'm hesitant to add this route, since I didn't exactly free climb the crux (though my partner did).  However, it's an excellent line that should be part of the database.  Another reason why I want to add it is because it forms part of a linkup that I want to rave about.  P1 might be S if the gear in corners 3 and 4 is placed while free climbing.

This climb is a series of short, right-facing corners between

Athlete's Feat

and

Country Club Crack

.

P1:  Start with

Athlete's

P1.  After doing the mantle, go straight up the slab to the base of the first corner.  You can place an OK #2 RP (or maybe a yellow ballnut) at the base of your corner to protect a couple 5.9ish moves to a finger-size slot where you get your first real pro.  Note 1: if you blow this and you didn't place the RP or it doesn't hold, you're decking. Note 2: When my partner followed the pitch, he had to battle some wasps for possession of the finger slot; the wasps were not an issue when I was leading, thank God.  Continue up the corner with good gear until you feel it's time to move left to the next corner.  Note 3: excellent #4 Rock placements at the bottom and top of the 2nd corner. Move left to 3rd and 4th corners as appropriate.  Note 4: decent #4 RP at the top of the 3rd corner, but I am not sure how feasible it is to place while free climbing.  The climbing gets much easier after corner 4 -- traverse left to the anchors at the end of

Athlete's Feat

P2.  This pitch is quite hard for a Boulder Canyon 11 and possibly height-dependent.

P2: The rope will run much better if the belayer ties in with a long (~20') tether.  Traverse back right the corner system. Steep jamming and laybacking (old fashioned 10+) with small to medium nuts and small SLCDs gets you 30' up the corner where the route joins

Country Club

about 10' below the roof.  Continue up

CC

to its second belay.  The three star rating includes doing P2.

Variation (Athlete's Country Home? Englishman's Crack Feat? Shropshire Lad?): Combine P1 and P2 for THE BEST PITCH IN BOULDER CANYON (!?!) if not the Front Range (!?!?!): a 150' pitch with three or four different types of 5.11 climbing.  Bring a lot of wires, small cams and quickdraws.

This route is on the citadel boulder and is located just right of the Standard Bulge (V5/6).  Climbs out of the bulge and to the lip, finishing with an easy mantel.

The really cool and impressive boulder problem to the right of the start to

Jackson's Wall

.  Basically, start on the right side of the little bouldering area with two crimps in the horizontal crack under a little roof.  Make a few tough pulls up and left past another horizontal crack and small crimp, and wind up grappling with a nasty sloper.  Fight your way to the top, and be impressed by Mr. Gill's skills.

The boulder lies on the east end of Castle Rock across the river from the dirt road. Continue down the dirt pull off for Castle Rock then pull over shortly after the bridge. A boulder is sitting right on the water line across the river. Their are 3 problems, all good quality. The two best are a V5 that ascends the bulge on the opposite side of the boulder from the water, and a V8 directly to its right that ascends the blunt arete.

The business of this route is just off the ground - - bring your big gear for this OW/squeeze.  Struggle, grunt & cuss your way thru 15 feet of clean off-width, too small to get all the way into, and too big to jam (chicken-wings sorta work).  Note that it can be climbed on face holds mostly, if you want to avoid the OW.  Then again, why would you be here if that's the goal?

Above, run thru the gully onto the face above, and choose one of many options to the top.  Or, take the rap slings to your right back down (about 15' right)(you don't want to belay from these).

I'd just like to add that I have immense respect for those who climb OWs with grace, style & technique - - none of which I possess.  This kicked my butt, and I'm sure I provided those on the ground with great entertainment watching me flounder.

4 pitch route right of

South Face

.

P1 & P2: Crux pitches. Traverse right over 2 bolts underneath the obvious, thin crack (optional belay). Climb the crack to the first belay of

Athlete's Feat

. Logical to combine as 1 pitch.

P1 variation: climb straight to the crack past 1 bolt 20ft up (a bit spicy but secure).

There's now a 2 bolt anchor where the crack ends.

P3 & P4 (I haven't done them): follow dihedral left of belay to P2 of

Athlete's Feat

, then move left again to easier climbing.

This route takes the huge, right-facing corner on the southwest face ... starts up steep fist crack and gains large ramp ... cruise this ramp/huge dihedral up to an overhanging slot/wide crack (#4.5 or #5 Camalot can protect this well ... also the medium hex way in the back). Make strenuous moves thru overhang and cruise a nice crack up large, right-facing corner until you can belay on left at slung horn.

Start up easy chimney with good pro and traverse left when possible, make tricky move up to large ledge and belay. Start up cracks and get into large and slippery V-slot. Cruise this crack system for a long pitch and belay on ledge. The third pitch is easy 5th scramble to summit.

The downclimb is mostly 3rd class with a couple 4th or easy 5th class moves down the north face with gullies and ramps (avoid doing this in the dark).

