Black Canyon of the Gunnison ClimbinG

NEWBERRY's SLABS & Checkerboard wall (North Rim)

Category: Colorado (Black Canyon)Elev: 6,000-7,000 ftRock Type: Gneiss
Dates: see main page for all days I've climbed in the Black CanyonPartners: see main page for all people I have climbed with in the Black CanyonTrip Report #s: see main page for all trip report numbers corresponding to reports for the Black Canyon

4 Trip Reports

NEWBERRY'S SLABS (NORTH RIM):

May 2024

CHECKERBOARD WALL (NORTH RIM):

July 2018, May 2024
July 2018, May 2024
October 2019

This page is trip reports for Newberry's Slabs and Checkerboard Wall in the Black Canyon. Go to Black Canyon main page to access trip reports on other formations in the Black Canyon.

Table of Contents for this page

Trip reports

Newberry's Delight (+ Maiden Voyage & King Me) (5.9, 4p, ~600' (+5.9, 4p, ~400' & 5.10-, 3p, ~300'))

NEWBERRY'S SLABS (NORTH RIM: CRUISE GULLY AREA)
  • Date: May 13, 2024 (Mon)        Partner: Linn Kelley

Newberry's Delight linked with Maiden Voyage is a nice 8-pitch 5.9 Grade III day of climbing in the Black. The route's best pitch is the first: a beautiful 5.9 hands-to-fists splitter. Linn and I climbed this route as part of an 11-pitch 3-route linkup of Newberry's Delight, Maiden Voyage, and King Me. It had rained heavily the evening before, so all of the routes had some wetness, but it just made it feel a bit more alpine.

Route Overlay #1

Route Overlay #2

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach: 

Descend the Cruise Gully, which involves scrambling and two rappels (fixed lines in 2024). Shortly after the second rappel, the gully opens up. Scramble down and right between North Chasm View wall and Newberry's Slabs buttress. The route starts at a prominent splitter below the ramp system on the upper portion of the formation.
It rained for most of the drive.
North Rim campground.
Rapping into Cruise Gully.
Watch out for the poison ivy!
Looking pretty oily.

Pitch 1: 

5.9. Climb the hand-fist crack, eventually entering a chimney. At a roof above, traverse left across a slab and belay on a ledge.
Pitch 1. This is a fun pitch.
Chimney on Pitch 1.

Pitch 2: 

5.9. Move up and left through broken crack and face climbing to reach a ledge. Move right and located a short, left-leaning finger crack that leads to another ledge. Move right onto slabs, ending at a stance below a left-leaning finger-to-handcrack. This is a rope-stretching pitch.
Linn leading Pitch 2.
Higher up on Pitch 2.

Pitches 3&4: 

5.7. Climb the crack to easier slabs above, trending up and left to a large ledge and other hand crack. Pitches 3&4 can be linked for a 70m pitch.
Crack that begins Pitch 3.
It had rained heavily the previous evening, so the cracks were wet.
Crack near the end of the route.

Descent: 

Routes on Newberry's Slabs require a linkup with another climb to reach the rim (unless you want to ascend Cruise Gully). A great 11-pitch 5.9 link-up is Newberry's Delight to Maiden Voyage to King Me (which is what we did).
The ticks are out.

The Maiden Voyage (+ King Me) (5.9, 4p, ~500' (+ 5.10-, 3p, ~300'))

CHECKERBOARD WALL (NORTH RIM: CRUISE GULLY AREA)
  • Date: July 5, 2018 (Thu)        Partner: Tony Bubb
  • Date: May 13, 2024 (Mon)        Partner: Linn Kelley

A great intro into Black Canyon climbing. An obvious line, entertaining, not very sustained or long, and (mostly) excellent rock.

