On the left side of Crimpfest, there is a large flake-roof that forms part of several routes on this part of the wall. Season Opener attacks the central portion of this roof. It is the fourth route from the left and just left of the obvious right-facing flake on Dave's Dilema. Power over the initial bulge on decent holds (11b) and move up on beautiful flakes to engage the thinner and steeper crux (11c). The route then eases off to typical 5.10 Crimpfest climbing, with only a puzzling bulge (that could use more traffic) giving pause.

As with nearly every route on this wall, well worth doing.

Season Opener

InterGalactic Fungus Pull

Crack of Noon

Better Rad than Trad

20 Years Later

No Yellow Shirts

Dave's Dilemma

Parallel Universe

Frank the Rabbit

Chest Bump Dat Cheese

Crocodile Rock

Drill Sergeant

The Entourage

Crimpfest

Right Parallel Space

File Drawer

Donnie

Middle Parallel Space

Deceptive Slab

Stooner's Highway

Planet Gnarler

Darko

Poser Free Zone

Easy Does It

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was Arete

This is a very high quality crimping extravaganza.  It is dead vertical and requires good footwork as well as microedging ability.  The crux comes near the end of the route.

It is currently the third route from the left edge of the Crimpfest wall. The first route is an unnamed 12a/b.  Right of that is

Crocodile Rock

.  The next line is Crimpfest.

IGFP climbs through a tricky roof at about 25 feet into the route. I may have found this route a bit more challenging because I did not pull on the right hand jug flake while moving out of the roof. Rather, I went left and then up. I recommend that you do the same as this flake is suspect. After the roof continue up a broken crack system, with some trady movement. A fun route!

This is a fun route on the far right side of the wall. Clamber up easily to the top of a pillar, climb a left-facing corner to a small overlap, pull that, and then do the crux. Some easier climbing will take you to a spot parallel with a tree from where you can traverse left to an anchor and descend.

(The route name was obtained from the excellent guidebook "

South Platte Climbing: The Northern Volume

".)

Long (100 foot) line that goes over two roofs on thin holds.  Pretty cool.  This is the line just right of File Drawer, or, if you prefer, currently route #6 from the left edge of the wall.

This climb is located in the Crimpshaft which is the narrow corridor leading north from the Crimpfest Wall (also a way to reach

Private Idaho

). Scramble up two tiers to a decent ledge inside of the corridor. Begin the climb on the west side (faces opposite of Crimpfest Wall) of the corridor. The climb starts up a strenuous roof followed by powerful climbing to a rest at an obvious, undercling handjam. Continue up more burly moves, and try to hang on as the climbing gets easier near the top - pumpy.

Wear a yellow shirt, and you'll get stung in the back of the neck by a yellow jacket.

Scramble up a large boulder to start the climb. From the top of the boulder, begin up the furthest left line. Engaging climbing leads up an arete to a ledge with a roof. Cut left of the roof into a dihedral for 2 bolts. Then traverse right back onto the arete (likely to have a left variation out of the dihedral in the future). The crux comes near the top as the arete merges onto the face. If you belay from the bottom of the boulder (not advised), a 60m rope will NOT reach the ground. Belay from the top of the boulder, tie knots in the end of the rope, and a 60m rope will work fine.

This is the third route in from the left on the Crimpfest Wall. Dave's Dilemma ascends the obvious flake/groove system. Exit the flake onto relentless and insecure crimps. I found that carrying a few TCUs along provided a measure of comfort higher up, and a Friend to start can be comforting. The TCUs can be fished into a system of horizontal slots higher up. However, with a little boldness the line goes quite well on QDs alone. The anchors have been placed at 80 feet and at 100 feet.

This is a great line: I wish that Dave had done more Devil's Head routes. Most locals will remember Dave's brilliant line on Table Mountain called "

Winter Warmer

". Dave is the author of numerous bold, intricate climbs, of which Dave's Dilemma is a great example.

This excellent two pitch climb ascends to the top of the wall. The first pitch has excellent, thought provoking, sustained climbing.

Pitch 1 —  5.11c

—

Begin up some enjoyable 5.10 face climbing to a dihedral with an obvious black corner (sometimes wet). Climb up and right out of the black corner, and continue through a series of three small roof overlaps with some strenuous laybacks, underclings and crimps. This is very good,

100 feet. 14 bolts + anchor.

Pitch 2

—

5.10b

—

Continue up a series of interchanging dihedrals to a second anchor. This is good but not as good as the first pitch,

50 feet. 6 bolts + anchor.

Rappel the route. Be cautious rappelling the first long pitch with a 60m rope; the rope just barely reaches the ground.

Scramble up a large boulder to start the climb. From the top of the boulder, begin up the middle bolted line (the left is

No Yellow Shirts

and the right is

Donnie

). Thin, technical climbing leads to the route's crux at the 4th bolt. Continue to a small ledge, and take a break before tackling the second powerful crux through a small roof. Sustained, crimpy climbing leads to a third, easier crux 2 bolts before the anchor.

This climb is located in the Crimpshaft which is the narrow corridor leading north from the Crimpfest Wall. This climb is currently the furthest north (left) line at Crimpfest. Scramble up two tiers to a decent ledge inside of the corridor which only gets 20 minutes of sun a day; a great place to climb when it's nuclear.

