[TR] Red Rocks - Texas Hold'em/Lone Star (attempt

[eldiente]

Trip: Red Rocks - Texas Hold'em/Lone Star (attempt) Various

 

Date: 5/9/2010

 

Trip Report:

I must need a life as this is my third trip to Red Rocks this year. Hard to not go there, the flights are cheap and with easy logistics (condo rental) you're sure to get big days in without difficultly. Unfortunately this trip we had really poor weather, good temps but strong winds. I checked the weather station the day after we came off of Black Velvet and noticed gusts to 70 MPH were reported in Blue Diamond.

 

Day 1* The Gobbler to Dream of Wild Turkeys, rap, up Sour Mash. 5.10

Day 2* Texas Hold'Em 5.11C (bail, finish on Epinephrine)

Day 3* Rest day, sport wank Second pull-out. 7 pitches 5.11-5.12.

 

Texas Hold'Em/Lone Star link-up (attempt)

 

 

[img:center]http://lh5.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-xj74oZC7I/AAAAAAAAJ5U/fXFFNUi_9ts/Screen%20shot%202010-05-13%20at%201.40.13%20PM.png[/img]

 

First four pitches marked.

 

I've had my eye on this one for a while. Anyone going up the classic 2,000 foot Epinephrine (5.9) can't help but look to the right and see the huge blank wall, a very big piece of terrain caped with large roofs. Some joker figured out a way to push a route through this wall and called it "Texas Hold Em." Having climbed many of the other classics in the park, I was looking something with a bit more adventure, less people, more committing. Texas Hold Em has all of that. I've found that many of the other "hard" Red Rocks routes tend to feel soft, or at least they go without much drama. (I recall z-clipping myself on the crux pitch of Levitation 29, not very run out) Texas Hold em goes the opposite side of that.

 

The normal route only goes half-way up the wall and rap from there. I'm not a fan of raps so I looked at some pictures and figured out a way to connect this route with another route called Lone Star and take it to the top. (Lone Star, 5.11 described as being "old school") Seems I'm not the the first person to get this idea, another CC.er did this link last year for a possible first ascent. We hoped to do the same and climb all of Texas Hold Em, connect with Lone Star and tag the summit of Black Velvet. Done this way you'd get 2,000+feet of climbing with very little moderate terrain.

 

[img:center]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2Gj1crsI/AAAAAAAAJ0A/UD0V7smhOHg/s640/P1010169.JPG[/img]

 

Base of route, first lose pitches starts in the corner in the right.

 

The beta from the guidebook is solid, nothing to add there except that there is no mention of the how serious this route is. We climbed with one rope to save weight and to prevent any thoughts of chickening out and bailing. The route goes over several bulges, I'm not sure if it is possible to bail with one rope even if you left gear behind. If you only want to do Texas Hold Em, you can rap over those bulges back to the base with double ropes.

 

p1-p4. 500 feet. 5.9. Fairly mellow climbing in a corner on broken terrain at 5.9. Nothing too hard except that there isn't pro, I was often 40-60 feet above gear. To compound the problem the rock was awful, the plates were lose and I broke off several while leading. To secure myself I went for flared hand jams in the corner only to discover the inside of the crack had layers of rock that would peal off when jammed. Uhm, back to the lose holds for me.

 

After all the bushy business down low the rock suddenly turns into smooth varnish, the best of the best for Red Rocks. We climb some really nice varnish cracks to base of the Texas Tower and the Panhandle Crack.

 

[img:center]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2ZyHeOPI/AAAAAAAAJ0U/gcnDGbrflCM/s640/P1010173.JPG[/img]

 

The Panhandle Crack, the best pitch in Red Rocks?

 

The Panhandle Pitch goes at 5.10D for 180 feet to the top of the Texas Tower through an overhanging roof/hand crack. It is the wildest, most exposed pitch I have ever done at Red Rocks. I feel very fortunate to have gotten the onsight, but then again an overhanging hand crack through a roof is perfect for me. It would be hard to think of a better pitch of climbing. My gripe was the wind, I had to dead-hang jams during gusts to keep from getting pushed off. Trying to clip runners meant first pulling them from above my head and down to the rope.