Eds. Note, this route has become quite smooth over the years and is more difficult for the short statured climber.  Please be aware this is not your typical Front Range 5.7.

This is the impressive offwidths just to the right of

Coffin Crack

that splits the left side of the aid roof.  Boulder up to a quarter inch bolt and make some insecure moves to get situated under the roof.  Dive into the gaping offwidth above and squeeze through two slots, up the squeeze chimney to where you can easily traverse left to the top of

Coffin Crack

to belay (there was a slung pinch on 7/03 to rap off of that can be backed up with small tcus to belay).  Some gear can be found in the back of the crack as well as in a flake on the right side of the crack about halfway up.  -JG

Located on the southwest corner, just right of Skunk Crack. This is a great one pitch 5.10 with a low crux. Solid crack skills will be needed to get up the lower section, but the fun isn't over yet. An airy bulge move leads into exciting terrain up a featured, unprotected prow (this part may merit an 'S' rating, if you're not comfortable on unprotected 5.7). Place a directional at the top, and head to the right to belay/lower from anchors at the top of Curving Crack.

This is a short climb with lots of action packed into it, including some tough jamming and insecure feet.  It is consistently harder than it appears, and folks with smaller hands will do best in this climb.

Jam up the initial slightly steep section to a flare below the bulge (5.10a). Clip fixed gear to the right and pull right into the second crack (5.10). Continue up the second crack (5.11a) and a few face holds to the next ledge, wondering how you could have ended up so pumped in just a few feet of climbing.

Back up the fixed rap with gear to belay your partner.

Finish on

Cussin' Crack

to the top, or rap off with a 70m to the ground below (a 60m might work too, but I did not verify.)

This variation of

Polyester Leisure Suit

starts 2-3m to the right of

PLS

and climbs interesting features that trend right through the overhang.

Start with a knuckle jam in the "fin" for a few body lengths of gymnastic trad protected climbing to the small fir tree where it intersects with

PLS

.  This is much more interesting climbing than

PLS

, trad protected (tricky to place on lead?) at about the same grade.

The crux is 2/3 of the way up. It is a fun route.

This climb ascends a left-facing corner via a fingertip lieback. Face holds lead up into the base of the corner below a tiny roof. This start is also the start of "

Crank It

" that then moves right into the next crack.

Place small nuts & execute a very difficult crux fingertip lieback. There is one horizontal face hold & a poor undercling tips lieback slot under the roof with slippery feet on polished black rock. Above the roof, the crux ends at a good fingerlock.  The moves ease off to 5.11. At the top of the corner, the crack fades out. Step left onto a rounded knob on the blunt arete, & move into "

The Campaigner

; above the second bulge. Undercling back right to a good, jug flake.

I used to end the climb here, as it was possible to reach a bolt for the aid line

Ground Zero

(that is now

Crank It

). I don't know if it possible to reach the anchor on "

Crank It

" that is further right. It is possible to continue up a dihedral past 2 bolts (the top of "Nuclear Winter") to finish on the big ledge on "

Cussin Crack

".

I find it very amazing that no one has posted this route before now, considering the first ascent was in 1982 & I led it in 1986. After that, I top-roped it often after leading "

Rebellion

". This is a worthy piece of climbing. Protection can be placed every two or three feet, so perhaps it doesn't deserve the R rating. However, hanging on to place the gear is quite strenuous, & caution must be taken to get in good gear at the start. This includes an opposing piece to keep the gear from lifting out. I used double ropes when I led this climb. This adds a great amount of safety, allowing you to alternate ropes on each piece of protection.

D'Antonio's guidebook rates this climb 5.13b & says it was grossly underrated at .12b. Alec Sharp originally rated the climb 5.11+. I may have been the first to call the climb .12b. Years before I climbed it, John Sherman had told me he thought the climb was quite hard & a sandbag at 5.11+. One skinny fingered Brit, named John Aaron, told me it was .12a to toprope.

Start down low on a nice crimp rail just left of the original "

Acrobat Overhang

" by about 5-10 feet.

Pull up onto the low crimp system and toss about three and a half feet straight up to a nice crimp.  Once you snag the crimp finish via linking back up with the final power moves on "

Acrobat Overhang

."  Great direct link-up to and older problem!!

Climbs the micro-thin vertical slab past two bolts and a pin, moving eventually left to the first belay station on

Country Club Crack

.

On the Citadel Boulder it is the far right arete with a small scoop at the start, it starts on two of three crimps and climbs up to a jug rail and topout. Don't fall in the summer. You may end up in the creek.

This outstanding route is also known as Jackson's Wall Direct and shares its last pitch with that route.  One of my favorite 9s in Boulder Canyon.

