Black Canyon of the Gunnison ClimbinG
Comic Relief Buttress (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
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
4 Trip Reports
COMIC RELIEF BUTTRESS (NORTH RIM):
Escape Artist + Lightning Bolt Crack (5.10-/11c, 8-9p)
Comic Relief (5.10, 8-10p)
Cloaked Interpretation (5.11-, 6-10p)
Modern Day Migs (5.10+, 6-10p)
This page is trip reports for Comic Relief Buttress in the Black Canyon. Routes ordered left to right along the buttress. Go to Black Canyon main page to access trip reports on other formations in the Black Canyon.
Table of Contents for this page
Table of Contents for this page
Trip reports
Trip reports
Escape Artist + Lightning Bolt Crack (5.10-/5.11c, 7-9p, ~1000-1500')
COMIC RELIEF BUTTRESS (NORTH RIM: SOB GULLY AREA)Escape Artist + Lightning Bolt Crack (5.10-/5.11c, 7-9p, ~1000-1500')
- Date: May 25, 2020 (Mon) Partner: Michael Cantrell
Escape Artist is an old-school 5.9 that has historically been viewed as a standard introductory route to the Black, more sustained than either Maiden Voyage or Leisure Climb, a couple of other popular 5.9's in the Black, and with a few spicy sections of solid 5.9 above gear. The rock is for the most part quite good. The route is known for its wild Vector Traverse pitch, a left-leaning ramp/crack that is one of the most memorable 5.9 pitches in the Black. After that, the route follows a long, left-facing corner system on the left edge of the buttress, and then joins Comic Relief for its final pitches to the top of Comic Relief Buttress. The splitter Lightning Bolt Crack variation on Pitch 5 is one of the best pitches on Comic Relief Buttress.
Michael and I climbed Last Payment as the first of three climbs during a trip to the Black in May 2020, where we did two climbs on the South Rim (Blackjack and Last Payment) before driving 1.5 hours to the North Rim, where we did one more climb (Escape Artist). This was my first time checking out the South Rim, and Michael's first trip to the Black. At the thinnest points on the rim, the South Rim and North Rim are a mere 1,100 feet apart, but it took 1.5 hours to drive around the Black Canyon to get from one rim to the other!
Route Overlay
Pitch-by-Pitch Photos
Approach:
Descend the SOB gully almost to the river, to a white, polished slabby area under the third prominent buttress on your left. Scramble up to a large vegetated area below the wall; from here, scramble 4th and easy 5th class up and right to a small ledge below the two parallel cracks that lead to the Vector Traverse.
Ah, poison ivy, such a friendly-looking evil plant.
Pitch 1:
5.9+. Climb up the right of two parallel, left-arching cracks that lead to the Vector Traverse. The difficulties increase as you climb. Belay near the beginning of the Vector Traverse. This is a long pitch. And quite good.
Michael starting up Pitch 1.
Final stretch of Pitch 1.
Pitch 2:
5.9+. Vector Traverse pitch! Follow the wild ramp/crack system up and left. Lots of good gear placements throughout give confidence for the committing movement. Belay on a ledge at the end of the traverse.
Steph near the start of the Vector Traverse. (Photo by Michael.)
A view back to Michael at the belay, the Gunnison River below.
Midway, looking forward at the traverse yet to come.
Midway, looking back at the traverse already completed.
Nearing the end of the pitch.
Looking back from near the end of the pitch.
Pitch 3:
5.10-. Climb the steep dihedral. Belay at a stance on the left near an old pin. This pitch is sustained, long, and the gear can be thoughtful at times. The crux is near the top of the pitch.
Michael starting up Pitch 3.
The final stretch of Pitch 3. Fun climbing.
The fixed pin at the belay at the top of Pitch 3.
Pitch 4:
5.7. Continue up moderate cracks on the face to the right. Belay on Lighting Bolt Ledge above.
Looking up at Pitch 4.
Taken while leading Pitch 4.
Pitch 5:
LIGHTNING BOLT CRACK. 5.9+ or 11c. For the 5.9+ version, climb the obvious corner, eventually moving right to belay on lower-angled terrain above. For an awesome 11c variation, climb the beautiful Lightning Bolt Crack on the overhanging wall right of the corner. Despite referring to this as a variation, this was actually the line of the first ascent by Ed Webster and Chester Drieman in 1982.
Lightning Bolt Crack. Yeah, we gotta climb that.
Lightning Bolt Crack. The 5.9+ corner is to the left.
