Mount Royal

ghostfish (60)in #dtube • 8 years ago (edited)

The Royal Flush, Pitch #15, 5.9, 10,000feet

Adventure climbing has to be one of my favorite things, nothing too serious, just the right amount of “shit your pants” moments, plus epic scenery. Places where seldom others go.

I spent a little time in Frisco, Colorado after being tipped off by a couple other climbers I met in Golden. They recommended the 20-pitch, 10,500’ summit of Mount Royal.

Now, if you’re asking, what the hell is a pitch? Don’t touch the pine trees… sticky.

Wrong kind of pitch, but both can be dicey, depending on the situation. A pitch in rock climbing is typically 50-70 vertical feet. A safe length that the rope being used will not run short. Many climbing areas are single pitch: ground up, 40-60 feet, get to the top, and get lowered back down. Climbing ropes average 60-70 meters long. Don’t climb anything higher than half the rope length, or getting down may prove tricky, or impossible.

When climbing class 5 (vertical routes requiring rope for travel) that are higher than 70 feet, it becomes a multi-pitch route. Every 50-80 feet it is necessary to set up a belay station, a point both climbers dangle, hang out, and set up for the next pitch. Makes sense? Thus is the ability to climb thousands of feet with a 200-foot rope.

Summit View!

Mount Royal was my first true multi-pitch route. We started the climb 10am. It took six or seven hours to climb up and another one to walk back down the trail on the other side. Made it down before sunset, and to the biffies minutes before it was too late.

I really dug the ancient tree fauna at the top.