This was the second route I ever climbed in the Black. July isn't the ideal time to be climbing in the Black, but I was passing through Colorado and just wanted to check this area out. Tony and I had climbed Comic Relief the day before and had found the temperatures pretty comfortable in the shade, so we decided to link two other morning-shade routes, Maiden Voyage with King Me, for 7 pitches and about 700 feet of climbing. Linking Maiden Voyage with King Me was a great way to climb all the way to the rim rather than hike up a gully to the rim as many parties do after climbing Maiden Voyage.

I climbed this route again in 2024, as part of an 11-pitch 3-route linkup of Newberry's Delight, Maiden Voyage, and King Me. It had rained heavily the evening before, so all of the routes had some wetness, but it just made it feel a bit more alpine.

Route Overlay #1

Route Overlay #2

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos


I've included side-by-side trip reports for both times I have climbed Maiden Voyage. Color coded:  July 2018   May 2024

Approach: 

Descend the Cruise Gully, which involves scrambling and two rappels (fixed lines in 2018). The Checkerboard Wall is obvious and a short distance from the base of Cruise Gully.
July 2018The start of the Cruise Gully is on the road between the campground and Ranger Station (right side as you head away from campground). You cannot see the sign from the road, but the trail is obvious and starts a bit after the trail to the SOB Gully.
July 2018First of two rappels in Cruise Gully. Both were fixed lines for us.
July 2018Cruise Gully as seen while climbing Maiden Voyage.
July 2018Looking up Maiden Voyage from base of Cruise Gully.
July 2018North Chasm View Wall, East Face. Scenic Cruise, Journey Home, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Leisure Climb (among other routes) go up this impressive wall. It was just too hot to climb anything in the sun on this trip.
May 2024We climbed Newberry's Delight (5.9, 3-4p) before climbing Maiden Voyage.

Pitch 1: 

5.9 (crux). The start of the route is the worst part of the route, ascending a dirty face into the crack system. Continue up, climbing through a roof (crux) and up some more to a belay spot below a wide crack. Some parties break this into two pitches. 
July 2018Starting up Pitch 1. The route looks rather uninspiring for the first 50 or so feet and then it gets better.
July 2018The 5.9 crux roof.
May 2024Pitch 1.
May 2024Linn leading the 5.9 crux on Pitch 1 (we broke this up into 2 shorter pitches).

Pitch 2: 

5.8. Ascend the obvious wide crack, go around a roof to the right, back left to go around the next roof, then up some fun double cracks. 
July 2018The wide cracks 5.8.
July 2018The double cracks. 5.8.
May 2024Start of Pitch 2.
May 2024Double cracks on Pitch 2.

Pitch 3: 

5.7. Climb up the huge easy dihedral to a large ledge with trees. 
July 2018Pitch 3.
May 2024Pitch 3.

Pitch 4: 

Summit block. 5.6. The route finishes up the summit block above with an obvious crack and corner over on the left. 
July 2018The start of the pitch up the summit block.
July 2018Second half of the pitch up the summit block.
May 2024The start of the pitch up the summit block.

Descent from summit block: 

Rappel from the summit block back to the ledge. From here, you can either (1) hike across a forested ledge and then scramble up an exit gully to the rim or (2) hike only half-way across the forested ledge and climb King Me to the rim. Stroll back to the campground.
July 2018From top of Maiden Voyage. Exit gully in the background (or climb a route like King Me to the top instead of slogging out the exit gully).
May 2024Rapping from the summit block.
May 2024Should we slog up the gully....or climb King Me (5.10-, 3p) to the top....we chose to climb rather than to slog.

King Me (5.10-, 3p, ~300')

CHECKERBOARD WALL (NORTH RIM: CRUISE GULLY AREA)
  • Date: July 5, 2018 (Thu)        Partner: Tony Bubb
  • Date: May 13, 2024 (Mon)        Partner: Linn Kelley

Excellent face climbing and fun wide cracks. A great way to get to the rim after climbing Maiden Voyage. A notch harder than Maiden Voyage.