Michael launching into the crack.
A party on Comic Relief just below Lightning Bolt Ledge.
A view looking down the canyon.
Pitches 6&7:
5.7. (300' or more): Climb the lower angle, but at times runout, wall above to the top of the summit ridge.
Somewhere on Pitch 6.
Some giant quartz crystals on Pitch 6.
Exit:
ESCAPE PITCHES. There are two options from the top of Comic Relief Buttress: rappel down and scramble out the exit gully, or rappel over to the continuing ridge and climb the "Escape Pitches" up to the rim. I had already climbed the Escape Pitches twice, and Michael and I had a goal of getting back to Boulder before it was dark, so we opted for the exit gully. This was quick and surprisingly pleasant.
The bolted rap anchor off the left side of the summit to get to the exit gully.
The rappel to get to the exit gully.
Exit gully.
Scrambling up the exit gully.
Some pretty Indian paintbrush along the way.
Top out:
Pop out on the canyon rim at the campground. Too bad the campground was closed due to Covid-19, since we had to walk an extra few hundred feet to get to the cool drinks in our car.
The campground was uniquely empty.
The whiteboard tallying the climbers out enjoying a Memorial Day in the Black.
Comic Relief (5.10, 8-10p, ~950-1500')
COMIC RELIEF BUTTRESS (NORTH RIM: SOB GULLY AREA)Comic Relief (5.10, 8-10p, ~950-1500')
- Date: July 4, 2018 (Wed) Partner: Tony Bubb
- Date: May 20, 2022 (Fri) Partner: Nate Arganbright
Comic Relief is an excellent introduction to 5.10 climbing in the Black, with clean rock, good pro, easy routefinding, and a relatively short day. The climb stays in the shade until early afternoon, so it's a good choice for hot weather. This is one of the more popular routes in the Black.
July 2018: This was the first 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. Comic Relief is a good choice because it is one of the few routes on the North Rim with morning shade. Tony and I started early, and the temperatures during the climb were surprisingly tolerable in the shade, comfortable even. We climbed the Escape pitches all the way to the rim (avoiding the hot hike up a gully to the rim); one of the perks of climbs in The Black is that many of them top out right on the rim, mere minutes from the campground. In fact, the Escape pitches topped out 100 feet from our campsite!
May 2022: I climbed this route a second time in May 2022. It was just as good a route as I remembered it to be. Nate led the excellent Black Corner (5.10) variation for Pitch 4. On this trip we had planned to climb a few more days, but we were shut down by a snowstorm that began just as we were topping out on the canyon rim from this climb. We made a sad 7-hour retreat back to Estes Park. But after a few productive days in Estes Park, we headed back to the Black for four more days of climbing (including The Cruise, Russian Arête, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Lauren's Arête).
Route Overlay
Pitch-by-Pitch Photos
I've included side-by-side trip reports for both times I have climbed Comic Relief. Color coded: July 2018 May 2022
Approach:
Descend the SOB gully almost to the river, to a white, polished slabby area under the third prominent buttress on your left. Scramble up to a large vegetated area below the wall; from here, scramble 4th and easy 5th class up and right to a small ledge below the obvious left-facing corner with a finger crack (the "Vector Traverse" on Escape Artist goes up and left from here).
July 2018The start of the SOB Gully is clearly marked with a sign, and starts on the road between the campground and Ranger Station (left side as you head away from campground).
July 2018Poison ivy in the SOB Gully.
July 2018Comic Relief Buttress as seen on the approach. One obvious feature to help identify the buttress and the start of the route is the "Vector Traverse" on Escape Artist.
July 2018Annotated photo of the ledge system to get to base of Comic Relief and Escape Artist.
July 20184th class scramble to base of Comic Relief and Escape Artist. We put on rock shoes but did not rope up for this.
July 2018Morning sun on the steep rugged walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We were climbing on the shady side of the canyon.
May 2022Entrance to SOB gully.
May 2022Poison ivy in SOB gully.
May 2022Poison ivy in SOB gully.
May 2022Flowers in SOB gully.
May 2022View down canyon.
May 2022The scramble approach to the base of Comic Relief.
Pitch 1:
5.9. Begin in a nice 5.9- corner which leads to the base of the arching crack. Belay at the base of the arching crack, or keep going to link Pitches 1 + 2.
July 2018Tony staring up Pitch 1 of Comic Relief, a fun 5.9 crack system.
July 2018Second half of Pitch 1.
May 2022 Nate starting up Pitch 1.
