Cathedral spires climbing

Category: Colorado (South Platte)Elev: ~7,400 ft       Rock Type: Granite
Dates: 2019(x3 climbs), 2020(x3 climbs), 2021(x2 climbs),  2022(x2 climbs)Partners: Nate Arganbright, Erin Demarco, Michael Cantrell, Erika Bannon, Will Starks, Kishen Mangat
Trip Report #s:  
Cynical Pinnacle:  378, 583
Sunshine Wall: 382, 393, 453
Block Tower: 390, 455
The Bishop: 396

9 Trip Reports

CYNICAL PINNACLE:

November 2019
November 2019, September 2022

SUNSHINE WALL:

November 2019
February 2020
February 2020, January 2022
January 2021

BLOCK TOWER:

January 2020
January 2021

THE BISHOP:

February 2020

The Cathedral Spires in the South Platte is a collection of granite spires and pinnacles. Popular features include Cynical Pinnacle, Sunshine Wall, Poe Buttress, The Bishop, and The Dome. The climbing ranges from single-pitch cragging to multipitch. It is almost all trad, with a variety of cracks, chimneys, offwidths, slabs, and faces. Most of the routes are south-facing, making this a hot summer destination but a nice cold-weather crag. The climbing here is excellent.

The first time I climbed at Cathedral Spires was in November 2019, doing a link-up of two phenomenal routes: Center Route and Wunsch's Dihedral on Cynical Pinnacle. I returned a couple of weeks later to climb a fun link-up on Sunshine Wall including all three toes of Turkey Foot Crack. Since then I've returned several more times. Cathedral Spires is close to home and is a great fall and winter destination when temperatures are too cool for the alpine.

The following page features some "short reports" from some climbs I've done at Cathedral Spires. Most reports include a colorful route overlay and  pitch by pitch photos. 

SEASONAL RAPTOR CLOSURES:

Seasonal raptor closures are in effect here, usually March 1 to July 31. All of the formations are closed during this time.

Table of Contents for this page

Cynical Pinnacle

Center Route (5.9+, 3p)

CYNICAL PINNACLE
  • Date:  November 2, 2019 (Sat)     Partner: Nathan Arganbright

This route is one of the more popular routes at Cathedral Spires, climbing three pitches of 5.9 crack. 5.9 crack climbing doesn't get much better than this.

This was the first route I ever climbed at Cathedral Spires. After rapping down Center Route, Nate and I climbed the stellar Wunsch's Dihedral just 30-50 feet left of Center Route. What a great day of climbing! I highly recommend doing both of these routes in a day.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach: 

Same as per Wunsch's Dihedral. Hike 1200 feet up the hill and scramble up a steep corridor which leads to the base of the route.
(Trip report for Wunsch's Dihedral may have more photos of the approach.)
Cathedral Spires on approach. Already sunny first thing in the morning.
Center Route climbs a crack system about 30-50 feet to the right of the obvious dihedral (Wunsch's Dihedral).
Scrambling up the corridor to the base of the route. Note the ice!

Pitch 1: 

5.9. Climb a short right-facing corner to a big ledge (this corner is the same as for the start of Wunsch's Dihedral), then move right to an obvious hand-crack splitter in a corner/flake. Climb up until you reach a nook with a slung belay.
Looking up the corner/flake from the large ledge.
A bit higher in the corner/flake. Super fun.
Nate climbing Pitch 1. It looks sunny but the rock is probably 25° so cold fingers!

Pitch 2: 

5.9+. Climb up into a short slot, surmount the roof, and climb up the crack in the corner. Belay in a small inset. This pitch is a bit more sustained than Pitch 1.
Looking up Pitch 2.

Pitch 3: 

5.9. Follow the hand crack inside the chimney. When the two cracks diverge significantly, step right into the main crack system and follow the hand/fist crack in a right-facing corner to the shoulder with two bolted anchors on it. (I have smaller hands, and I found this pitch to be the crux of the route for me.)
The handcrack just left of the chimney.
Looking down from the top of the pitch.

Descent: 

Four rappels with a single 70 (a 60 probably works too) off bolted anchors (see overlay for locations).
(Trip report for Wunsch's Dihedral may have more photos of the descent.)
View to the south.

Wunsch's Dihedral (5.11b, 4p) (+Breashear's Finger Crack (5.11d, 1p))

CYNICAL PINNACLE
  • Date:  November 2, 2019 (Sat)     Partner: Nathan Arganbright
  • Date:  September 15, 2022 (Thu)     Partner: Kishen Mangat

This route takes on the awesome, striking crack and corner system which splits the south face of Cynical Pinnacle, going all the way to the summit in four pitches. The guidebook describes Wunsch's Dihedral as "the best route in the South Platte and is a strong contestant for the best 5.11 in the state." Pitches 2 and 3 (and Pitch 1 as well if you take the Breashear's Finger Crack option) are sustained at the 5.10+/5.11 grade, but eat up gear.