 

The gear beta for this pitch is to unload a #1 in the flakes below the roof, saving your #4 and #3s for the obvious parts. Up high the cracks goes to fingers so you won't need any more wide gear. For reference I didn't find this pitch to be much easier than the last pitch of cloud tower, similar style.

 

Above the Texas Tower the route falls apart for us. Sam leads the crux pitch and soon after is flying through the air. I watch him take dozens of falls onto a bolt trying to push through. This makes me nervous as Sam is a lot stronger then me, how am I going to get up that? I try to stay warm with the usual jumping in place tricks but nothing is working. Sam turns the lead over to me and with chattering teeth I try to make a go. Falling through the air, same result. It is hard to describe the crux, maybe it is the cold fingers but I'm stumped with no signs of useable holds, only smooth rock.

 

Having climbed dozens of pitches in the .11/.12 grade at Red Rocks I just can't understand why this supposed .11C pitch is so damn hard. Take those fun .12s at the second pull-off and think harder, way harder. We never figure it out and looking at cold night at a hanging belay we start thinking about how were going to get off. Very sad to be bailing.

 

[img:center]http://lh5.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2b6rx2yI/AAAAAAAAJ0s/PFvWm39x_3g/s640/P1010177.JPG[/img]

 

Looking up the crux pitch, any beta for this one?

 

With only one rope, a rap is not possible. However I can still see the Epi chimneys low and to the left of us. Maybe we can traverse and rap into them? I traverse straight left from the airy belay on horrible, lose holds with hopes of coming across some pro.(airy!) After 70 feet of traversing on this garbage (5.9 or so) I come across an old star drive, clip it, keep moving left, clip another star drive. This is Mother's day, I hope I don't die. Finally I get to a better looking bolt, clip it and get lowered straight down to a belay. Sam does the same thing following and I can't watch, too nervous.

 

Thankfully now were above Epi and can start to rap into it. More rap action and were now back inside the Epi chimneys 600 feet off the ground at 5:00PM. This still isn't ideal as with only one rope we still can't rap to the ground. No problem as I love the upper pitches of Epi and know I can climb them fast. I lead the last 1,300 feet of Epi linking pitches and placing very little gear to keep the pace up. We top-out at 8:00PM.

[img:center]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2d6uqHVI/AAAAAAAAJ1A/hBQt3bvid7I/s640/P1010179.JPG[/img]

 

Sam in the upper corners of Epi, incredible position.

 

Unfortunately for us the wind and darkness at the summit presents new problems. Walking on top of the ridge is impossible with the wind so we stay low skiers right on the ridge and shiver. I've done this before but still miss a turn in the dark and take us straight East off the ridge instead of left behind Frogland. Takes us four hours of down-climbing and bushwhacking to get back to car, I fall on a sleeping skunk (he didn't spray me, thanks!) and we both have numerous encounters with Cacti. Ugly, car at 1:00 AM.

 

[img:center]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2fVbNVkI/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/hO_uw674rBg/s640/P1010183.JPG[/img]

 

Summit of Epi, Vegas in the background.

 

Follow-up. Please PM if you'd like to to do this route, I still want to do it but need some help working out the crux pitch. :-)

 

[img:center]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2hnl03CI/AAAAAAAAJ18/hdBse8NVNN4/s576/P1010189.JPG[/img]

 

Heel hooks on a rest day, 2nd-pull-out the Pier.

 

[img:center]http://lh4.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w2DSXmzcI/AAAAAAAAJzU/Ar2xg9yK3fs/s640/P1010162.JPG[/img]

 

Sour Mash Belay. Happy times.

 

[img:center]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S-w1-ZKNgpI/AAAAAAAAJyY/r7Jw1Y6-aZI/s640/P1010154.JPG[/img]

 

Looking down from the top of pitch 2, The Gobbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Texas Hold Em. Doubles from Blue Master Cam to #4 BD. Many runners. Some belays are bolted, some are not.