Begin the climb on the east side of the corridor where there is an obvious round pocket. Climb through thin moves past the first three bolts (first crux) which is harder if you're short. Easier 5.11 climbing then leads to a no hands rest. Continuing upward, finesse and sequence underclings with delicate feet or power off a sharp hold to easier climbing (crux of the route). Hang on tight to a “Thank God” patina, and then romp up 15 feet of easier climbing to the anchor.

This is the second route from the left edge of the Crimpfest Wall.

However, there is more route potential here and those directions may prove to be incorrect sometime next summer. A better way to identify this is to go to the left edge of the wall and look for a route with an obvious, crocodile-shaped flake just left of the third bolt.

This is a good and fun line. It is ostensibly rated the same as

Crimpfest

, but people usually agree that it is about a letter grade easier than

Crimpfest

. You will climb over some hollow sounding flakes and fragile features - rest assured that the bolts are good and this route has seen some traffic - I think the features are permanent.

All the same, don't camp out under the route too much.

A 100 foot classic with about three or four 11d cruxes, and one 12a crux.

Great stone, great view, just all around great.

This route is just right of Stooner's Highway.

The only warm-up route at the Crimpfest and the sixth route from the left end of the crag. The Entourage can be done as a short 60 ft. pitch at 5.11a or extended to its proper end at 5.12a. The 5.11 version is still tricky, but it provides a good introduction to Crimpfest climbing.

Starts to the immediate right of

MPS

off of a narrow boulder. Progressively harder as you go with a fun 10c roof, then a big rest, then back to back 11c moves to jugs.

Immediately to the right of Dave's Dilemma. This is a 100 ft line with no early bail out; so bring a 60 m rope or doubles. A tricky move over the little "roof" at the third and fourth bolts leads up to classic crimpfest route finding. For the tall climber, this move may be 5.12a, but for most of us we will have to hike our feet up a tiny vertical edge before reaching over the "roof". Be tall, or have some ape ancestors. Sometimes all a route needs is a great feature to draw the eye. On this one, it is a very improbable flake jutting at right angles to the wall. Go for it. It's the only jug, and it is killer.

Scramble up a large boulder to start the climb. Good face climbing with crimps and edges leads to the anchor. A thought provoking, sequential crux comes at the second overlap about 2/3rds of the way up the route.

The right side of Crimpfest Wall has several lines that are fairly close together. MPS starts under the right end of a low roof with a weird-looking flake. Belay off a good boulder close to the wall. The initial bulge (11c) is probably the crux of the route, and requires either a stick-clip or side-roping on the first bolt of the route to the left (which is much easier to hand-clip). Make difficult moves on thin holds to get established above the roof, carefully clip the second bolt, and attack the upper and still difficult (11a) roof. This entire section gets run-off and is often dirty. Now engage in far more moderate climbing to a funky flake that leads to the amazing upper headwall. A difficult sequence through a superb incut handhold leads to good holds at the headwall lip and the anchors.

Both cruxes are given 11c in Tod's 2004 guide. But be warned: both times I have done this route, my partners (both solid at 5.11) have floated the upper headwall but flailed and had to yard on the lower bolt.

This is the slab bolted line next to "

Easy Does It

" (5.8).  It is roughly 50 feet in length.  I forgot how many bolts, but I used under 10 draws.

If anyone knows what this one is called or how many draws it has or any other info, please let me know, so I can edit it.

This is a decent line on solid stone, but it is sort of a one move wonder on a painful hold. It is a cool move. The remainder of the route is about 11a or b. If you are looking to bag your first 12a, this might be a good target.

This route is just right of the

Entourage

, or alternately, it is currently the 8th route from the left edge of the wall.

This is fun and burly with powerful roof moves. It is just right of

Poser Free Zone

. It has good stone.

Don't get off route, or you'll be doing Gnarler Free Zone... or Planet Poser....

The climb begins up a panel of large gray crystals just left of

Easy Does It

. The crystals end with face climbing to a small roof. Pull the roof (crux), and continue with fun face climbing to the anchors. I'll likely add a second pitch shorter pitch to the top of the wall.

This is a flat out, dyno-mite route with a bit of historical conflict. Bolts 3 and 4 allow the climber to move rightish or straight up. Straight up seems a bit harder and is very thin. I thought the route to be continuously difficult with several 11d scale moves. Hard at the beginning and hard at the top, it is a classic crimpfest.

Yes, a terrifc route in Devil's Head that isn't 5.11+.  This 100' 5.8 sport climb is on the far south end of the Crimpfest Wall.  Next to it are three bolts on a slab (start of a short 5.7); then you have the 5.9+ Crack a Towah trad climb, which you can't miss.  Some funky flake moves on this, tightly bolted and easy 5.8.  Anchors are good, but I'd add a new piece of webbing. I put the black one on Sept 22.  Enjoy

Bolted by Scott Sills.

This is currently the furthest south (right) bolted line at the Crimpfest Wall. Start on a ledge at the southern end of Crimpfest Wall, and begin with a technical traverse left to gain the prominent the arete. The opening moves are sequential, very thin, and may seem harder than the grade until the sequence is decoded. Once past the second bolt, enjoy fantastic, enjoyable, mid-5.10 climbing to the anchor. Make sure to tie knots at the end of your rope.

It should be noted that 5.10 leaders can easily pull through the first two bolts to get to the good climbing on the arete. Don't let the 5.11 grade detour you.

Description

Protection

Routes in The Crimpfest Wall