The first time I climbed Wunsch's Dihedral was in November 2019, with Nate Arganbright. This was each of our first visits to Cathedral Spires. Nate and I had climbed Center Route (just 30-50 feet right of Wunsch's Dihedral) just before. What a great day of climbing! I highly recommend doing both of these routes in a day. 

The second time I climbed Wunsch's Dihedral was in September 2022, with Kishen Mangat. In an attempt to squeeze in a late-season alpine route, we headed for Mt. Evans, but snow at the trailhead and a cold forecast forced us to reconsider our plans. Our backup plan was Wunsch's Dihedral, just about an hour's drive from Mt. Evans. Kishen had climbed this route several times over the years but was down to climb it again. Neither of us had never climbed the excellent 5.11d Breashear's Finger Crack (a difficult Pitch 1 option), so we tacked that on for a nice cap to the day after climbing Wunsch's Dihedral. A fun day!

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos


I've included side-by-side trip reports for both times I have climbed Wunsch's Dihedral. Color coded:  Nov 2019    Sept 2022  

Approach:

Same as per Center Route. Hike up the hill and scramble up a steep corridor which leads to the base of the route.
(Trip report for Center Route may have more photos of the approach.)
Nov 2019This photo was taken on approach, and included in the Center Route photoset. Wunsch's Dihedral climbs the obvious dihedral.
Sept 2022  An artistically-featured aging great mullein at the trailhead.
Sept 2022Trailhead sign.
Sept 2022Cynical Pinnacle basking in the morning sun.

Pitch 1: 

5.8 or 5.10 or 5.11d. There are a few ways to climb this pitch: (1) 5.8: Climb a short right-facing corner to a big ledge. Then aim up through a series of large blocks aiming for the big ledge just below the Pitch 2 corner. (2) 5.10: Climb a short right-facing corner to a big ledge. Move up and left and join the upper half of Breashears Finger Crack. Follow this thin crack to a comfy ledge. (3) 5.11d: Climb the full Breasheares Finger Crack. Power through the crux start and jam up to a large ledge at the base of the Pitch 2 corner.
I have climbed all three options for Pitch 1. The first time I climbed Wunsch's Dihedral in November 2019, we climbed the 5.8 start. The second time I climbed Wunsch's Dihedral in September 2022, we climbed the 5.10 start involving the second half of Breasheares Finger Crack, but at the end of the day we decided to tack on a bonus pitch and climb the full Breasheares Finger Crack.
Nov 2019Pitch 1 (the 5.8 option).
Sept 2022Kishen starting up Pitch 1 (the 5.8 start option).
Sept 2022The upper half of Pitch 1 (the 5.10 upper Breashears Finger Crack option.
Sept 2022Looking up Breashears Finger Crack from the base. We climbed this after we climbed the entire Wunsch's Dihedral, as a nice hard (5.11d) bonus pitch at the end of the day. This would be a tough start to the day, but does add to the quality of the route.

Pitch 2: 

5.11a. Climb the beautiful corner. Locker hand jams the entire way, with a cruxy section near the top. This is an enduro pitch, which means it is awesome sustained 5.10 the entire way with just a few rests. Triples in #1 and #2 were nice to have. I love this kind of enduro crack climbing.
Nov 2019Looking up from the base of Pitch 2.
Nov 2019Probably about 1/3 of the way up Pitch 2. Still more awesomeness ahead.
Nov 2019Looking down Pitch 2 while leading, about 2/3 of the way up.
Nov 2019Looking down Pitch 2 while leading, about 2/3 of the way up.
Nov 2019Nate nearing the top of Pitch 2. I found this section to be the crux for me on lead.
Sept 2022Looking up the start of the awesome Pitch 2 corner. I was excited to lead this pitch again.
Sept 2022Looking down from the belay. An epic amount of bird $#it.
Sept 2022The belay alcove at the top of Pitch 2.
Sept 2022Kishen laybacking at the top of the pitch. We agreed this part was the crux.

