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bluedubbed
Sep 30, 2003, 3:50 PM
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Registered: Aug 13, 2002
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Hi.
I was planning on doing Epinephrine at Red Rocks and had a few questions.
I'd like to link as many pitches together as possible, so which pitches are worth linking together? I've read it can be done in 12 to 15 (link 9 and 10, 11 and 12, and 14 and 15) pitches. Is 15 pitches the way to go?
Would it be better to bring 60m doubles or 1 70m rope. Would a 70 allow me to link more pitches or are 60s good?
Also assuming we climb at an average pace, what is a good time to get started on the approach?
Thanks for the help and any other useful beta would be appreciated.
MJ.
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crotch
Sep 30, 2003, 4:45 PM
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Registered: Jan 16, 2003
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The best topo for Epinephrine comes with the NAClassics CD-ROM. Get it at http://www.naclassics.com.
Link all pitches. You can do the thing in 9 pitches with a 60m rope.
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vegastradguy
Sep 30, 2003, 4:49 PM
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start early. damn early. mostly because you'll have to beat the crowds if you want to top. you dont want to do that descent in the dark at all.
pm bandycoot, i know he's done the route, and will probably have good beta for combining pitches. i believe it can be done in 12 easily, and i've heard it can be done is as few as 9.
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lemon_boy
Sep 30, 2003, 5:04 PM
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Registered: Mar 12, 2002
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first tip: if you are going to climb this when there is a chance that other people are going to be on it then start early. when i say early, i mean that you should be starting the first pitch with a headlamp.
second tip: don't bring a pack. if you plan on hauling a pack up this route you are going to be one miserable SOB. instead, bring a sling to clip you and your partner's shoes or tevas. the follower carries this sling. clip a liter of water to your harness. seriously, hauling a pack is begging to get benighted.
third tip: if you are confident in your skills and the weather bring a single 60 or 70m rope. if you are really smooth with 2 ropes, then that is cool too.
fourth tip: if you and your partner are comfortable simul-climbing on easy to moderate terrain then you can knock this route down to about 5 or 6 pitches. simul-climb the first section to the base of the first chimney. climb the first chimney pitch (save a number 4 camalot for the last 20 feet or so). combine the second and third chimney pitches. then just keep leading until you run out of rope and have the follower climb until the leader gets to the next anchor. the vast majority of the climbing on the upper dihedral pitches is 5.reallyeasy. swain's guide shows something like 4 or 5 5.9 pitches up there, but it seemed like there was only one move on the last 5.9 pitch that is even close to 5.9
good luck. if you end up hiking down in the dark, use the luxor flashlight to guide you.
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bandycoot
Sep 30, 2003, 5:28 PM
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Registered: Nov 25, 2002
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Yeah, PM me if you want more beta. I've done it twice, each time differently. This is off memory:
Link 1 & 2
Next pitch should take you to the base of the chimneys. I don't remember if this involves linking pitches.
First chimney pitch is long and ends on a ledge with bolts in the chimney.
Off that ledge, say outside chimneying facing the tower (there is a bolt to clip) while more intimidating this is by far the easier way (I've done it both in the back and outside). Go all the way to the top of the chimneys and you'll find some bolts right at the top. This is about 15' of 4th class from the summit of the black tower. I don't know if you can go all the way to the top of the tower or not. I just untied, scampered to the top, and reflaked the rope.
Two pitches from here should take you to the base of the 5.9, or simul. There is nothing more than 5.8 if I remember. If you simul make sure the stronger climber is 2nd.
The two 5.9 pitches can be combined, but you might run out of runners/slings since it would be long and you'll place more gear due to the fact they are harder. I have never linked these two, but would if I did it again.
Link pitches like a mad man above this. They are long but for the most part easy. I don't remember how many pitches are above this but like the Swain says, "more of the same." I think there might be 2.
The 5.9 pitch goes off right up a face to a couple of small overhangs. Don't keep going left. You'll see a bolt intimidatingly high on the right side at some point. There will be MAD ropedrag after pulling the overhang and the next 5.6? pitch is really long so don't try to combine these. Stop at the ledge atop the 5.9 roof and belay like the topo recommends. From here you have options. If you plan on simul climbing the ramp above then I'd start simul climbing from here since the pitch is so easy! If you plan on unroping for the 700' ramp then power to you, but you'd both better be comfortable with having a 2000' fall looming to your right. There is one part of the ramp where you will probably rope up again. It is maybe a 5.0 traverse near the end.
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just_me
Sep 30, 2003, 5:49 PM
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Registered: May 13, 2002
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If there is any chance that the weather may turn, double ropes are great. There are bolted belay/rap stations all along the route, and you can get off at any time with 2 ropes. In fact, we rapped the route, and avoided the crappy walk off.
A few more potential suggestions: If possible, climb something shorter the day before, and stash gear at the base. We hiked in, climbed Prince of Darkness, stashed our gear and made sure we knew where the start of the climb was, and hiked out that evening. The next morning we ran by other parties hiking in with big packs! We were first on the route.
If you do plan on walking off, DON”T LEAVE ANYTHING AT THE BASE! It is a long hike to come back in to retrieve your empty pack. Shoes for the walk off are also a good thing.
If you want to have food, water, rain jacket, walk off shoes, etc on the climb, bring a small pack. I used my BD bullet pack. I had a daisy chain on my harness. I simply dangled the pack below me when I followed the chimney pitches.
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hooker
Sep 30, 2003, 6:18 PM
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Registered: Apr 22, 2003
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We just did the whole route in 8 hours car to car.
One 60m rope.
2 liters of water.
Climbed in approach shoes.
If you are solid 5.10 you can do this in a day, easily.