This was the second route I ever climbed in the Black. July isn't the ideal time to be climbing in the Black, but I was passing through Colorado and just wanted to check this area out. Tony and I had climbed Comic Relief the day before and had found the temperatures pretty comfortable in the shade, so we decided to link two other morning-shade routes, Maiden Voyage with King Me, for 7 pitches and about 700 feet of climbing. Linking Maiden Voyage with King Me was a great way to climb all the way to the rim rather than hike up a gully to the rim as many parties do after climbing Maiden Voyage.

I climbed this route again in 2024, as part of an 11-pitch 3-route linkup of Newberry's Delight, Maiden Voyage, and King Me. It had rained heavily the evening before, so all of the routes had some wetness, but it just made it feel a bit more alpine.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos


I've included side-by-side trip reports for both times I have climbed Maiden Voyage. Color coded:  July 2018   May 2024

Approach: 

Hike <10 min on a forested ledge from the base of the summit block of Maiden Voyage to the base of King Me, which starts just right of some obvious vertical black streaks (you cannot see the streaks until you are starting to pass by the route).
July 2018The path between the base of the summit block of Maiden Voyage and the base of King Me.
July 2018King Me starts just right of these obvious black streaks. You cannot see the streaks until you are starting to pass by the route.

Pitch 1: 

5.10-. Climb up a steep face, past a fixed pin, and up and left to a ledge below the large right-facing corner.  
July 2018Tony starting up Pitch 1.
July 2018Midway up Pitch 1. Note the fixed pin for pro.
July 2018Fixed pin. Might want to tie it off closer to the wall to avoid too much levering action if you did happen to fall on it.
May 2024Pitch 1.
May 2024Pitch 1.
May 2024Fixed pin is still there.
May 2024Steph at the top of Pitch 1. Photo by Linn.

Pitch 2: 

5.9. Climb just right of the large, right-facing corner. At the end of the corner, traverse left under a cool nose feature.
July 2018Looking at the giant right-facing corner from the top of Pitch 1.
July 2018The climbing up the corner better than it looks.
July 2018Climbing the corner. I thought this was a fun pitch.
May 2024Looking up Pitch 2.
May 2024Pitch 2 wideness.
May 2024The top of the pitch does a hard left. The 90-degree angle of the rope led to twisting. I did have a long sling but should have extended it even more I guess.

Pitch 3: 

5.9+. Climb up an offwidth to a hand crack through a small roof to the rim.
July 2018Pitch 3. The roof is at the top of the pitch.
May 2024Linn leading Pitch 3 to the top.

Top out: 

You top out on the rim. From here, it is a quick hike back to the road between the Ranger Station and the campground.
July 2018North Chasm View Wall, East Face. Scenic Cruise, Journey Home, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Leisure Climb (among other routes) go up this impressive wall. It was just too hot to climb anything in the sun on this trip.
May 2024Hiking back to the road.

Checkerboard Wall (5.10+, 5p, ~650')

CHECKERBOARD WALL (NORTH RIM: CRUISE GULLY AREA)
  • Date: October 13 , 2019 (Sun)       Partner: Tom Wright

This route takes a line directly up the improbable southwest face of Checkerboard Wall Buttress. The climbing is quite good but also a tad bit spicy...

Tom and I climbed this on the second day of an October weekend in the Black. Drive to Black Friday night + Russian Arête Saturday + Checkerboard Wall Sunday + drive back to Boulder Sunday night. A great way to spend a fall weekend!

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach: 

Head down the Cruise Gully. Shortly after the second rappel, the gully opens up. Split off left on a climbers' trail heading to Checkerboard Wall Buttress. The route starts at a large ramp that leads up and right towards the center of the southwest face.
Even completely gutted, Tom's new van made camping in the cold quite cushy.
Heading down Cruise Gully.
The first (of two) rappel in Cruise Gully.
Checkerboard Wall Buttress. Checkerboard Wall climbs the middle of the southwest face on the right in the photo. Maiden Voyage climbs the obvious arête to the left of this face.
Not sure if this is poison ivy or box elder, but best to play it safe and avoid it.