Pitch 3: 

5.11b. Crux pitch. Pull through the chimney/roof into an enduro layback corner. The crux of the pitch is a few thin moves in the corner, rather than the roof. The upper section eases up for plug and chug jamming to a large comfy belay ledge.
Nov 2019Looking up at the intimidating roof that starts of Pitch 3.
Nov 2019Nate starting off Pitch 3.
Nov 2019Pitch 3 above the roof. Nice lead Nate, this was not an easy lead.
Nov 2019 Looking down Pitch 3 about 2/3 of the way up.
Sept 2022The awkward start of Pitch 3. Much easier than the exit from the Black Dagger feature on The Diamond.
Sept 2022Looking up the awesome Pitch 3 corner.
Sept 2022The easy handcrack to finish off the pitch.

Pitch 4: 

5.12b or 5.7 A0. Climb the 6-bolt ladder or attempt to free the 5.12 face. The final section above the last bolt is about 10-15 feet of 5.7 slab climbing to the summit....
Nov 2019The bolt ladder of Pitch 4.
Nov 2019Looking down Pitch 4. Nate looks like he found a comfortable belay position.
Sept 2022Kishen going for a 12b free lead of Pitch 4. I tried to free this on toprope and couldn't do as well as Kishen did on lead.

Descent:

Five rappels with a single 70 (a 60 probably works too) off bolted anchors (see overlay for locations).
(Trip report for Center Route may have more photos of the descent.)
Nov 2019On top of Cynical Pinnacle.
Nov 2019View to the west. The obvious rock is Dome Rock.
Nov 2019The rap anchor on the summit.
Nov 2019At the base of the rappels.
Sept 2022Quite the beefy rap station at the top of Rappel 2 of 5. This is also at the top of the Center Route.
Sept 2022Rap 2 of 5. The third rappel station is quite far right of the fall line of the rope.
Sept 2022Rap 3 of 5. The fourth rappel station is quite far left of the fall line of the rope. So Rappels 2 and 3 make a zig-zag that could be straightened out with a new rappel anchor for Rappel 3 midway between the anchors the tops of Rappels 2 and 4.
Sept 2022I do appreciate the bolted rappel stations. Thanks to whoever spent the time putting these in.
Sept 2022View to the east.
Sept 2022Darkening skies behind Cynical Pinnacle on the hike out.
Sept 2022Fall colors.
Sept 2022Penstemon at the trailhead.

Sunshine Wall

Turkey Foot Crack (+ All 3 Toes) + Rip Van Winkle + summit block (5.10b, 4p + extra toes)

SUNSHINE WALL
  • Date: November 17, 2019 (Sun)     Partner: Erin DeMarco

Awesome 200 foot splitter + linkup with another awesome splitter all the way to the top! 

Route Overlay

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach:

Hoof up to the base of Sunshine Wall and take a right. Stop when you see the 200-foot splitter with three toes. You can't miss it.
(Other trip reports for Sunshine Wall may have more photos of the approach.)
Sunshine Wall on approach.
Turkey Foot Crack is the splitter on the left wall.

Pitch 1a: 

TURKEY FOOT CRACK: 3 TOES. 5.9-10b. Choose between the three toes. Or climb all three before moving on. There is a bolted anchor above the three toes.
Middle Toe. This is the one we climbed first. Listed in the guidebook as 5.9- and the "easiest toe" but we thought it felt more like 5.10a and was harder than the toe on the right.
Looking down from the intermediate anchor at the top of the toes.
Erin starting up the right toe. This one is 5.9 and felt the easiest of the three toes.
Crux wide section near the top of the right toe.
Left toe. This one is the hardest, at about 10b.
Erin climbing the left toe.

Pitch 1b: 

TURKEY FOOT CRACK. 5.10a/b. Climb the wide hands to fists splitter to a bolted anchor. Combined with one of the toes, this makes for an awesome 200 foot enduro lead.
Looking up the second half of Pitch 1, above the intermediate anchor. 
Erin climbing the wide splitter.
View of Cynical Pinnacle to the east.
View of The Bishop and The Dome to the west.

Pitch 2: 

TURKEY FOOT CRACK. 5.8. Head right from the top of Pitch 1, pass below a corner that peters onto a blank face, and climb cracks in a corner after this. The finish to this pitch is sort of adventurous (at least the way we did it).
Do not climb up this. The crack peters out onto a 5.10 R face.
Instead, climb this. Fun 5.8 climbing.
Looking down from where I belayed at the top of Pitch 2. I suspect I went a bit higher and further onto more adventurous terrain than needed, but I like an adventure.

Pitch 3: 

RIP VAN WINKLE.5.10a. Climb the splitter ripping through the east-facing wall, ending at a nice platform below a final summit block. Long and awesome pitch.
Looking up Rip Van Winkle.
Higher up on Rip Van Winkle.
Looking down from high up on the pitch. It's a long pitch.
Erin on the nice platform at the top of Rip Van Winkle.

