Twilight Variation

This route does not appear in Rossiter's Eldorado Canyon guide, so for ease of locating I'm using the adjacent, parallel climb's name as a reference. This could be the start of Upstairs, but that climb's route is also not described.

This variation starts just up the hill from the popular Heavy Weather area and can be used as a means to gain the second pitch of that route, but would be better used to gain the upper, Upper Peanuts Wall climbs, including Sunrider and The Cruise.

Locate the start by identifying the large flake (which is described, rather accurately, under the Heavy Weather description as a cantaloupe slice) sticking out of the wall on the first pitch of Heavy Weather. Up the wall to the right is a very similar flake, only smaller, and is the flake described in Rossiter's Twilight description. Passing this smaller canteloupe flake on the right is the squeeze chimney crux of Twilight. The Twilight Variation climbs the steep face and cracks right of this squeeze chimney.

A couple of options get you to the Twilight flake, the first is the left facing dihedral directly below the flake (the start of Twilight); the second is up hill from the Twilight start 20 feet or so at an easy, slightly left angling crack with a conifer at its base which also deposits you under the flake. And finally, the last option, provides good climbing and a true independent line from Twilight. Continue another 15 feet or so from the conifer crack to a left facing dihedral with an off-hands and fist crack in the corner that gets you off the ground. About ten feet up, step left and follow a finger crack that leads to a big ledge with a large pine tree (6). Traverse left along the ledge to the base of the cantaloupe flake. A short, steep wall just right of the flake provides the crux and can be protected with gear in good cracks. Boulder up the wall (7) via a corner and trend left, stemming and playing on top of flakes and blocks to a rotten area. Cautiously work your way left around a headwall of sorts into a slot. Escape the slot right via a second short, steep wall and the second crux. Boulder up this wall (7) protected by small stoppers in cracks and top out on the large ledge shared with a huge pine tree and belay. Be very careful of loose rocks on this ledge.

From here, a short easy climb up to the right leads to the Sunrider area. Heavy Weather's second pitch can also be reached from the huge pine by following a ramp down to the left. After about 30 feet, the flip-flop dihedral of Heavy Weather's second pitch will be straight above.

SR