Climb runout nice face with an easier finish.

P1. 5.10d R/X. Thin face climbing up to the high single bolt leads to progressively easier rock and a double bolt anchor shared with

Blackstreak

,

Wigs on Fire

, etc. It is 5.6X at the top.

Wildstreak

Jazzman (a.k.a. Turdland)

Beer for Breakfast

Slab Happy

Grey Rat Rocksicle

Two Minds Meet

Birdland

Sugar Mountain

Blackstreak

Between Nothingness and Eternity

Trojan Romance

Aunt Edna's Costume Jewelry

Bad Boys Bolt

Dirty Love

Wigs on Fire

Raich's South Side Route

Good Girls Don't

Funkativity

Go Spuds Go

Black Market

Fun Flake

Shadow Dance

This is a top rope only climb.  It is a slab with little pencil-eraser granite nubs to get some friction on.  Stay in the black streak.

It was the hardest climb I did before I slowed down for many years.

This is in Craig Luebben's "A Climber's Guide to Greyrock".

Updated: I miss Craig.

Jazzman shares a start with

Birdland

, but continues straight up after the second bolt through thin, crux terrain through the third bolt.  Nice edges continue up through an incessant line of bolts until a second crux (9/10a) is encountered in a depression higher up the wall.

Beer for Breakfast is a rare (partial) crack line on the Lower Tier of the South Slabs.

Ascend a right-angling, right-facing dihedral immediately right of

Jazzman (a.k.a. Turdland)

through steepening terrain to a small roof.  Surmount the roof on small holds (crux), and continue up the easier but runout face above, aiming for a seam in a depression above.  Climb the seam - very thin, 8+/9 - and push onward up the slab above to belay anchors shared with

Jazzman (a.k.a. Turdland)

.

Slab Happy is found on the Southeast slabs on the second tier. It is the first bolted route on the left. Follow 5 bolts up a clean slab with small edges.  Save a medium Tricam for the finish, to avoid a runout on the tricky finish. Rap 70 feet from chains.  A very enjoyable route.

Grey Rat Rocksickle is a fun slab and crack line that climbs < 10 feet left of

Shadow Dance

.

Begin on a rock at the base of the slab, 15 or 20 feet "downhill" of the bushes on the upper part of the ledge.  Run it out through some 5.8 face moves to a left-angling seam that will offer some small, tricky pro.  Continue up the face, connecting protectable features with enjoyable slab climbing.  Finish up at the chain anchors beneath the roof, or belay there and climb a second pitch through the crumbly, licheny left side of the roof above and continue to the summit.

This climb starts about 20 feet to the right of

Fun Flake

(5.6) on the Southeast Slabs.  Start at nice layback crack and undercling to the right after 15 feet. Pass a bulge near a shallow, left-facing dihedral and face climb to the left after the bulge.  Either climb the wide, left-facing dihedral to the top or the face next to it. This is a nice varied climb with good protection.

The right side of the Lower Tier of the South Slabs, while it seems steep, is well-featured enough to allow for a couple of very enjoyable, moderate face routes, of which Birdland is one.

Begin near a crystalline pothole of sorts in the wall beneath three overly-close bolts - clip the second with a long sling (you'll likely regret clipping the first due to rope drag issues near the top of the pitch), and make some 8/9 moves directly left into a bejeweled groove.  Step up the groove, passing a couple bolts along the way, until a crack in a right-facing feature is visible just to the left.  Make crux friction moves left to this crack, sink a couple nuts, and then run it through more thin friction moves, stepping left into a water streak before gaining easier ground to the belay bolts.

This route is a fun, easy climb up Greyrock's South Slabs that ascends the right margin of the upper slab, aiming for a corner and small roof at its upper right side.

P1 - face climb up the water streaks left of the end of the slab. There is no obvious pro for probably 30+ feet, but the climbing doesn't exceed 5.3 or 5.4. Continue up through intermittent flakes and seams, following the path of least resistance. Belay on a small ledge at a horizontal break in the face.

P2 - climb the corner and adjacent crack to right beneath the roof. Traverse right under the roof and pull up on a nice ledge. Belay here, or continue up cracks to wherever you please.

Stewart Green's

"Rock Climbing Colorado"

advises a downclimb descent to the southwest.  However, one can easily link up climbable features anywhere from 3rd/4th class to 5.8 and reach the summit.

This is a really good slab with quite a bit of variety, and it's very well-protected! The crux comes right away at the steepest part with a couple super thin, hard cranks, high steps and thumb mantles. When the angle kicks back, the finger holds seem to disappear and it is .11/.10 friction action. The upper section is 5.4ish terrain.

#1

of the

"CO Northern Front Range 5.12 Pure Slab Trilogy"

(my suggestions and all non-Splatte routes).

#2

is

Frisky Puppies

(Donahue/Harvey). A funky, sustained friction-paddling and smedging pitch at Lumpy Ridge on the Book.