Pitch 4: 

SUMMIT BLOCK.5.8. The actual top of the tower is about 30 feet above the ledge at the top of Rip Van Winkle. I couldn't find this pitch in the guidebook, but it looked climbable and getting to the top was too compelling to pass up. To get to the top, climb the thin hands/off fingers splitter to the right edge, boulder around to the right, and find a crack leading to the top of the tower. It felt about 5.8. There are no bolts up there (as of Nov 2019), and all I found was a piece of old tat for a west-side rappel, so I downclimbed the route back to the ledge at the top of Rip Van Winkle.
Climb the splitter that diagonals to the right side of the wall, and then boulder around and find another crack system leading to the top.
On top, looking down at Erin at the belay! There was no anchor on top, so Erin decided not to climb up and I downclimbed the route, which was easy enough to do.
Block Tower (in profile on the left) and Cynical Pinnacle to the east.
Wall of Mirrors to the north

Descent: 

There is a bolted rap anchor at the top of Rip Van Winkle for a north side rappel. We rappelled to a large ledge (single 60 or 70 gets you here), and not finding another rap anchor, we scrambled down somewhat-sketchy terrain to the gully below, and then took this easily back to the base of Turkey Foot Crack to pick up our packs and hike out to the car.
Erin at the rappel anchor.
Yea, safely back to the pokey bushes on the valley floor!
Turkey Foot Crack in afternoon light.
Turkey Foot Crack in afternoon light.

Gonzo's Lament (5.9, 4p) + Standard Route Pitches 1-3 (5.11a, 2-3p)

SUNSHINE WALL
  • Date: February 15, 2020 (Sat)     Partner: Michael Cantrell

Fun 5.9 crack and chimney climbing with a little bit of ice to spice things up. We capped off the day by toproping the stellar lower pitches (5.10d, 5.10, 5.11a) of Standard Route on the descent. (I climbed the Standard Route Pitches 1-3, this time ground-up rather than toproping, in January 2022. Scroll to next trip report to see photos.)

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach:

Hoof up to the base of Sunshine Wall and take a right. About an hour from car to base of route.
(Other trip reports for Sunshine Wall may have more photos of the approach.)
The trailhead. Always chilly in the morning shade.
Approaching Sunshine Wall.
The Bishop. I really want to climb the obvious offwidth/chimney (appropriately named The Bishop Offwidth, 11a).
Icicles.

Pitch 1: 

GONZO'S LAMENT5.9. Begin in a chimney immediately right of Standard Route. Above the chimney, climb an enjoyable hand crack in a corner to a ledge.
The usual start to Pitch 1 is the chimney. Hmmm....
The chimney was pretty icy, so we climbed to the right, which was still a bit icy but at least protectable.
Ice on Pitch 1. A good way to spice up the 5.8.
Fun hand crack in the corner to finish off Pitch 1.

Pitch 2: 

GONZO'S LAMENT5.8 or 5.9+. Continue up to the left facing dihedral to a belay notch. A 5.9+ variation takes intermittent cracks to the left of the corner.
Pitch 2 corner. I took this photo as we were descending via the rappel route just left of the route.
Michael nearing the end of the pitch. I had climbed the 5.9+ variation following intermittent cracks to the left of the corner. The corner looked more my style, but had been guarded by a triangle of snow, and I didn't feel like wallowing through it in my TC-pros.
The Bishop and The Dome to the west.

Pitch 3: 

GONZO'S LAMENT5.9. Traverse left from the belay to reach a vertical crack. Continue up the crack to a small ledge.
Michael starting off Pitch 3, which begins with a traverse left from the notch.
Pitch 3 follows a vertical crack. Fun stuff.

Pitch 4: 

GONZO'S LAMENT5.8. Climb the squeeze/flare/chimney to a ledge at the top. We had a #6 and found it quite nice to have (#3-sized gear fits further back in but this means you have to go further into the flare, and it is much more enjoyable to be able to stay in a wider part of the flare).
Looking up Pitch 4.
The squeeze/flare. I love this sort of climbing
Looking back down before committing to the squeeze.
Michael following Pitch 4.

Descent:

Rap the Standard Route to climbers left of Gonzo's Lament. 5 raps with a single 70.
(Trip reports for Standard Route may have more photos of the descent.)
The first rap anchor is on the edge of the ledge.
The first rappel.
On rappel. The rope is going over a 12c pitch of Sunkist. No wonder it looked hard....