Pitches 1&2: 

5.7. Climb  up the ramp, at around 20-25m heading left onto a steeper crack, climbing straight up to a higher ramp system. Follow this ramp system until it ends at the base of a junky chimney. This section is two pitches, and can be linked with a 70m rope or a bot of simul-climbing.
Looking up Pitch 1. Don't worry - it gets much better above.
Looking up Pitch 2, which we linked into Pitch 1.

Pitch 3: 

5.9 PG 13. Traverse right around the corner, and out of sight of the belay. Climb a 5.9 PG 13 face to a thin crack with tricky small pro. Head up and right on easier terrain, belaying at a stance below the steep right-facing corner of Pitch 4.
Pitch 3 goes right of the roof.
Traverse around the corner.
The face with tricky pro. Tom is belaying a bit shy of the belay noted in the topo.
A chilly belay being teased by the sun on the walls across the valley. We probably should have started the route an hour later since it is quite cold in the shade in October.
The impressive prow of Chasm View Wall across the way (just right of the prow is Scenic Cruise, which I had climbed a few weeks earlier).
Zoomed in on climbers at the start of Journey Home on Chasm View Wall. To the left of Journey Home is Scenic Cruise.
Another photo of the profile of Chasm View Wall. Such as impressive prow of rock.

Pitch 4: 

5.10+. Make some tricky moves off the belay to gain the corner. There is a piton to clip before making the moves, but a fall here would not be fun. Then climb up the sustained corner for 20-25m. Where it starts to arch away to the right, plug in a piece and step left, climbing face into a shallow corner. We thought the crux was gaining the shallow dihedral. Kind of scary here. Belay at the top of the corner.
Looking up the corner of Pitch 4.
Higher up on Pitch 4.
An old piton.
A climber from the team below us nearing the top of Pitch 4.
A view down the face from the belay at the top of Pitch 4. It is improbable that a route climbs this face but Checkerboard Wall route links together enough cracks and face features to climb it!

Pitch 5: 

5.10-. Climb up and slightly left into another small corner, clip a fixed pin and pull some heady face moves (bolt that was installed has been removed to respect the FA'ers wishes to maintain the original quality of the route) to gain the right-arching roof system above. Undercling and foot smear right under the roof. At an obvious weakness, pull over the roof and climb onto the face above. Continue up face climbing (kind of exciting with minimal pro) to a terrace below the summit block.
Looking up Pitch 5.
The bolt that was installed on Pitch 5 has indeed been removed to respect the FA'ers wishes to maintain the original quality of the route and make the leader concentrate on figuring out the thin face moves through this section. I'd happily clip a bolt if it were there and we had no qualms slinging a nut on it for mental pro, but I also totally agree with the sentiment of maintaining the original full flavor of the route.
The awesome roof traverse section. This was my favorite part of the route.
Looking back at the traverse section.

Pitch 6: 

Summit block. 5.6. From the top of Pitch 5, you can apparently traverse left below the summit block to above Maiden Voyage. But we didn't see a clear way, so we went right around the summit block, circumnavigating it on 3rd class terrain to the base of the final summit block pitch of Maiden Voyage. For a summit and a bonus pitch, climb summit block to top!
Looking up the pitch to the top of the summit block. This is the last pitch of Maiden Voyage.

Descent from summit block & Top out: 

Enjoy the view, rap back down to the base of the summit block, and hike out via an obvious easy gully across the way leading back up to the rim. Stroll back to the campground.
Tom on top of the summit block.
Chasm View Wall in profile. It's hard not to be impressed with this wall. A few weeks earlier I climbed the awesome Scenic Cruise, which is just right of the prow. See my Scenic Cruise trip report for a high-resolution image of this photo.
A view of the gully we ascended to get back up to the rim.
Tom is a geologist, so he pointed out the interesting contact of sandstone and gneiss on the canyon rim. There is about 1.5 billion years of rock lost between these contacts (due to erosion).
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