This is the largest overhang in Boulder and the coolest thing I've ever done (which is saying absolutely nothing). The route climbs the 50 degree ceiling of a cave and exits through an arch. There is a crux right off the ground (6c, wriggle in a tiny cam up high and test it well) and another crux halfway (7a, offset gray/yellow Alien, I think, now backed up by a pin). There is a rest at 1/4 distance (lay on your hip on a flake and try not to nod off), and a luxurious campsite at 2/3 distance atop Pigeon Prow (too pigeon pooey to erect a tent anywhere without ruining it), followed by a 6c R/X finish out a chossy A-frame you will want to load up with semi-dubious cams before launching.

I know the endless approach and fact it is a mobile pro route will keep everyone away. Hopefully I will be able to bolt this line one day, as the idiotic annoyance of placing gear interrupts the flow over stone far worse than simply clipping draws does.

Ted Lanzano flashed this with the gear

in situ

- a way better way to do this one. This would be a great training route to run laps on.

The Inside Passage

Weak Sauce

Less Talk, More Sauce

Birth and Transmogrification

East Face Complete

Satan's Toy

From an alcove with a large downed tree that is thriving and oodles of poison ivy, climb up obvious holds just right of the overhang above the alcove for 15 feet, then traverse up left above the overhang for 15 feet, and go straight up to the top of the wall.

Up the wall outside the cave to the right of the Devil's Arch - see

The Inside Passage

. Jugs to the face above. This one can be hard to figure out. There is a reason it only gets one star.

Make a wandering rightward scramble up through bush clogged choss below the shallow dihedral. Chimney (5.0) up right to a ledge, and keep journeying right . Ascend a flake to its end on the right side of the shallow dihedral (5.7). Now this brief and kinda clean climb begins. Undercling up and left, then punch straight up at the end of the undercling. Now do a unpleasant traverse left to the top of the dihedral and go up. Pull onto the lame slab and lower off.

This is a bit of an alpinish romp.  Some details here may prove useful.  This description here was our attempt to follow close to the line described by Rossiter's Flatiron guide.

Approach via Mesa Trail off CO Hwy 170, West of 93.  Go North on Big Bluestem, then proceed cross country.  This is somewhat hard to find.  Get a good bearing on it before you're off in the woods.  Once you are in the trees, it becomes harder to spot the Flatiron.  3 rocks looked suggestive.  Finally, it's higher.

We started about 50 feet left of the nadir of the rock.

P1.  Per

Rick Blair

: Roach has the start a few feet left of the low point at a 3 foot high roof then angel up right to a big tree about 120 feet up, it goes 5.6, is steep for the Flatirons and quite run out.

Alternatively: Up a ramp 220 feet to a tree on a ledge with light pro.  This could be split into 2 pitches, but belay stances were less obvious.

P2.  From this ledge, you can go up a bowl, loop a flake, sling a tree, up to a tree, 170 feet.

P3.  Up right across a slab to a chimney/slot, 60 feet.  Belay somewhat

au cheval

.

P4.  You can go up right to the edge, but it may be better up middle of slab, 200+ feet. A #4 Camalot is useful.

P5.  Go up & traverse left, up a middle rib, to a ledge on the right, 190 feet.  2 wireds + #2 Camalot were useful.

P6.  Go up a rib & down, through the arch (airy) from right to left.  Pull on a block (gently), go up a finger rail to the top, 80 feet.

Rap 55 feet to the North.  Hike to Fatiron & then down.

This is the short wild overhang that might topple into talus at any moment, about 20m R of the Devil's Arch cave. Wobble up easy junk in a gully to the beginning of a left traversing crack below the overhang. Stuff a big cam (3.5 Camelot) and extend draws as you traverse up left (6b) placing shallow mid-size cams. Straddle a massive chopper block on your way to the puny roof. I put in a yellow Alien in under the roof, then forced the climbing R towards the obvious giant bucket and topped out. Also possible to easily exit L instead (5b), but who would skip doing the cool roof before it falls off? This is yet another route that would be fifty times better with bolts.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Flying Flatiron