Bonus pitches:

STANDARD ROUTE PITCHES 1-3:(toproped on rappel descent)Pitches 1&2: 5.10d, 130' (the guidebook lists this as one pitch, but mountainproject has this as two pitches, and there is an intermediate bolt anchor). Climb the obvious flake system, which starts with delicate moves and eases in the upper half of the pitch. Reach a two bolt anchor. From the anchor, layback, stem, and jam up the crack/corner, pulling over the final overhang to a large belay ledge with a two bolt anchor.Pitch 3: 5.11a, 50'. Head up towards a large, downward-facing flake, and make bouldery moves through the overhang and onto the gigantic block.
Scroll down this page for more photos of the Standard Route from when I climbed Pitches 1-3 again in January 2022, this time ground up rather than toproped on rappel.
The bouldery 5.11- roof move on Pitch 3.
The start of Pitch 1.
A little higher on Pitch 1.
Pitch 2 corner. We linked this with Pitch 1 on toprope (we had an 80m rope which just allowed us to do this). The guidebook puts this as part of Pitch 1 but mountainproject has it as Pitch 2.

Hike out:

Hike out the way you came. Probably easier on the way out.
(Other trip reports for Sunshine Wall may have more photos of the hike out.)
Quite a bit of melting since we approached that morning.
Cynical Pinnacle basking in the afternoon light.

Standard Route Pitches 1-3 (5.10d-5.11a, 2-3p)

SUNSHINE WALL
  • Date: February 15, 2020 (Sat)     Partner: Michael Cantrell      (climbed via toprope on rappel descent)
  • Date: January 12, 2022 (Wed)     Partner: Will Starks         (climbed via lead from below, Will led all pitches)

The Standard Route is one of the gems of Sunshine Wall as well as the South Platte. I have only climbed the first 3 (of 5) pitches, but this is a worthy outing in itself. After climbing Gonzo's Lament, Michael and I capped off the day by toproping the stellar lower pitches (5.10d, 5.10, 5.11a) of Standard Route on the descent. Two years later, Will and I ascended the first three pitches, but turned around at Pitch 4 after neither one of us was super psyched about a section of steep 5.9+ with the next piece of gear about 15 feet up an old piton. The guidebook has this route as 4 pitches but the first pitch can be broken up into two pitches for a total of 5 pitches. 

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach:

Hoof up to the base of Sunshine Wall and take a right. About an hour from car to base of route.
(Other trip reports for Sunshine Wall may have more photos of the approach.)
(no photos)

Pitch 1: 

5.10d. Climb to the top of a large block directly under the obvious flake system. Make delicate face moves past two bolts, eventually using the flake to reach a two bolt anchor. Belay here or continue upwards to link with Pitch 2.
Looking up Pitch 1.
Higher on Pitch 1.

Pitch 2: 

5.10. Layback, stem, and jam your way up the excellent crack system pulling over a final overhang to a large belay ledge.
Will starting up Pitch 2.

Pitch 3: 

5.11a PG-13 or 5.8. For the harder (and scarier) way, head right from the belay, then upwards towards a large, downward-facing flake. Face climb to reach the flake and make moves up and right, eventually pulling the challenging overhang and stepping left onto the gigantic block. For the easier way, instead of heading right from the initial flake, continue left and make your way onto the giant block.
Will leading the 5.8 variation of Pitch 3.
The 5.8 variation of Pitch 3. The 5.11a version goes straight up on the right side of the giant block above.
Steph topping out on Pitch 3. (Photo by Will.)
I guess this is the move to surmount the block. (Photo by Will.)

Pitch 4: 

5.9+. From the belay, head far right to clip the first bolt. Continue straight up via steep face climbing, following the line of bolts and fixed pins.
Will heading out on Pitch 3. He is past the 5.8R section (not so bad) but looking up the next piece (an old piton) is quite far off.... We backed off at this point, leaving it to another day when we felt more confident.
A cool tower on the right side. (Photo by Will.)
(no more photos, didn't climb this pitch)

Pitch 5: 

5.10b. Climb the crack system that eventually slants left and pulls a final difficult move to finish the pitch.
(no photos, didn't climb this pitch)

Descent:

Rap the Standard Route. 5 raps with a single 70.
(Trip reports for Gonzo may have more photos of the descent.)
(no photos)

Hike out:

Hike out the way you came. Probably easier on the way out.
(Other trip reports for Sunshine Wall may have more photos of the hike out.)
A beet massacre.

