Sheep Rock via "Bolted Route" (5.7+)
Cheesman Mountain via East Face "Wire Route" (5.9 A0)
March 17, 2012
I had been planning on attempting Keyhole Ridge, but a combination of high winds and a lingering cough from recently being sick made me scrap the idea. For a nice consolation prize, Mike and I decided to head down into the South Platte for two technical peaks by Cheesman Reservoir. We started with Sheep Rock. Trying to find a spot to park outside the nearby dude-ranch caused a bit of trouble but we were soon moving up the trail. I was surprised at the strong trail and painted arrows that led us upward. I can't imagine that Sheep Rock is much of a climber destination and wondered if the ranch used this for hiking. We soon crested out and saw the massive summit block. The rock's compact slabs looked very intimidating from a distance as they sweep upward steeply with little for holds. A bit of inspection showed that the south ramp looked very easy (fun way to solo up the peak?) and the 5.5 Acid Crack route also looked very good. Wanting to take advantage of the nice bolts, we decided to go for the bolted route. The route proved very fun and was an exercise in trusting your feet. I found it odd that the first few bolts are very close and then they are further apart right at the crux. Not sure of the length to the top, we split it into two pitches and soon were standing on the summit. The views were wonderful in every direction and the register showed that few people come all the way to the top. After a brief stay we headed back down and made a single 60M rappel to the ground (you need two 60M ropes to touch the ground). We came within 20 feet of some big horn sheep on the way down and were amazed at how close they let us get. The drive over to Cheesman was short and so was the approach. We headed directly uphill and soon stood below the imposing summit block. I had planned on freeing the route but was not crazy about the groundfall potential. If the leader fell before clipping the first piece a significant injury would be the best case scenario. I ended up clipping a screamer into a loop in the rusty old wire hanging down and the used it to pull myself up to the first handhold. The summit came quickly and both Mike and I wondered what the wire was attached to. This could be a very fun little climb with a nice bolt midface to keep the leader off the ground. Having never been into the South Platte before I was very impressed and already am planning my next trip down.
I had been planning on attempting Keyhole Ridge, but a combination of high winds and a lingering cough from recently being sick made me scrap the idea. For a nice consolation prize, Mike and I decided to head down into the South Platte for two technical peaks by Cheesman Reservoir. We started with Sheep Rock. Trying to find a spot to park outside the nearby dude-ranch caused a bit of trouble but we were soon moving up the trail. I was surprised at the strong trail and painted arrows that led us upward. I can't imagine that Sheep Rock is much of a climber destination and wondered if the ranch used this for hiking. We soon crested out and saw the massive summit block. The rock's compact slabs looked very intimidating from a distance as they sweep upward steeply with little for holds. A bit of inspection showed that the south ramp looked very easy (fun way to solo up the peak?) and the 5.5 Acid Crack route also looked very good. Wanting to take advantage of the nice bolts, we decided to go for the bolted route. The route proved very fun and was an exercise in trusting your feet. I found it odd that the first few bolts are very close and then they are further apart right at the crux. Not sure of the length to the top, we split it into two pitches and soon were standing on the summit. The views were wonderful in every direction and the register showed that few people come all the way to the top. After a brief stay we headed back down and made a single 60M rappel to the ground (you need two 60M ropes to touch the ground). We came within 20 feet of some big horn sheep on the way down and were amazed at how close they let us get. The drive over to Cheesman was short and so was the approach. We headed directly uphill and soon stood below the imposing summit block. I had planned on freeing the route but was not crazy about the groundfall potential. If the leader fell before clipping the first piece a significant injury would be the best case scenario. I ended up clipping a screamer into a loop in the rusty old wire hanging down and the used it to pull myself up to the first handhold. The summit came quickly and both Mike and I wondered what the wire was attached to. This could be a very fun little climb with a nice bolt midface to keep the leader off the ground. Having never been into the South Platte before I was very impressed and already am planning my next trip down.
