The line of Epinephrine is shown in red, you can't see the bottom as it's hidden in the 180m chimney. The photo isn't mine as I've never been to Red Rocks.
Whenever I've been away on trips I've had a list of climbs that I've hoped to do. These have usually been close to my limit and been something to aim towards rather than expect to do. Sometimes it's worked out and we've climbed the route that we wanted and sometimes it hasn't as the climbing just seems a lot harder/scarier than we anticipated. I'm not sure if making a wish list of climbs is a good idea, but it's something every climber does. I'm even less certain about telling others what is on your wish list. For me, wish lists tend to be just that, the routes that I'd like to climb and not those that I think I realistically can climb. Can I climb 180m of 5.9 chimney? I don't even know what 5.9 chimney is like. In fact I've never seen a chimney in Europe which would have an equivalent grade.
Beautiful, slick and continuous - the chimney in question. The nice thing about this image is there is clearly some protection!
Why am I drawn to Epinephrine? Well it's never easy to say why something appeals to you, but here are some of the reasons. It takes the easiest line up a steep wall. I like the idea of taking the easiest line, it somehow seems neat and logical. You reach the top of the mountain and walk down the other side. I think it's a hang up from mountaineering but somehow reaching the top, again, seems neat and logical. Many of the Red Rocks climbs seem to finish halfway up the cliff and you have to abseil down. The climb just looks so strikingly different from anything that I've seen before. And I guess the last reason is, I am just so damn curious about what the climbing in the chimney is actually like.
1 comment:
I'm unlikely to get this done. I've spoken to some people and it seems that it's too late. The days simply aren't long enough to do the really long routes. There are still other merely "quite long" routes.
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