Buckshot (5.10b, 2p), Fallen Angel Pitch 1 (5.10a, 1p), & Decepton Past (5.10b, 1p)

SUNSHINE WALL
  • Date: January 13, 2021 (Wed)     Partner: Will Starks

A fun 2-pitch route followed by a couple of single pitches on Sunshine Wall. I was just over 4 months since a ACL+meniscus surgery, so Will did all of the leading while I enjoyed following.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach:

Hoof up to the base of Sunshine Wall and take a left (for Buckshot) or right (for Fallen Angel & Deception Past). About an hour from car to base of route. We discovered a new approach trail was under development. This was a really nice trail, with the intent being to have one trailhead access for all of the spires in the area (Sunshine through Cynical). The trail was not quite finished as of January 2021. We actually found the new trail took a bit more time to get to Sunshine Wall than the old trail, but it was a more pleasant experience.
(Other trip reports for Sunshine Wall may have more photos of the approach.)
Sunshine Wall on approach.
The new (in progress as of Jan 2021) approach trail.

Pitch 1: 

BUCKSHOT(This pitch is broken up into two pitches in the guidebook, but it makes sense to do as one ~140 foot pitch and have a nice belay spot.) Pitch 1a: 5.10a. Climb the left-facing dihedral. Reach a chockstone and bypass it on the left or right. Good climbing. Pitch 1b: 5.9. Continue up the crack to a small ledge.
Looking up from the base of the route. The route starts in the big corner system.
Looking up Pitch 1.
The end of Pitch 1. The guidebook breaks this part into a short second pitch.
Nice belay ledge. This makes it worth linking the two short pitches into one.

Pitch 2: 

BUCKSHOT5.10b. Climb up the right-leaning corner/ramp to the vertical crack overhead. Good hands widen to sustained cupped hands, which eases off when the angle lessens. Eventually reach the top ad belay on gear.
Pitch 2.
Crack on Pitch 2.
The angle lessens near the top of Pitch 2.

Descent:

Two options: (1) Scramble up and right to access gully and scramble down gully and back around to base of route; or (2) Rappel Squish (if you can find the anchors). We could not located the top rappel station for Squish, so we walked off.
Will on top.
Steph on top.
View towards The Bishop and Dome Rock.
The descent gully.
A single rappel in the descent gully.
Hmmm...sacrifice a sling to back this one up...probably should...

More pitches:

FALLEN ANGEL & DECEPTION PAST5.10a & 5.10b. Two fun single pitch crack climbs at the base of Sunshine Wall. Rap back down from anchors at top of route.
Fallen Angel on left, Deception Past on right.
Will starting up Fallen Angel.
A bolted slab/thin crack on Fallen Angel.
Deception Past.
Deception Past.

Block Tower

Hurt Dance (5.10a, 3p)

BLOCK TOWER
  • Date: January 20, 2020 (Mon)     Partner: Erika Bannon

I love a route where you need a #6 on every pitch! Thanks Erica for proposing this route and being an awesome partner. What a fun way to spend a sunny winter day.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach: 

Hike up to base of Cynical Pinnacle, then cut hard left, and then semi-bushwhack due west to the base of Block Tower.
(Other trip reports for Block Tower may have more photos of the approach.)
The trailhead for Cynical Pinnacle / Block Tower.
Hurt Dance starts around left of this pinnacle feature. Sex Dwarf Direct start starts on top of the block just left of the pinnacle feature. Dance of Chance starts just right of the pinnacle.
Scrambling up to the start of Sex Dwarf Direct.

Pitch 1a: 

SEX DWARF DIRECT. 5.9. (Bonus offwidth start!) By doing this start you can use the #5 and #6 on all three pitches of the route. Scramble up onto some blocks out and around to the left of the cave start of Dance of Chance. Climb a short #5- and #6-sized offwidth to a ledge. Turn left and take a short hand crack in a right-facing corner to the base of Hurt Dance. Easily link into first pitch of Hurt Dance.
Erika starting up the #6-sized offwidth of Sex Dwarf Direct.
The #6-sized offwidth of Sex Dwarf Direct. Yay, bonus offwidth! This way you can use the #6 on all three pitches.
The short hand crack leading left linking Sex Dwarf Direct and the start of Hurt Dance.

Pitch 1b: 

5.9+. Layback a short but wide low-angled left-facing dihedral to a ledge. Jam a varied finger to hand crack to a small ledge with a pair of old bolts.
Pitch 1.
The bolted belay anchor at the top of Pitch 1. The bolts are a tad old, so best to reinforce them with cams.

