Chasm View Wall

Other routes I've climbed on Chasm View Wall:

Babies R Us (5.12a, 5p, toprope) • Directissima (5.10b, 4p) • Indirectissima (5.9, 4-6p) • Red Wall (5.10b, 6p) • Royal Flush (5.11c, 10p) • Sharp on Both Ends (5.11d, 6p)

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Top-out Elev: ~13,500 ftRock Type: Granite
Date: August 6, 2022 (Sat)Trip Report #: 565Partner: Nate Arganbright

Route: Indirectissima (5.9, 4-6p)

Camping and climbing in one of the most iconic locations in RMNP.

Intro

The previous weekend, Nate and I had climbed Royal Flush (5.11c, 10p) on Chasm View Wall (a wall of sunny granite just right of the Diamond in Chasm Lake Cirque). We enjoyed the area and the rock so much we decided to return the following weekend. We spent the weekend in Chasm Lake Cirque, under the towering granite walls of the Diamond. It is a rather spectacular place to hang out—one of my favorite bivy locations in RMNP.

Initially, the weekend forecast was for "90% rain", but at the last minute NOAA decided that they really didn't know(a) and that "20%" was a more reasonable prediction. Obviously, work to be done with weather models! But Nate and I had already decided we were going no matter what to keep the weekend alpine streak going, so in the end the bad weather forecast but actually good weather ended up being in our favor by keeping crowds away and allowing us some pleasant weather to actually climb in.

On Saturday we climbed Indirectissima (5.9, 4-6p) on Chasm View Wall. On Sunday we did a long day link-up of Stettner's Ledges (5.8, 6p) on Lower East Face of Longs Peak with Zumie's Thumb (5.9, 7p) on Upper East Face of Longs Peak.

Indirectissima climbs along a distinct hollow flake system on the right side of Chasm View Wall. Our actual objective of the day had been Sharp on Both Ends (5.11d, 6p), but when we got to the 11d corner of Pitch 4 we decided to leave it for another day. It was easy to traverse to the start of Pitch 2 of Indirectissima from here. Since Pitch 3 of Sharp on Both Ends is the same as Pitch 1 of Indirectissima, we ended up climbing all of Indirectissima, plus we had added two 5.9 pitches to the start (Pitch 1 was a 5.9 corner just left of the official first pitch of Sharp on Both Ends and Pitch 2 was the second pitch of Sharp on Both Ends). With the two extra 5.9 pitches (which I call a "direct start" in this trip report), Indirectissima turns into a worthy 6-pitch adventure with three pitches of good 5.9 climbing.

The following page provides a trip report for the climb of Indirectissima (with direct start) as well as photos from our overnight in the Chasm Lake Cirque. Enjoy!

Route Overlay

(Displays route overlays for Babies R Us (5.12a, 5p), Royal Flush (5.11c, 10p), Red Wall (5.10b, 6p), Directissima (5.10b, 4p), Sharp on Both Ends (5.11d, 6p), and Indirectissima (5.9, 4-6p), all of which I have climbed.)

Time Stats

Leave bivy in Chasm Lake Cirque: 6:56 am
Base of route (direct start): 7:07 am (0:11 to approach from camp)
Start climbing: 7:18 am
Top of route: 10:45 am (3:27 to climb route)
Begin descent (via Fifth Avenue): 10:57 am
Arrive back at bivy in Chasm Lake Cirque (did some exploring): 12:15 pm (1:18 to get back to camp)
Camp-to-camp time: 5 hours 19 minutes

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd-3rd

Starting from Longs Peak Trailhead, hike to the base of Chasm View Wall. For the direct start (2 extra pitches of 5.9 climbing), begin on a grassy ledge just left of the start of Sharp on Both Ends. For the guidebook start, begin from a ramp about 50 feet up and right from the start of Directissima and follow the ramp to the right side of the highest ledge.

About to leave our bivy.

Looking up from the base of the route. We climbed some cracks just right of the corner, then climbed into the obvious left-facing system above.

At the base of the route. Nice morning to be in the alpine!

Pitch 1

(direct start)

5.9, 200'

Climb cracks just right of a big corner. This is just left of the first pitch of Sharp on Both Ends. Dance a bit carefully around a couple of bigger blocks, which look a bit questionable but felt reasonably attached.

We climbed cracks just right of the corner for Pitch 1. This is a nice alternative to Pitch 1 of Sharp on Both Ends, which can be a bit difficult to locate. There are a couple of bigger blocks to just be careful around.

A nice crack.

Good rock.

Old piton.

Pitch 2

(direct start)

5.9, 120'

Climb the second pitch of Sharp on Both Ends. This pitch climbs a left-facing corner.

Steph leading Pitch 2. A fun pitch. Photo by Nate.

Pitch 3

(Pitch 1 without direct start)

5.7, 80'

Climb the left side of a flake system, then hand traverse left to a grassy ledge in a scoop. Belay below a chimney.

Looking up Pitch 3.

Looking across the ledge at the end of the pitch. We belayed on the left end since our plan was to do Sharp on Both Ends. For Indirectissima, belay on the right side of the ledge. Photo by Nate.