Two days before we did the climb, friend from AZ started at 6am and ended back at their car 18 hours later. No problems, they just didn't realize how much climbing is on the route.
Have fun, and enjoy. One of the greatest moderate long routes in the country.
Suzanne
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boltdude
Sep 30, 2003, 7:05 PM
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Registered: Sep 30, 2002
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Supertopo also has a guide available on-line at www.supertopo.com (expanded print version out in a month or two), which includes lots of details including linking beta.
It links easily in 11 pitches with a 60, I'm not surprised that it could be done in 9 if you stretch things.
Start early, if there are people ahead of you who look slow, cruise a couple hundred yards to the left and do Sour Mash or Overhanging Hangover (aka Early Times) or The Gobbler or Dream of Wild Turkeys, all excellent routes, all 5.10a, all requiring less pro than you already have for Epinephrine...then come back for Epinephrine another day (all those also in the Supertopo guide).
You can't go wrong, these are some of the best long moderate routes anywhere!
Greg (warning: I wrote the Supertopo Red Rocks guide so I'm biased)
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bluedubbed
Sep 30, 2003, 7:23 PM
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Registered: Aug 13, 2002
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Hey Guys.
Thanks a lot for all the awesome beta. It will hopefully make things go smoother!
Much appreciated!!
MJ.
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ebelay
Sep 30, 2003, 9:43 PM
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Registered: Sep 5, 2002
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I just climbed Epinephrine this past weekend. It's been said already and I'll say it again: Start VERY early. You should hike in before sunrise so that you're at the base of the route at first light. We climbed at a steady pace with about a 20 minute lunch break on top of the tower and finished the last technical pitch at around the 7hr mark. The descent took us nearly three hours with the last hour in the dark. Get an early start and bring a headlamp and enough water. This descent is no fun in the dark. The following is based on what I remember from a long, hot day.
Route beta:
Skip the first pitch by soloing the 5.4X ledge system to the right of the route. If you're not comfortable with this, reconsider the route because there is much more committing terrain above.
Be comfortable leading 5.10 chimneys. The chimneys are long, slick, sustained and committing with potential for long runouts. A #4 Camalot is nice to have.
Above the tower, the climbing eases considerably but is airy and exposed with some moves high above old bolts. The holds, however, are excellent and you can usually find decent pro along the way if you feel like you need it. Most of the climbing is 5.8-ish and extremely enjoyable.
The trick to the roof on the last 5.9 pitch are jugs on the left side of the roof. One move and it's over. Bring some small cams for the 3/4" slot below the roof. The belay station above the roof is missing a bolt. The remaining bolt can be backed up with a .75 Camalot in a small slot above the bolt.
Once you get to the ramps, move as quickly as possible. These can be time consuming if you choose to belay. We belayed a section of 5.4 because we thought it would be better to be cautious at that point of the day.
The final 3rd class section has a very easy but exposed move through a wide dihedral to gain the final ramp which leads to an unmistakable huge pine tree. There are some good trees to belay from just before the dihedral if it makes you more comfortable. Beyond the huge pine tree, it's easy 2nd class to the top.
Beta for the descent:
Once you complete the final 2nd class ramp, you'll find yourself on a huge rocky ridge. Start climbing the ridge upward. Looking down, you'll eventually be able to see your tiny car in the parking area below. Start following the ridge looking for a huge cairn on the highest point you can see. There are cairns all along the ridge on high points. Keep following them. Follow the ridge toward your car for as long as you can. It will seem like the ridge is about to dissipate. Don't go down too early. You'll know you're in the right place when you see three or four cairns in the same spot. Look down and you'll see a cairned trail leading down the hillside. (There's another trail just before this one that has only a single cairn - don't know if it's any better or worse) Follow the winding trail all the way down to low angle slabs above a gully. It will take awhile to reach the slabs. Follow a few cairns down the slabs to a small trail that runs along the base of a cliff on the left. This cairned trail will take you through the gully and eventually to the flat desert and back to the main trail which will lead you to your vehicle. Shoes are recommended.
Regarding rapping the route:
Rapping the route from above the tower is probably not a good idea. As I noted above, there is only one bolt left in the anchor above the roof. You'd either need to leave a piece, back up off of a cue stick or rap off a single bolt. As I passed by my partner at the top of the final pitch before the ramp, he said that the belay bolt hangers were gone. You'd need to leave gear to rap from there as well.
Enjoy the route.
Eric
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brutusofwyde
Sep 30, 2003, 11:20 PM
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Registered: Nov 3, 2002
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The first three pitches off the Black Tower can be linked in one 60m pitch if you have long slings.
We hauled a light pack on the steep pitches, wore it on the easy pitches. To keep the pack from getting stuck in the chimneys below black tower, the leader clipped the haul rope through the outermost bolt near the top of the last tower pitch. Hauled the sack to the bolt, tied it off, and belayed the second. second unclips the pack and carries it the last 30 feet to the belay. We did the route in 9 pitches with simul on the last 4th class stretch.
Have fun. It's a great route. The chimneys would be rated 5.7 if they were in Yosemite.
Brutus
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bluedubbed
Oct 6, 2003, 8:42 PM
Post #12 of 13
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Registered: Aug 13, 2002
Posts: 33
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Hey Guys.
Thanks again for all the beta! It was all super helpful. We got an early start and had the route to ourselves all day! What a fun route.
Thanks again.
MJ
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on_sight_man
Oct 6, 2003, 10:52 PM
Post #13 of 13
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Registered: Jun 11, 2002
Posts: 628
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In reply to: Hi. I was planning on doing Epinephrine at Red Rocks and had a few questions.
My advice? Don't drink a lot of coffee beforehand. It'll make you queasy
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