RRC Archives

Ask Paul about the descent beta.

http://www.redriverclimbing.com/viewtopic.php?t=2829

haas wrote:Epinephrine is my favorite climb at Red Rocks, be sure to do all 18 pitches, instead of bailing at the top of the chimneys. You'll enjoy the climb that much more if you do them all. And be sure to follow ALL the cairns on the descent or you'll get lost real easily

TradMike wrote:Glad to hear you made it down safely. We rapped the route and I wouldn't have wanted to do it in the dark. The ethics police are constantly removing the hangers. At one point we rapped from two stoppers because of missing hangers.

CanadaClimberGirl, haas, and TradMike: Actually, Drew Fulton and a couple other local rock gods reset anchors near the limits of a 60 meter rope, so IF(!) you locate these, you can do the climb in ten pitches and rap off okay, if you must. Still, it is much more rewarding to go ahead and summit, then hike off.

If you don't want a teeth chattering bivy, like Paul3eb experienced, get on the wall as early as possible and hustle. After the "official" climb of 1525 feet, you still have a 700 foot ramp to the summit -- class IV and some V scrambling. I'd advise roping up here if it is getting dark. There's some serious exposure off to the right.

The rock cairns are clearly visible with headlamps. We made it over and down to the top of Frogland before it got too dark. Then the trail down is the same as for Frogland and is well worn and easily seen with lamps.

Very few places in that @#$%^&* chimney section to place gear. Some of our stuff was really run out. Just tell yourself that once you pop out of the chimneys, there is a whole lot of really fun 5.9 face climbing (ala RRG style).

CanadaClimberGirl, you're going to see some real exposure here. Drew Fulton has climbed Epinephrine dozens of times and says he's seen several solid 5.11/5.12 climbers freak out in that 465 foot chimney section that the guidebook rates as 5.9.

Have fun!

Rick

I really like the high and exposed, but usually it depends on what mood I'm in. Some days short and easy, others long and exposed, and on others constant fighting to make it. I enjoy it all.

weber wrote:
Hey Meadows, if you'd like to experience the ultimate in Red Rocks exposure next time you're out there, do Epinephrine in Black Velvet Canyon. A true big wall at 2225 feet with 465 feet of godawful greasy chimneying.

Woo! How about I just look at your photos and live vicariously through you?

it is a "big" wall but not really a "big wall"

weber wrote: Some of our stuff was really run out.

Drew Fulton has climbed Epinephrine dozens of times and says he's seen several solid 5.11/5.12 climbers freak out in that 465 foot chimney section that the guidebook rates as 5.9.
Rick

I think that the runout was some of my best memories of the route, I remember the third pitch of chimneying only had two bolts for pro for the pitch, but by then you get into a rythem. I don't know if you were implying the chimney section was harder then 5.9, but I would say that's actually a soft grade. There's chimney's in both Zion and Yosemite that are way harder and rated a hell of a lot easier then Epinephrine. Don't be afraid of the chimneys! and have a great time!

haas wrote:
I think that the runout was some of my best memories of the route, I remember the third pitch of chimneying only had two bolts for pro for the pitch, but by then you get into a rythem. I don't know if you were implying the chimney section was harder then 5.9, but I would say that's actually a soft grade. There's chimney's in both Zion and Yosemite that are way harder and rated a hell of a lot easier then Epinephrine. Don't be afraid of the chimneys! and have a great time!

I wasn't implying the grade was harder than 5.9. (The Falcon Guide says "you'd better be solid on 5.9 chimneys!" to do the route.)

But, for some reason the chimneys of Epinephrine spook a lot of good climbers. Locals say that many bail before completing this section. Maybe its the scarcity of pro. (Sure glad I didn't have to lead that runout third chimneying pitch!)

Agreed, setting a comfortable rhythm is important. But there was a section near the top of the chimneys, about 40 feet long, that, for me, was hellish. The rock was so greasy and featureless, and my chimneying technique so poor there that it was real struggle.

But hell, at 61, even getting up in the middle of the night to pee is a struggle.



Rick

A good test to see if you are ready for Epinephrine's chimneys - Go to a smooth walled hallway; put your back on one side and feet on the other. Now, can you make it to the ceiling and stay there a while? Then do it ten more times in a row without resting via down climbing while trying to envision your last piece of pro 25ft below you while fly’n Brian keeps a faster pace on a 5.11c to your right.

Getting high while climbing is fun. I love it when the trees start looking like broccoli. I also enjoy the sinking feeling in your gut when you arrive at the base and look up in awe at the day’s challenge. It adds a few more uncertainties to the mix which really get the adrenalin flowing. It can also turn a day into a complete nightmare that just won’t end with tempers flying. On the other hand, I also enjoy one pitch routes the same. I think the Red is one of the best places to climb in the world. The big routes are just more memorable, not necessarily better.

I like that.Good description Tradmike.Sometimes it's good to do something different.I can't wait to get back to Seneca,now that I figured out how to avoid the nightmare approach.

I posted this in another thread a couple months ago - it seems relevant to this topic as well:

"I wish the Red was A LOT taller. Like, 10X taller. I wish we had multi-day climbs, not just multi-pitch. I wish we had walls where the weather on top might be totally different from the weather at the bottom. I wish we had walls where the bottom is granite, but after a couple thousand feet you get into a layer of sandstone, and then top out on limestone. I wish we had to check avalanche conditions before climbing. I wish our climbs had summits.

A guy's gotta dream . . . ."