Happy Tuesday All! Today I will be sharing a write-up of one of my personal all-time favorite climbs; Rewritten in Eldorado Canyon. Memorable pitches, aesthetic line, excellent protection, comfy belay locations, one of the most beautiful canyons I have yet visited, and the best partner in climb a guy could ask for; make Rewritten one of my favorite afternoons out to date!
I had the great pleasure of climbing Rewritten on the last weekend of September on a visit to see Hans and fellow Rainier partner Tyler in Vedauwoo the weekend prior and climb some stuff around the Boulder area with Hans following. We had some great adventures, funny experiences, and grand climbs; but Rewritten was definitely a highlight for us both!
Quick Stats:
- Location: Eldorado Canyon
- Crag: Redgarden Lumpe to Top
- Rating: 5.8+ with our chosen variations (5.7 original line)
- Height: around 650 ft
- Pitches: 6
- Gear Recommendation: Double Rack through #3 Camelot. 10 alpine draws
- Bolted Anchors: One, top of second pitch, rest gear anchors
- Rappels: Don’t, walk off
- Link: Rewritten
Climb Review
Rewritten is a classic Eldo climb located on far left on the impressive Redgarden Wall. A wonderful climber trail has been developed to access climbs along the wall. One of Hans’ and my own weaknesses among many is trail-finding; we somehow missed it and took a loose rock gully far from the wall all the way up to the top. A direct quote from Hans to tell you how stupendously we messed up approach-wise, “Adam! I found a class one chimney to get through.” When/if you go to Eldo, think to yourself, “don’t be an idiot like Adam, there is definitely a well-defined trail to access some of the most famous climbs in the United States.” And well defined it is, after our climb while walking back to our vehicle we marveled at our own ignorance while descending a wonderfully manicured path including signs with directions to climbs and ladders to bypass 3rd-4th class sections; but I digress.
Through some stroke of luck, we arrived at the base of the climb, on a bluebird Saturday afternoon, with no one in line and the only party on the route well on their way up the iconic 4th pitch. After flaking the ole’ rope out and racking up with the new-fangled camming devices we were ready to boogie.
Pitch 1: Two options exist for p1. The left crack which reportedly goes at 5.6ish and is the standard first pitch, and the right crack which also is the first pitch for the route The Great Zot and goes at 5.8+. We elected to do the Great Zot pitch and it was an excellent selection! A thin crack system runs up a little over 110 feet to the first belay ledge. Great feet abound keeping the grade moderate. The crux is moving through a strange cave-like crack midway up. One can climb around to the left that may be slightly easier but all there is for pro is a fixed pin several feel belay OR recommended, jam through the awkward crack with pro at your ankles. This is slightly more difficult, but muccchhhhh safer as you have a fantastic green camalot not too far below. I always elect for slightly higher difficulty with safer protection. Outside this slightly meaty section, the rest of the pitch is not pumpy and more focused on using good thin-crack technique and finding good feet. An excellent pitch.
3.5 out of 4
Pitch 2: P2 is the worst pitch of the route. It is follows easy, but funky climbing up and left off the ledge to the only fixed anchor on the route; a massive single bolt that may be used to rappel off if need be, or if climbing a route that shares this anchor. Nothing to note hear.
1 out of 4
Pitch 3: Pitch three is a step up from pitch 2, but still far off what is experienced in pitch one. Climb up a funky dihedral until reaching a nice ledge next to a very imposing-looking traverse; the start of pitch 4. Beware of the loose rocks on the belay ledge.
2 out of 4
Pitch 4: Wow! This may be my favorite single pitch of climbing so far. Immediately off the belay, make a crazy exposed and intimidating looking traverse left for about twenty feet. From here follow an awesome think crack in a dihedral up and slowly left until reaching an excellent ledge with a gully immediately ahead and a beautiful arete to the right. Make sure to protect your second adequately through the traverse or they will swing a lonnnnnngggggg way if they fall off the traverse. This pitch is rated at 5.7, but I personally found it a little more difficult and would give it a 5.8.
Fat 4 out of 4
Pitch 5: No, not déjà vu from my pitch 4 description… This may be favorite single pitch of climbing so far. One can take a loose and boring gully straight up from the belay (yawn). Or climb the incredible arete to the right on a variation called Rebuffat’s Arete. Words cannot do this pitch justice, it must be experienced. Crazy exposure off to the right (think thousands of feet), surprisingly excellent protection when it looks lacking from the pitch’s base, excellent movement; its all good. I wish I had photos to show the exposure; but I was a little busy climbing. Some sources have this pitch rated 5.8, others 5.7+, still others 5.7. Opposite of the previous pitch, I thought this was around 5.7ish. If one takes their time, easy feet and fantastic holds abound; style points for intimidation factor however. After topping out the arete, safely make a 10-foot downclimb back left to a notch belay a pretty, right-leaning crack.
Big 4 out of 4
Pitch 5: Icing on the cake, a crack pitch leads up to the top of Redgarden Wall and the end of your Rewritten adventure. Easy jamming and excellent pro will lead to having a big smile on your face as you top out the wall. Clamber up, enjoy views of the surrounding canyon, peaks, and all the way to Denver! (Yes, this canyon is in Boulder).
3 out of 4
Descent-wise, rappel opportunities do exist; but please do not use them without very good reason. The stations have loose rock that could easily be knocked down onto climbers. There is a 3rd-very easy 4th class walk off with no exposure. This walk off is well-marked with cairns and easy to follow in the daylight. I imagine one will be able to descend quicker walking than rappelling anyway and gives time to reflect and talk with your partner about the excellent adventure you just shared!
On the climber rating scale of “Avoid” to 4, I give Rewritten an exceedingly 4 out of 4. Great climbing mostly good rock (some loose stuff) in wild and beautiful positions at a moderate grade. This route is one of my favorites and I cannot recommend it enough!
Personal Review: 4/4 stars
Adam’s Warnings
Climbing, especially trad climbing is inherently dangerous. Rewritten is excellent in terms of protection opportunities, but many climbs are difficult to protect in the canyon. Grades in Eldo are notoriously sandbagged; if visiting for your first time, I highly recommend beginning on routes below your limit, to ensure a safe and fun experience. Lastly, loose rock unfortunately does abound in the canyon. Be very careful to avoid knocking loose stuff onto your partner or awaiting climbers below.
Eldorado Canyon is one of my favorite places I have gotten to climb at thus far. Massive walls, with short approaches, natural beauty, and fantastic lines make it a location I cannot wait to return to as soon as possible. I still cannot recommend the state park enough to non-climbers. I guarantee you will marvel at the beautiful, towering walls, wonderful flowing river, surrounding mountains, and outstanding forests.
Adam
Alpine Experiences 