 

Approach Notes:

Start 100 feet right of Epi

Edited May 18, 2010 by eldiente

[Dirtyleaf]

Awesome! Sounds like you scored some good adventure.

[mountainmatt]

Way to make the most out of your 3 day trip!

 

Falling on a sleeping skunk? Awesome.

 

.

[Sherri]

Great report and way to brave the wind and still bag some gems. I got caught descending Black Orpheus (at night) in a 60mph gale...I feel your pain.

 

Wonder if the "skunk" was a ringtail cat?

[denalidave]

Great report and way to brave the wind and still bag some gems. I got caught descending Black Orpheus (at night) in a 60mph gale...I feel your pain.

Me too, been there, done that... one of my first "epics" only we were bailing and not doing the walk-off. We did not know it at the time, but another party on a nearby route had a bad fall which ended in a fatality and my family was following it on the news, thinking it was me. We made it back down safely though, less a large chunk of our nuts for raps. Ahh good times.

 

Nice work ElD.

 

[denalidave]

I love the little plaques the have on those Black Velvet classics. Man, I love that place.

 

[eldiente]

Sherri, that's a a crazy looking animal? Do they really look like that? I didn't get a great look at the creature I stumbled on, however it smelled like a skunk and had that black and white tail. (Although I wasn't aware that skunks lived down there)

 

-Nate

[Sherri]

I saw a ringtail there on one of my last trips this spring. They've got some serious bling going on with that tail pattern. Don't know if they have an odor, though. If you believe you saw/smelled a skunk, then you probably did.

 

I love that desert. Full of surprises.

[JosephH]

Good to see the pics that go with the tale...sounds like it was a good time regardless.

[layton]

sweet - I was going to try and do this with wayne on his trip down here - maybe not now.

 

Did you bail on p.7 or 8? Would a stick clip get you up it (serious on this question)?

 

 

If the stick clip idea wouldn't work, could you climb Lone Star to the start of the Texas Tower Connection route,and take that up Lone Star?

 

Looks like someone linked the two way earlier than last year?

[eldiente]

Yes, we got shut-down on the first 5.11C pitch (P7 by the guide) I can't see of anyway to aid through this section, no crack and the next bolt is 20 feet above and would be too hard to stick clip. (Although I didn't try it, maybe using an aider off the bolt would help to get the feet up and make the moves?) I could be wrong, but I feel like if you could get over this section, the rest would go. (Other folks told me this pitch is more like .12 where as the other crux pitch is easier)

 

Good question about Texas Tower Connection. I didn't have the topo with me when were up there so I wasn't feeling brave enough to go up into who knows what land. When we bailed I could see up high and left a line of old bolts ( I clipped one while down traversing during the bail) and also a high tat anchor about 150 up and left of Texas Hold Em P7. I would guess this is the Texas Connection. With a topo and some balls, you could do the same lose traverse we did left and bust up to the ramps of Lone Star to finish it off.

 

This might be contrived but still a huge day on some really cool terrain. No endless crimp ladder like POD! I'd be stoked to see someone do this. It would be worth it just to do the Texas Tower Flake.

 

Yes, last year Jens and partner (?) linked Texas Hold Em and Lone Star. He was very kind and gave me good beta, we were planing to do the same thing but unlike him, I'm weak.

 

-Nate

 

 

[counterfeitfake]

I think it's awesome that you'd charge into the unknown like this with no planned option for retreat, on a cold windy day no less. And bailing INTO Epinephrine is incredible and funny. My hat is off to you!

[maxhasson]

http://jensholsten.blogspot.com/2009/02/going-big-having-fun.html

[pink]

nice, two classic "gambler" routes......

[JosephH]

This might be contrived but still a huge day on some really cool terrain.

 

The entire wall over there was fixed when we did Epi. Looked to us like anything one chose to do over there would good. Not sure if anything up on that wall could really be contrived - at least no more contrived than Sandstone Samurai.

[layton]

cool! thanks for the TR