Pitch 2: 

5.10a. Continue up the crack, which widens from hands to a offwidth (a #6 is nice to scoot along with you and a #5 also fits further back). Gain a ledge with an old bolt, and climb up a hand and finger crack on the left wall. When the finger crack on the left wall ends, clip a bolt, move left on the face and up to a ledge and belay on gear.
Start of Pitch 2.
Looking back down the offwidth section on Pitch 2.
An old bolt midway up Pitch 2. This is the location of the "optional belay" noted in the guidebook. We did not belay here. No need. Plus the bolt is not confidence-inspiring.
The hand/finger crack on the left wall of the chimney. Good climbing.

Pitch 3: 

5.10a. Start up a nice hand crack that quickly widens into a full-blown squeeze chimney. You can scoot the #6 cam while you place hand-sized pieces at the back of the flare. Thrutch up the chimney, again protecting with hand-sized cams in a crack. A big cam (#5 or #6 or both) is nice to have near the exit. Pop out and then romp up easy 5th to the top and set a gear belay.
Erika cruising up the fun hand crack at the start of Pitch 3.
Erika in the chimney/flare near the top of the pitch.
The start of the chimney/flare.
The chimney/flare near the top of the pitch.
The #6 got used on every pitch yay!

Top:

Enjoy the view!
Poe Buttress to the west.
Cynical Pinnacle to the east.

Descent:

Two options:(1) Scramble off to the east, towards Cynical Pinnacle. (I went this way the following year after climbing Queer Bait.)  (2) Scramble off to the west, between Block Tower and Poe Buttress. (This is the way we went. I found it to be bit more unpleasant than option (1)).
(Other trip reports for Block Tower may have more photos of the descent.)
Decent option 1: towards Cynical Pinnacle.
Decent option 2: towards Poe Buttress. This is the way we went. Actually, we had planned to go the other way (I think the descent Option 1 towards Cynical Pinnacle is more standard), but we mis-remembered the descent beta and took descent Option 2 between Block Tower and Poe Buttress.
Steep 3rd/4th class scramble between Block Tower and Poe Buttress (Decent Option 2).
A cool tunnel feature.
Looking up Poe Buttress.

Queer Bait (5.11a, 3p)

BLOCK TOWER
  • Date: January 23, 2021 (Sat)     Partner: Nate Arganbright

This is a fun route with some crack climbing, an offwidth, and a short bolt-protected slab crux. The rock quality is not as great as I would have expected for its 3-star rating, but I think it is a route worth doing. No crowds at Block Tower either. This was one of my more crack-intensive days since my ACL+meniscus surgery 4.5 months previous, and I was pleased to discover that the knee seemed to be quite okay with climbing cracks and even a bit of offwidth.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach:

Hike up to base of Block Tower. There is a new trail in development (as of Jan 2021) that stops just short of the tower but the bushwhacking is mild.
(Other trip reports for Block Tower may have more photos of the approach.)
(no photos)

Pitch 1: 

5.10a. Climb up and around a large flake, cross a slab, and head up a crack. For the best belay spot and a 200-foot pitch go all the way to the base of the wide crack of Pitch 2.
Looking up from the base of the route.
Nate starting up Pitch 1.
Crack midway on Pitch 1.
We linked this 5.7 section into Pitch 1 to get a primo belay spot below the wide crack of Pitch 2.

Pitch 2: 

5.9. Climb the wide crack.
Wide crack of Pitch 2.

Pitch 3: 

5.11a. Continue up. After a nice handcrack you reach the short slab bolt-protected crux. After this, continue up marginal quality rock to the top.
Nate starting off Pitch 3.
The short bolt-protected crux.

Descent:

Two options:(1) Scramble off to the east, towards Cynical Pinnacle. (This is what we did, quite mellow.)  (2) Scramble off to the west, between Block Tower and Poe Buttress. (I went this way the previous year after climbing Hurt Dance. I found it a bit more unpleasant than option (1).
(Other trip reports for Block Tower may have more photos of the descent.)
Photo taken during descent.

Bonus Pitch:

TURKEY FOOT CRACK: ALL 3 TOES. 5.9-5.10b.On our hike out we passed underneath Turkey Foot Crack and couldn't help but do another pitch. Nate led up to the mid-way anchor and we proceeded to climb all three toes. We only had 1 #3 so opted out of continuing up the fist-crack above. (I had climbed Turkey Foot Crack in its entirety in 2019 and it is indeed excellent.)
Turkey Foot Crack.
Crack climbing with a view.
Beautiful winter day in the South Platte!

The Bishop

Bishop Offwidth (5.11a, 1-2p) + Bishop Crack (5.12b, 1p)

THE BISHOP
  • Date: February 29, 2020 (Sat)     Partner: Will Starks

Squeezing in a day on the Bishop before the bird closures in the Cathedral Spires area. Will and I climbed the two crack systems splitting the vertical east face of The Bishop.The climbing is sustained and superb. It was cool to reconnect with Will, who I had last climbed with on my road trip to Colorado in Summer 2018, which was the trip that led to my decision to move to Colorado. I am looking forward to more days of climbing with Will in the future!