May 2022Higher on Pitch 1.
Pitch 2:
5.10 (crux). Climb the arching crack (fingers/layback crux) and continue up sustained 5.9 crack to a belay ledge.
July 2018Pitch 2. This is the crux pitch of the route (5.10). The crux occurred in first 20 feet for me. It was less of a finger crack and more about placing weight in the right directions, which was a bit tricky to do and place gear at the same time.
July 2018Tony nearing top of Pitch 2. The upper part was fun 5.9.
May 2022Nate starting up Pitch 2. This is the crux pitch and quite tricky.
May 2022Higher on Pitch 2.
Pitch 3:
5.7. Climb the left facing corner, traverse right at its top, continue up easy ground/slab to another short corner, and climb it to a good belay stance below a steep black corner.
July 2018Tony starting up Pitch 3. This pitch is pretty moderate, 5.7.
July 20185.7 corner near the top of Pitch 3.
May 2022Start of Pitch 3.
May 2022Higher on Pitch 3.
Pitch 4:
5.9 or 5.10. Traverse left to a flared corner (5.9) with good hands which leads to a nice ledge. Variation (which I did in May 2022): Climb the "Black Corner" above (5.10, excellent climbing), then hand traverse straight left (5.6) to the belay ledge.
July 2018The 5.8 traverse at the start of Pitch 4.
July 2018Looking down the 5.9 corner on Pitch 4. I always like flared corners, since I can climb them straight in and get really secure jams the entire way up. Larger people probably have to stem or one-arm jam the corner, which probably makes the climbing a bit harder.
July 2018Tony nearing top of the 5.9 Pitch 4.
July 2018Looking up the Black Corner variation (5.10) on Pitch 4. This way looks fun too.
July 2018If you climb the Black Corner variation, you traverse left on this hand rail system to get to belay.
May 2022The Black Corner. We climbed this excellent 5.10 variation to Pitch 4.
May 2022The traverse at the top of the Black Corner variation to Pitch 4.
May 2022The traverse at the top of the Black Corner variation to Pitch 4. Photo by Nate.
May 2022Anchor at the top of Pitch 4. Photo by Nate.
May 2022A view down canyon. Photo by Nate.
Pitch 5:
5.9+. Climb up easy ground and pull the bulge up and right. Then move right to the base of the tall left facing corner and climb the corner (5.9+) to the large ledge below Lightning Bolt Crack.
July 2018Tony on the 5.8-ish bulge on Pitch 5.
July 2018The steep corner on the second half of Pitch 5. The 5.9+ crux is near the top.
July 2018Steph finishing Pitch 5, silhouetted against the sunny walls on the other side of the canyon. Photo by Tony.
May 2022Nate starting off Pitch 5.
May 2022Higher on Pitch 5.
Pitch 6:
5.9+. Climb the grungy but well-protected corner (climbs better than it looks) to a short pegmatite section, and a belay ledge on the right. Variation: Climb the striking Lightening Bolt Crack (5.11) on the overhanging right wall, sharp, strenuous, but well protected.
July 2018Looking up the 5.9+ corner at the start of Pitch 6. This corner is a bit dirty, but the climbing is actually quite good. Lightning Bolt Crack (5.11) is on the right.
May 2022Looking up Pitch 6.
May 2022Climbing through a pegmatite band on Pitch 6.
May 2022Higher on Pitch 6.
Pitches 7&8:
5.7. (300' or more): Climb the lower angle, but at times runout, wall above to the top of the summit ridge.
July 2018Somewhere on the upper two pitches (Pitches 7-8). This is moderate (5.7 or so) climbing to top of Comic Relief Buttress. I had extended Pitch 6 into a long pitch to eat up half of Pitch 7, and Tony led the remainder of Pitch 7 plus Pitch 8 to the top (with perhaps 50 feet of simulclimbing on our 70m rope).
July 2018Cool quartz band on Pitch 7 or 8.
July 2018Steep and rugged walls of the Black Canyon of Gunnison from high on Comic Relief.
May 2022Nate starting off Pitch 7. A bit of simulclimbing to the top of Comic Relief Buttress.
May 2022Giant quartz crystals on Pitch 7.
Pitches 9&10:
ESCAPE PITCHES (5.easy to 5.8) or "Walk off" (4th). On my 2018 ascent of Comic Relief, we climbed the "Escape Pitches" up to the rim. This entails 2-3 pitches of easy 5th (up to 5.8). The alternative to the Escape Pitches (which we did on the 2022 ascent) is to scramble up a gully to the rim. Either requires a short rap to get off the top of Comic Relief Buttress—use the left rap anchor for the gully scramble and the right rap anchor for the Escape Pitches.
