Jeffrey and I climbed Swanson’s Arete. The last time we attempted the route, we had to bail because of high winds. This time, we showed up midday and, thankfully, we were blessed with excellent weather. We started climbing around 2:30pm and finished at 8pm, in the dark!
A brief discussion of descent options on Swanson’s Arete:
A few years ago, when I did Swanson’s, we downclimbed to get to the rappels in the Dirty Deed Chimney. I was wondering if it would still work to go this route, as sometimes the rock changes (boulders fall off, shrubs get mangled, bolts get chopped). So, I was a little nervous about the way down and how it would unfold. Would the offwidth slot downclimb work and would the rappel stations still be set up in the Dirty Deed? I remembered the downclimb was a little freaky, but not bad…
I heard from one person there were bolts at the very top of the Arete (And, yes, it’s true, there are-they are on the North ish side and will probably spit you out at the top of the West Chimney Route).
Yet, another guy said he rappelled off a shrub—which made me nervous (I have tried this way, too and it works…The shrub is included in the anchor, along with a pile of boulders. They are all slung with what, at press time, looks like a very new piece of webbing.)
Well, Jeffrey and I decided to try the downclimb since it was the way I was familiary with going and we were a little short on time. I kept him on top rope and lowered him as he climbed down slowly. He put in a few pieces for me (as protection) for my downclimb. It worked out really well, but we were both happy it wasn’t wet!
We had a bit of trouble at the end of the first rappel. There was an insidious knot in the middle of the tangled mess of ropes! Rope management with two ropes is definitely an art. We worked through the kinks and made it to the Red Ledge at around 7pm.
By the time Jeffrey was rappeling the West Chimney, it was very nearly dark, so our timing couldn’t have been better! It was an excellent day of climbing. Three cheers to Jeffrey for a fun day!
Jeffrey Climbing West Chimney:
The View from Red Ledge
Looking West
Looking North
Looking North (But down to the ledge)
Approaching Jeffrey at the Anchor after Pitch 1
Self Portrait at that spot
Foot Shot Looking Left
Looking to the Right (Where we came up!)
Climbergirl Ready for Pitch 2
Jeffrey Rappeling in the Dark
Tags: Eldorado Canyon, Jeffrey, Rock Climbing, Swanson's Arete