Cynical Pinnacle

[larrythellama]

End up in Colorado for a week and climbed some really nice routes. I would have to say tho that the best route I did was Cynical Pinnacle's center route.

 

I paired up with JRCO an old friend from the south sound who escaped the rain several years ago and had given me an open invite to come climb with him anytime. After 5 years I followed thru and I certainly am glad I did.

 

The route is a 3 pitch flawless grainte hand crack. Stout for the grade as it is continous and some what steep, It reminded me of jamming on desert sandstone. Lotsa hand sized pieces needed.

 

If anyone is down in the South Platte this is a must do. Next time I am down there I am gonna do the route next to it, Wunsch's Diehedral. Similar style route but even steeper!!!!

 

And everyone says the appraoch is real bad, but even my fat ass sea level dweller found it not too bad.

 

The sad thing was the fact that my coffee didnt set in until the 2nd pitch.

 

[Szyjakowski]

Sounds kewl beyotch!

[Alpinfox]

 

Cynical Pinnacle pictures & TR

[skyclimb]

Damn She's gettin after it.

AlpinFox, you lived around the south platte area for quite a few years eh?

I hear there is some good granite down in those parts, and sandstone for that matter.

[Alpinfox]

When I lived in the right-wing christian bible-thumpin' conservative suburban hell-hole known as Colorado Springs I was just getting into climbing. I mostly climbed at Garden of the Gods because my partner and I (in 7th-9th grades) could get one of our mothers to drop us off there and come pick us up at the end of the day. Never made it to the South Platte.

 

I hiked up lots of 14ers though. yeehaw.

[skyclimb]

Interesting about the history of the colorado springs area climbing scene....a great book is Climb! the new edition. It has great stories about the underground atmosphere of climbing around the springs area. For a long time the sole climbing shope in town recorded all the FA's, and basically was the guidebook for the area. not much has changed about that atmosphere through-out the decades.

[larrythellama]

after looking at pax's friend's website i would like to say that even tho all the guidebooks state you need big gear this is not true in any respect. we had a hard time even finding a place to place a #3.5 friend. so any talk of an ow is not true at all.

 

also the pic where the person is haning is breshaer's crack and it is .12 and not the actual start to wunsch's but just another variation on a piece of rock that has many perfect splitters. the actual start to wunsch's is the visable wavering crack with the pod mid height visable in the same pic mentioned above.

[JRCO]

Erik,

 

Had fun climbing. I agree the route is stoute for the grade. Thanks for bringing the extra cams so we could sew it up. More information for the center route and wunsch's can be found here if any one is interested.

Center Route Wunsch's

Edited August 20, 2004 by JRCO

[sill]

Wunsch's is even better. It took me a second try to get the crux clean but it is way better than the center route. The approach is cake compared to other areas in Colorado, particularly estes park. People from boulder bitch if they have to walk for more than ten minutes to the base of the their route.

[Szyjakowski]

many people bitch about walking more than ten minutes anywhere, not just boulderites.

[AlpineK]

The good thing about an approach hike is the croud thining effect.

[Matt]

I climbed Cynical pinnacle a few summers ago and agree it is one of the best cracks out there. I found there is also great fly fishing in the South Platte. A good friend of mine lives in Divide, CO and his life really makes me think about why I'm living in the rat race of Seattle. But then I love the city.

 

RE the approach, I don't even remember it-- I'm guessing less than an hour and a little sandy?!? WTF. it was nothing compared to say hiking up the Snow Creek Trail or up to Burgandy col or something like that.

 

Anyway, cool climb!

[plexus]

There's some good granite down in the Plattey. And there's also some crumbly stuff, have had the pucker factor over on Poop Point near Cynical.

 

Went to Devil's Head for the first time yesterday and now I know why my friend always talks about it. Perfect Pike's Peak granite, any type of climbing you could want gorgeous views, absolutely no people. There is just about everything for everybody, even though the guidebook lists a plethora of stiff stuff and the area is known for its 11s and 12s, I led up a 5.8 on gear that wasn't listed and another 5.7 line that I connected to a bolted climb at the anchors.

 

It has to do with that 2.5 mile approach we took. It's funny with all of the outdoor stuff you can do in Colorado, I can't believe how many fat people there are in Denver .

[JayB]

Did you guys get on Topaz or Dave's dillema on the Headstone/Tombstone at Devils Head? I thought that those were two of the better routes there for sure.

 

Amazing routes. That is one of the better climbing spots I came across in CO with tons of untapped potential - and I am amazed at how little traffic it gets. Plus if you climb to the top of the fire lookout after you are done you have an unmatched overview of most of the formations in the Plate - with close up views of the Taj Mahal, Jackson Creek Dome, and a few other obscure crags that litter the Platte.

 

One suggestion for Plexus, JRCO, et al is to hit McCurdy Park Tower (last few pages of Hubbles book on the Plate). Might be one of the better concentrations of moderate-multipitch stuff anyhwere, on fantastic rock, in a remote and beautiful setting.

I wish I had spent more than a weekend there when I lived in Colorado.

[JRCO]

JayB,

 

Made it up to McCurdy Park Tower last fall for a long weekend. Defenitely worth a return trip. Heading for Ellingwood Arete this weekend.

[plexus]

I've heard that about McCurdy Tower. Actually the wife and I were supposed to go up there a couple of weekends ago, had it planned since last winter. Weather forecast wasn't good so instead we went to Crested Butte/Taylor Canyon and squeezed in a lead and some bouldering before getting dumped on for three days.

 

I've head that McCurdy is cool and the pics are what made us drool to begin with.

 

We climbed past the Headstone, We saw some fun 10s on it the way out. Heading down to the Plattey this weekend. There is so much out there and anything with more than a 10 minute walk will be devoid of people. I guess that is the one nice thing about out here.

[JayB]

JayB,

 

Made it up to McCurdy Park Tower last fall for a long weekend. Defenitely worth a return trip. Heading for Ellingwood Arete this weekend.

 

 

Post some pics if you have any. BTW - did you scope out the backside at all? Supposedly lots of potential for new routes that no one has bothered with because there's so much good stuff on the frontside...

Edited September 2, 2004 by JayB

[JayB]

Jackson Creek Dome has some dope slabbage if you are into that - and I never saw another party there when I climbed there. If you head back to the headstone area - Topaz is one of the first lines on the left as you arrive at the rock from the trail. It starts out on slab, transitions to a dead-vertical crimpfest on incut chicken heads, and climbs over an amazing roof on the way to the anchors. The last climb on the right side of the Headstone goes at 10a, and has an incredible position. There are a couple of worthwhile trad lines in between these routes as well.

 

Post the deets if you head back there or to McCurdy.

 

Not exactly in the Platte - but check out 11 Mile Canyon for moderate trad as well. I hear that Mueller Canyon State Park has come formations that might be worth a visit as well.