P1 begins about 50 feet (?) left of

Athlete's Feat

beneath a short right-facing dihedral about 15 feet off the deck.  Climb the clean crack in the dihedral until you can traverse left to the obvious ledge (P1 crux - 5.8).  Move left along the ledge until you reach a bolt.  Optional belay here, or continue left and then up (5.6) until you get to a fair-sized ledge with a couple of fixed pins.

P2 (or 3) moves straight up to a left-facing right-leaning ramp.  Go up the ramp until you can make a delicate traverse left (5.9) to another ramp leading to a fixed pin.  Note that there is an off-route bolt on top of the first ramp that you can clip with a long sling - it's up to you whether you would rather risk a pendulum into the ramp or a 15-20 footer straight down onto a good stopper.  Move straight up past the pin to a short slabby section (also 5.9 - possibly an RP placement) and belay on the ledge.

P3 (or 4) Finish with the last pitch of

Jackson's Wall

.

Climb the left center of the clean face high above

Bailey's Overhang

. Good climbing with the crux at the 7th bolt. A 60 meter rope gets you back down to the anchors at the top of

Bailey's Overhang

, which you then take to the ground. A shorter rope will NOT work.

Climb a dihedral with 11 plus-ish climbing to a bolt. Cool liebacking, palming, and smearing with the feet. At the bolt, do a hard press move onto the shelf and work your way left to the corner merging with the route "

The Campaigner

". Negotiate a quite hard boulder problem with flared, left hand jams and a crimp for the right. Stand up and yer done.

Start down low on a nice crimp rail just left of the original "Acrobat Overhang" by about 5-10 feet.

Pull up onto the low crimp system and toss about three and a half feet straight up to a nice crimp.  Once you snag the crimp continue to move left until you are under an nice black colored crimp.  Set your feet up and through up to this positive edge and continue climbing up to better holds that lead to a down climb that is found on the left side of the wall.

Again another great problem proving how great this chuck of stone really is!!!  A must do!!

Start on the west face of Castle Rock, about 15' left of Bailey's Overhang. Climb a beautiful left-curving dihedral with THIN crack/seam ... looks very Yosemite-esque.  Starts out with lieback or hand jams up a steep crack and continues up the beautiful and slippery corner ... stem like crazy to the top, turn a small roof and cruise to the anchor.

A few body lengths of cool climbing, with long reaches and an exciting Mantle.  Climb The Sting to where the corner bends left to join Tongo.  Place some cams under the roof, narrow cams(Metolius) work best.  Bust straight up then slightly right to end on the rightside of a big ledge.

Climb the

Final Exam

over the first bulge, then step right to seams leading to the thin line through the roof 6 feet right of the

Pass Fail Option

.

Find this climb as the 'tower' of rock protruding from the West Face of Castle Rock, just above Polyester Leisure Suit.  This is visible at the right hand edge of the West face route in the attached photograph.

Climb the Big Deal Pinnacle by doing the first pitch of another route, either Polyester Leisure Suit, or P1 of the West Face, or a crack system just left of Polyester, but right of the wide slot next to West Face. I suggest the latter of these options to cover more new territory it is perhaps 5.7 & protects well.

After arriving at one of the two trees, both with anchors, climb up the center face of the pinnacle to access some cracks, or go to the right-hand side, and climb a perfect hands and wide-hands corner for 30' to reach a rising left-hand traverse at a horizontal. (This can be intercepted from the face below as well, apparently).  From the left edge of this, move up the edge of the tower and cross back right on another rising traverse on a horizontal--both protect well enough to be safe, but could be exciting. Finish via cracks on the right side of the pinnacle or on the west slab to the summit.

There is no good belay on the summit, but on the shoulder to the climber's right of it, there are cracks, blocks, horns, and a good belay seat.

To descend, finish to the summit on the West Face and do the standard descent, or scramble down to the trees below (climber's left, a 5.6 or 5.7 downclimb) or to the anchors above Bailey's Overhang or Curving Crack (easier?). Then rap off with a single rope.

Follow bolts along a seam, then continue with easier climbing with gear to the anchor. The crux begins at 4th bolt.

The route was named for my current diet to lose 20 lbs.

This is a reasonable climb with gear that presents itself when needed but not much more often than that. The climbing is probably about 5.8, give or take.

From a point on the ground 1/2 way between the base of

Tongo

and

Circadian Rhythms

, climb up and perhaps even slightly right here and there past discontinuous cracks and flakes.  A few small and medium nut placements appear as you go. The climbing is mostly secure and on large holds. Begin heading up and left once a good series of ledges can be seen, placing the occasional nut or cam with a long sling.

Eventually, this line will traverse off of the left end of the ledge that is contiguous with the top of

Tongo

and cross a "trough" to reach the base of Sticky Fingers or

Cussin' Crack

.  Depending on where you decide to stop and belay, this will be 35-45 meters long.

Climb the left of two side by side cracks (the right is

Comeback Crack

) on the nose of the west buttress, just north of

Curving Crack

.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Castle Rock