#3

is

Blood For Oil

(also Luebben) on Combat Rock, for a friction slab and patina steep face/slab pitch and a bulge to steep slab 2nd pitch.

Honorable mentions:

**

Greensleeves

on Rock Of Ages (steep slab crimpin')

**

Radlands Of Infinity

on Blob Rock (1st pitch is crux and it's a scratch-fest/ 2nd pitch is thin crack and funky slab---link pitches)

**Razor Hein Stick on Bitty Buttress (short but fierce friction bumps)

This has four distinct cruxes of different styles, the slab at the top being the toughest.

P1. 5.11c. A powerful lieback move gets you to the base of a slot. Move up the slot to a horizontal crack, and traverse right along the crack then up the face past two bolts to a one bolt anchor.

This super-fun slab line mixes it up between Flatirons-esque friction and classic granite edging to offer a leader of any level a very enjoyable pitch of climbing.

Begin on the flake just right of

Two Minds Meet

by reaching up and grabbing some huge, delightfully tacky crystals in a shallow groove.  Climb the groove until it runs out, and transition to a section of friction moves for a few bolts before reaching a horizontal break, after which the angle, and difficulty, progressively eases.

This line originally went at 5.7 X, but was retrobolted sometime fairly recently (hangers and bolts are free of corrosion or rust).  While this climb is now an excellent beginner sport lead, it is, unfortunately, also very out of character for the area, with a bolt every ~6 feet, even through 5.5/5.6 terrain.

This is just right of

Nothingness

... and joins that route in its middle.

Below left side of roof in the corner, yard up first move in the crack, and clip old pin and back it up with small nut. Perform a couple of undercling moves to the right, then go around and up a right-facing corner following good crack. There are a couple of face moves mid way.

We found the crack to be clean (not dirty) except for couple of moves near top where climbing backs off.

At top of crack, proceed up face, 5.easy, trending right to rap station.

Rap to chains on face (skier's left) or with 70m rope a diagonal rap will bring you to ramp.

This route is located on the upper tier of the southeast slabs of Greyrock.  This route is the first route with more than two bolts to the right of

Slab Happy

(5.7).

I gave this route a "s" rating, since the crux moves start before you clip the first bolt and because there is a 25-30ft runout on 5.6 rock after the last bolt.  I really enjoyed this route after I was able to clip the first bolt, which is a little committing.  The easy runout is not scary, and should be no problem for someone who made it through the crux.

This is a fun scramble to the summit over 4th and low 5th class terrain. Follow the line purple line in the image (Bing Bird's Eye). Thanks to John Raich and Joe Grim for providing this topo.

joeandfrede.com/colorado/gr…

Good Girls Don't is a reasonably enjoyable slab line that climbs one long pitch up the Lower Tier of the South Slabs.

Start at the base of the slab on thin edges and decent (a little lichen-y) friction, protecting in a couple features along the way.  Be sure to sink some pro in the flakes about 25 feet up, as you'll launch into the crux friction moves with those flakes at your feet.  The difficulty and angle begins to ease after this, but not soon enough, it seems, as there's little to no protection for the rest of the pitch.  Sack up and run it out to the base of the Upper Tier and belay.

This enjoyable, though runout, slab line ascends a fairly rockin' groove on the right aspect of the upper tier of Greyrock's South Slabs.  Crisp granite edges and the occasional smear provide purchase through the route's early crux, and the grade eases as one exits the groove to the lower angle slab above.  Continue face climbing to a gear belay at the right edge of the large, leaning, right-facing dihedral at the top of the wall.  From here, wander off the face to the climber's left to a descent gully, or continue up the wall to the Greyrock's summit.

This is one of Craig Leubben's favorite offwidths! It's only about 15' of climbing to the crux pivot at the lip, but continue climbing the next 20' to a tree. Walk off.

Approach by the Grey Rock summit trail. Start looking towards Grey Rock about 5 minutes past the meadow, and you will see the steeply angled offwidth boulder to the left up the slope. It takes about 1 hour to reach Go Spuds Go from the parking lot.

This is just right of

Bad Boys

...and joins

Eternity

at its last bolt passing some crunchy, friable edges.

This climb is located on the lower tier of the Southeast slabs of Greyrock.  This climb starts on the far left on top of a platform behind a large tree. Lieback the obvious, thin flake system for about 60 feet.  The protection is excellent in the flake,  but sometimes difficult to place.  The flake peters out after about 60 feet, and it turns into an easy runout slab at the top.  This is "fun" easy way to the second tier of the Southeast Slabs.  The descent is an easy scramble to the west.

Shadow Dance is an enjoyable, mellow sport route on the Upper Tier of Greyrock's South Slabs.

Climb the line of bolts furthest right on the wall up to a shallow, left-facing corner that offers some nice lieback action to mix up the friction and edging that otherwise characterize this route.  Finish on chain anchors shared with

Grey Rat Rocksicle

.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The South Slabs