July 2018The gully you can scramble up to get back to the rim. The hot slog up this gully did not seem appealing, so instead we climbed the Escape Pitches to the rim.
July 2018An annotated photo showing the Escape Pitches up the ridge to the rim. This took 2-3 pitches, mostly 4th with a couple of 5.7-5.8 moves. Although the climbing itself was nothing to write home about, it beat the hot slog up the gully.
July 2018Rap anchor at top of Comic Relief Buttress. This is the right-hand anchor that you use if you choose to do the Escape Pitches to the rim. Make a short (~20 foot) rap to gain the side across the chasm. Apparently gutsier people then me tie into the rope and jump across.
July 2018Nearing the top of the Escape Pitches up the ridge to the rim.
May 2022Rappelling from the top of Comic Relief Buttress. This is the rappel used to get to the walk-off gully rather than the Escape Pitches. Photo by Nate.
May 2022Rappelling from the top of Comic Relief Buttress. This is the rappel used to get to the walk-off gully rather than the Escape Pitches.
May 2022The "walk-off" gully.
May 2022The "walk-off" gully.
May 2022Indian paintbrush in the walk-off gully. Photo by Nate.
Top out:
Pop out at the campground (ideally at your campsite!).
July 2018As we were climbing the Escape Pitches, we joked about how cool it would be if we popped onto the rim right at our campsite (Campsite #4). And then we did!
May 2022We popped out right at our campsite.
Other photos:
Just some other random photos....not directly related to the climb.
July 2018Road on the way to Black Canyon of Gunnison. Doesn't quite feel like the standard tourist-overrun national park!
July 2018Ranger Station on the North Rim. Most times when I went down there it was not staffed, but on one occasion it was and the ranger was happy to photocopy a route topo from the guidebook for me.
July 2018Must fill out a Wilderness Permit to climb at the Ranger Station. This is mainly a safety feature, since there the canyon is pretty wild and without cell service, so they need to know where to look for climbers if things go awry...
July 2018Looking down the deep and narrow Black Canyon of Gunnison from the left overlook on the Chasm View trail at the campground. So much rock.
May 2022Just minutes after arriving back on the canyon rim, it began to rain…..
May 2022…and soon snow. At least we have a great camping setup.
May 2022Snowy flowers.
May 2022Hanging out in the tent reading. We were quite warm and comfortable. But we preferred to be hanging out outside and preparing for a climb.
May 2022Nate’s dinner: Naan, sausage, cheese, peppers, and aioli. Yum.
May 2022My recent dessert hack is egg wrap pancakes.
May 2022A remnant of the Covid pandemic at the outhouse.
May 2022This was the first time I’d been to the Black and the water was turned on.
May 2022Snow-covered flowers.
May 2022Snow-covered penstemon.
May 2022Snow-covered penstemon.
May 2022The entrance to the SOB gully. No climbing today.
May 2022We hiked to the overlook to soak in the chilly view before driving back to Estes Park, accepting the defeat due to weather and trying not to dwell on the upcoming weather forecast for sunny skies at the Black.
Cloaked Interpretation (5.11-, 6-10p, ~950-1500')
COMIC RELIEF BUTTRESS (NORTH RIM: SOB GULLY AREA)Cloaked Interpretation (5.11-, 6-10p, ~950-1500')
- Date: May 16, 2020 (Sat) Partner: Nate Arganbright
Cloaked Interpretation links the first four pitches of Cloak & Dagger with the stellar upper pitch of Modern Day Migs, via a thin 5.11- crack on the arête between the two climbs. With the beautiful 5.10+ stemming dihedral-to-hand crack of Cloak & Dagger, the exciting 5.11- pitch on the arête, and the stellar rope-stretching finish of Modern Day Migs, this may be one of the best 5.11a routes in the Black. In particular, Pitches 3 and 6 were some of the best pitches of climbing I have done in the Black.
Nate and I climbed Cloaked Interpretation on the second of three climbs during an enjoyable trip to the Black in May 2020. The other two climbs we did on this trip were The Odyssey and Buzz Cut. The Black had a rather unique vibe to it on this trip, since the National Park had just re-opened to day use following a lengthy closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Route Overlay
Pitch-by-Pitch Photos
Approach:
Descend SOB Gully as per Comic Relief. The route starts just right of the start of Comic Relief on a ledge at the base of the wall. Traversing around the corner may involve a bit of low- to mid-5th or a short rappel, depending on how high you go as you scramble towards the start of the route.