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach: 

The approach starts the same as for Sunshine Wall, but continues up the old road. Once pretty much directly below the Bishop, head up a rib directly up to the base of the East Face. (On the approach, we took a route up to the base of Dome and then traversed left to Bishop, which involved weaving in and out of snowy boulders. On the way out we went down the rib and it was much better and more direct.)
Winter conditions on the approach.
Nearing the base of The Bishop (this photo was actually taken on the descent, since on the approach we came in from the right).
Looking up the steep east face. We climbed the two major crack systems. Splitter fingers on the left, offwidth and chimney on the right.

BISHOP OFFWIDTH.

5.11a, 1-2p. This is the beautiful jagged crack/chimney/slot that splits the east face, which can be seen from miles away. The route can be climbed as a single pitch or broken into two (rope drag can be an issue if one pitch). The first half of the route has an 11a offwidth crux (protected with a #6), while the second half is 5.8-5.9+ depending on which way you go at the giant block. Bring wide gear for this one. We had 2x#5 and 2x#6. We also borrowed a Valley Giant from another party up there, but found that once the crack widened past a #6, that it was too wide to protect. The largest big bros might have worked but it was pretty wide. Fortunately, the mandatory unprotected sections were relatively secure and rated 5.8. Superb athletic route up a unique feature.
Will in the 11a crux section. It looks easier than it is, as the rock is a bit smooth here and the upper lip sort of pushes you out. I think the way to do this is to figure out a way to wedge the left leg in.
The start of Bishop Offwidth goes up the layback ramp. The climber on the upper left is in the squeeze in the first part of Bishop Crack.
Higher up on the layback ramp section. There are some old bolts along the way (we clipped one or two, but relied more on our big cams).
An old bolt.
The first 5.8 squeeze. Too wide to protect with cams. I would not have felt comfortable leading this due to the lack of protection, but Will kept a cool head and did an awesome job.
Looking down the first 5.8 squeeze.
The second 5.8 squeeze. Quite enjoyable as far as squeeze chimneys go.
The upper section of the route intersects the last bit of the Ellingwood Chimney route.
The exit to the top. There is a harder way on the east side which pulls over the chockstone roof on jams.

BISHOP CRACK.

5.12b, 1p. The guidebook calls Bishop Crack one of the most aesthetic finger cracks in the country. Indeed it is superb climbing, consistently steep and great protection throughout. There is even a fun offwdith/slot section guarding the finger crack above. A phenomenal pitch. So good we climbed it twice. Bringing 2 ropes allows the leader to come back down to the ground to belay the second up, and to do a few more laps while you have a rope on it.
A climber (Gary) on Bishop Crack, as seen while climbing Bishop Offwidth route next door.
Michael and Gary on Bishop Crack. They were the only other party up there.
Will embarking on a lap on Bishop Crack. Notice that you can belay from the ground if you have 2 ropes, and you will pass the knot when the follower is securely in the wide slot. Having 2 ropes is also nice for a double rope rappel from the top anchor.
Looking up the squeeze slot at the start of the pitch. I like wide climbing so this part was really fun.
Looking down the squeeze slot.
Looking up the endless splitter fingers above the wide bit.
Looking down the endless finger crack of glory.

Other photos:

The South Platte is such a cool place.
View of Sunshine Wall from The Bishop.
Evening light on the South Platte. 
Evening glow on Sunshine Wall as we hiked out.
Taken on the hike out. Best approach is directly up the rib below the Bishop. Note the position of the Dome on the right side of the photo.
When we got back to the parking lot, the signs for the raptor closure were up. It was nice to squeeze in one last day at Cathedral Spires, and I am looking forward to more climbing here in the fall!

Complete List of Climbs I've Done at Cathedral Spires

Since I've also done some single-pitch cragging that does not always appear in the above trip reports, here is a complete list of climbs I've done at Cathedral Spires, mainly just for my own records.

Cathedral Spires

previous and next adventures

(Center Route & Wunsch's Dihedral, November 2019)
(Turkey Foot Crack + Rip Van Winkle, November 2019)
(Hurt Dance, January 2020)
(Gonzo's Lament + Standard Route, February 2020)
(Bishop Offwidth + Bishop Crack, February 2020)
(Buckshot, January 2021)
(Queer Bait, January 2021)
(Standard Route Pitches 1-3, January 2022)
(Wunsch's Dihedral, September 2022)