Pitch 4

(Pitch 2 without direct start)

5.4, 70'

Climb a chimney out right to a good ledge and belay.

Nate at the base of Pitch 4 of Sharp on Both Ends. This is the crux 5.11d pitch of the route. It looks spectacular. But today was not the day, so we ended up deciding to re-direct to Indirectissima, which breaks off right from the right end of the ledge. Diamond towering behind.

Looking up Pitch 4 of Sharp on Both Ends. This is the crux 5.11d pitch of the route. It looks spectacular. We'll be back.

Looking back towards the right side of the ledge. We moved the belay over here to continue up Indirectissima.

The chimney of Indirectissima.

Nate climbing the chimney of Indirectissima. I was pleasantly surprised at how fun the climbing was in this chimney.

Pitch 5

(Pitch 3 without direct start)

5.9, 100'

Two options: (1) Head up and left around a huge lake and reach the big ledge from the left. This seems to require a big cam (#5 or #6) to protect. (2) Traverse down and right for 20 feet to a dihedral and then climb up to the big ledge. This was the way the first ascent was done; it was rated at 5.7 A2 at the time but we felt it went free at 5.9.

We went with Option 2, since we did not have a big cam to protect Option 1.

Nate checking out the left start. It appeared we needed a bigger cam (#5 or #6) to protect the crux start. Our largest cam was a #3.....

....So we decided to climb the right start option. This was a surprisingly good pitch of steep 5.9 corner crack climbing.

The fun 5.9 corner crack.

Pitch 6

(Pitch 4 without direct start)

4th, 150'

Scramble up to the highest ledge and go right up a ramp. Squeeze behind a 20-foot flake, then follow a ramp up and right to the ridge crest.

The final pitch.

The crux of the final pitch is squeezing behind the flake. I call this pitch Fat Man's Misery.

Top!

The route tops out on ridge between Chasm View and Mt. Lady Washington.

The end of the route. Mt. Lady Washington in the distance.

Descent

There are a few options. You can descend easily to the Boulderfield and gain the trail to Longs Peak Trailhead. Alternatively, you can return to Chasm Lake via the Camel Gully or Fifth Avenue.

We we bivied in Chasm Lake Cirque for the weekend so we returned to Chasm Lake Cirque via Fifth Avenue (Camel Gully would probably have been slightly more efficient, but we wanted to scope out the lesser-known Fifth Avenue option).

Nate headed down the ridge towards the entrance to Fifth Avenue or Camel Gully.

Looking down Fifth Avenue. This is 3rd class with a couple of 4th class steps.

Descending Fifth Avenue.

Nearing the ledge at the end of Fifth Avenue.

On the ledge at the end of Fifth Avenue. Chasm View Wall towers above.

Checking out the start of Babies R Us. Looks like some great rock on this route. The first bolt looks a tad high though....on 5.11a terrain....

other photos

Below are some other photos from our weekend in the spectacular Chasm Lake Cirque.

Our bivy

We bivied in Chasm Lake Cirque. What a spectacular place to spend a couple of days—one of my favorite bivy locations in RMNP.

Our bivy. Chasm View Wall towers above.

Our bivy.

Enjoying a book and hot chocolate on Friday evening. It was raining on Friday evening, but we stayed reasonably dry in the bivy and with our bivy sacs.

Oatmeal (cinnamon roll or maple brown sugar flavor) has become my standard dinner. So warm and filling and tasty!

I'll always like oatmeal.

Nate's dinner. Photo by Nate.

My mom had sent us some Canadian chocolate bars. Each weekend we bring two (one for each night). This weekend it was a mint Aero and Bounty bar. Thanks mom!

Poptart and coffee for breakfast.

Yum. Sesame sticks. Photo by Nate.

Enjoying a sunny afternoon at the bivy after a morning of climbing Indirectissima.

I've read this book before, but Stephen King is worth re-reading.

A view down at our bivy.

Chasm Lake.

Water can be collected within 5 minutes of the bivy. I did not treat mine but Nate treated his.

Not a bad view for reading.

Evening view.

I guess Nate and I like to read.

After it got dark, the moths came out. There were hundreds of them flying around outside the bivy, presumably catching bugs. I had never seen anything like it. I tried to capture it with my camera, but it doesn't do it justice. But this flash captured their presence at least!

In this photo (sans flash) you can see a bit of the ripple appearance of the moth flight patterns. It was really quite captivating to watch.

Morning alpenglow on The Diamond from our bivy.

Morning alpenglow on Zumie's Thumb, Lower East Face, and The Diamond from our bivy.

Morning light on Zumie's Thumb, Lower East Face, and The Diamond from our bivy.

On Sunday evening when we arrived back at the Longs Peak Trailhead, it was as empty as I have ever seen it. We could thank the "90% rain" forecast for that. It never rained on us on Saturday or Sunday despite the forecast. NOAA don't know(a).

Flora, Plants, Birds, etc.

Although the wildflowers were past their peak, there were still several flowers dotting the landscape. There were also several rosy-finches up in the Chasm Lake Cirque.