And another nice morning. Long days in the spring mean no need to approach in the dark.
Nate doing his best to avoid the poison ivy in SOB gully.
Morning sun on the Black Canyon.
Another view down the canyon a bit later in the morning.
The route description we had said to gain Comic Relief Ledge and traverse right to the start of Cloak and Dagger. We ended up one ledge too high and made a short rappel onto the route. Due to the fixed sling we rappelled off of, this is probably a common mistake.
Pitch 1:
CLOAK & DAGGER / MODERN DAY MIGS. 5.6. Head up a large pegmatite gully to a ledge below the chimney. This part is easy enough to solo if you are comfortable.
Pitch 1 is unremarkable.
Pitch 2:
CLOAK & DAGGER / MODERN DAY MIGS. 5.9+. Climb the hand-fist crack which eventually enters the peg chimney above. Continue up the chimney and belay on a ledge below an open book dihedral.
Looking up Pitch 2, which starts in the wide crack on the left and enters the chimney.
Pitch 3:
CLOAK & DAGGER. 5.10+. Climb the dihedral. This gradually becomes a right-facing corner. Pull through a bulge and continue up a crack to a nice stance below an arching roof. This is one of the best pitches of climbing I have done in the Black.
Nate starting up Pitch 3. An awesome pitch.
Pitch 4:
CLOAK & DAGGER. 5.10. Climb through the arching roof and continue up a left-facing corner, eventually trending left into a lower angle weakness to a terrace above. This is the belay spot for Cloak and Dagger. However, to continue via Cloaked Interpretation, you need to move the belay rightwards along the terrance towards the arête, stopping at an obvious ledge with blocks on it.
Looking up the start of Pitch 4.
Don't go right to the arête yet; instead, go up and left here.
The lower-angle weakness that comprises the second half of the pitch.
Pitch 5:
CLOAKED INTERPRETATION. 5.11-. Make a few committing moves up steep jugs and thin crack, gaining the dihedral on the arête. This eventually leads to a section of difficult climbing (protected by RPs and microcams) to gain the belay ledge beneath Pitch 6 of Modern Day Migs.
Starting up Pitch 5.
Yum, shoe water. Shoes are a great place to store stuff on a climb.
Pitch 6:
MODERN DAY MIGS. 5.11-. Climb a crack just right of the bombay, eventually trending back left into a wonderful hand crack. This ends on a ledge (optional belay). From this ledge, continue up the fractured, brown face, pulling over the top to a belay on a ledge. Without the optional belay, this is a full 60m pitch of great 5.10-5.11- climbing. This is one of the best pitches of climbing have done in the Black.
Nate enjoying the excellent climbing on Pitch 6.
The fractured, brown face on the second half of the pitch.
Looking down the fractured, brown face.
Pitch 7:
MODERN DAY MIGS. ~5.7. Take the arête to the top of Comic Relief Buttress. It is also possible to cut more leftward and get on easier terrain.
Looking down while leading the mid-5th pitch to the top of Comic Relief Buttress. We went up the exposed ridge which is more exposed and a bit harder than cutting left and then up.
Pitches 8-10:
ESCAPE PITCHES. 5.easy to 5.8. We climbed the "Escape Pitches" up to the rim. This entails 2-3 pitches of easy 5th (up to 5.8). The alternative to the Escape Pitches is to scramble up a gully to the rim. Either requires a short rap to get off the top of Comic Relief Buttress—use the left rap anchor for the gully scramble and the right rap anchor for the Escape Pitches.
Looking up at the Escape Pitches.
To get to the Escape Pitches, you must rappel/swing over from the top of Comic Relief Buttress. This is a view back towards Nate on top of Comic Relief Buttress at the rappel anchor.
Midway through the Escape Pitches.
Coiling up the rope.
A short hike to the canyon rim.
Top out:
Pop out on the canyon rim at the campground. Too bad the campground was closed due to Covid-19, since we had to walk an extra few hundred feet to get to the cool drinks in our car.
You pretty much pop out at the campground. Usually, this site would be occupied by a white Sprinter van or Subaru and a couple of tents. But the campground was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other photos:
Just some random photos.
I came across a couple of disembodied lizards. Lizard legs must taste better than lizard heads.
My dad will get a kick out of the fact that I am using his old gear sling, which I think is actually made out of a seatbelt. Ironic that it was made by a company based in Boulder, CO (where I recently moved to).
The whiteboard at the ranger station. Not everyone is hunkered at home wearing a face mask.
I was content with my gluten-free fares of canned beans and oatmeal, but I have to admit Nate's pizza creation looked pretty tasty.
Modern Day Migs (5.10+, 6-10p, ~950-1500')
COMIC RELIEF BUTTRESS (NORTH RIM: SOB GULLY AREA)Modern Day Migs (5.10+, 6-10p, ~950-1500')
- Date: May 17, 2024 (Fri) Partner: Nate Arganrbight
This route starts on Cloak and Dagger and then veers rightward after two pitches, gaining access to the beautifully polished, reddish-brown rock on the upper wall. Nate and I had climbed the first two pitches and last two pitches when we climbed Cloaked Interpretation in May 2020, but the middle three pitches were new to us and worth climbing the route for. The route features a lot of protectable 5.10- climbing, with a 5.10+ move here and there.
Route Overlay
Pitch-by-Pitch Photos
Approach:
Descend SOB Gully as per Comic Relief. The route starts just right of the start of Comic Relief on a ledge at the base of the wall. Traversing around the corner low just involves an exposed low-5th move. Traverseing too high may result in a short rappel.
Poison ivy in SOB Gully.
Poison ivy in SOB Gully.
Pitch 1:
SHARES WITH CLOAK & DAGGER. 5.easy. Head up a large pegmatite gully to a ledge below the chimney. This part is easy enough to solo if you are comfortable.
Scrambling up Pitch 1. This was easy to do in approach shoes unroped.
Pitch 2:
SHARES WITH CLOAK & DAGGER. 5.9+. Climb the hand-fist crack which eventually enters the peg chimney above. Continue up the chimney and belay on a ledge below an open book dihedral. To get to the start of Pitch 3, move the belay about 20 m to the right, via a 5.5 traverse.
Looking up Pitch 2.
Traverse (5.5) to start of Pitch 3 and set a belay.
Pitch 3:
5.10. Climb a small, right-facing corner/hand crack near some black streaks, eventually moving right to pull through an exposed 5.10 bulge. Continue to a small alcove above, where a steep 5.9 section leads to an easier weakness. Belay below a right-facing corner.
Nate starting up Pitch 3.
Higher on Pitch 3.
Pitch 4:
5.10+. Avoid the large corner system and climb a right-leaning 5.10 crack. This leads to a few awkward moves of 5.10+ in a small corner/bulge. Move up and left, belaying at a large flake.
Nate starting up Pitch 4.
Pitch 5:
5.10. Climb the right side of the flake (5.10-) to a ledge, then continue up a splitter 5.10 fist-hand crack in brown, polished rock. Double cracks lead to a belay stance below a bombay chimney.
Start of Pitch 5.
Hand/fist crack. A fun stretch of climbing.
Pitch 6:
5.10+. Climb a crack just right of the bombay, eventually trending back left into a wonderful hand crack. This ends on a ledge (optional belay). From this ledge, continue up the fractured, brown face, pulling over the top to a belay on a ledge. Without the optional belay, this is a full 60m pitch of great 5.10 climbing. This is one of the best pitches of climbing have done in the Black.
Looking up the stellar Pitch 6.
Pitch 7:
~5.7. Take the arete to the top of Comic Relief Buttress. It is also possible to cut more leftward and get on easier terrain.
Climb the arete to the top of Comic Relief Buttress.
Flowers en route.
Scramble to rim:
ESCAPE PITCHES (5.easy to 5.8) or "Walk off" (4th). On other ascents of Comic Relief Buttress, I have climbed the "Escape Pitches" up to the rim. This entails 2-3 pitches of easy 5th (up to 5.8). The alternative to the Escape Pitches is to scramble up a gully to the rim. Either requires a short rap to get off the top of Comic Relief Buttress—use the left rap anchor for the gully scramble and the right rap anchor for the Escape Pitches. But Nate had to make a phone call so we decided to scramble out the exit gully. Pop out at the campground (ideally near your campsite!).
Scrambling down the ridge to the rappels that get you into the exit gully.
Rap rings. These are hidden from view until you are right up on them.
Exit gully. Fun 4th class scramble.
Indian Paintbrush along the way.
Other photos:
Other random phtoos from the day.
This was the debut trip for Nate's new 2024 Ford Transit.
Van life. I could get into this.
Relaxing at camp after a good day of climbing.
I did a logic puzzle.
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