Doug High Up on Ytrid Deed
It was a beautiful day to be climbing in Eldorado Canyon. In the shade, on the West side of Redgarden, it was a bit chilly. With temps between 50 dF and 60 dF, we were relieved there wasn’t any wind. I was excited to do Ytrid Deed. Having done Icarus and Swanson’s Arete, I had been staring at the huge swath of rock in between and wondering about the fractured cracks.
We met at oh-dark-thirty and drove to Eldorado Canyon. When we reached the parking lot, it was very nearly empty. So far, so good! We started climbing the stairs on the West side of Redgarden. Climbing those stairs took the chill off. We both shed some layers and when we got to the West Chimney alcove, nobody was there. Woo-hoo!
I decided to attempt the first pitch of The Great Zot. But, I got about 8 feet below the pod, and wasn’t in the groove at all. My fingers kept going numb and I suddenly felt completely apothetic.
Instead of bailing completely, I switched back to the Chimney route.
In hindsight, I realized that while I was climbing the thin start of Great Zot, I was secretly yearning for the feeling of comfort offered by a chimney. Cozy stemming and cruiser moves beckoned just a few meters to my right. With my concentration waning, I think continuing on would have been disaster. Next time, maybe I should wear a blinder on the right side of my head, which obscures the vision of the fun Chimney…
In any event, I flew up the West Chimney and soon we were both on the Red Ledge. We traversed over to the start of Ytrid Deed and both noted how chilly it was up on the exposed ledge. Donning our windbreakers, we continued upward.
Doug led the first pitch of Ytrid Deed. He noted the rock was not all that solid. He place the pro only in the solid places, which meant running it out. I think he did a great job of selecting those spots, it all looked very good when I was cleaning it.
Looking up at the top half of Pitch 1. Doug is belaying me from near the tree. Notice the one piece of gear between myself and the trees…this is because of poor rock quality. Thankfully, the climbing was 5.6.
Looking down at the bottom half of Pitch 1. Notice The Red Ledge, where we started Ytrid Deed.
It was my turn to lead. The start of the 2nd pitch was a little run out. I went 15 feet before my first piece, but it was pretty easy climbing (5.5). The next piece was another 10 feet up from there. After those two runout spots, the climbing got a little harder, but there were many more opportunities for protection. I even practiced placing a couple of Doug’s OP Link Cams, which were fun and helpful.
When I was almost out of rope, there was a nice belay beside a huge block of rock (like nearly a refrigerator size) and a tree.
Here’s a picture looking down from my belay. (After Doug had cleaned it.)
Doug Leading the 3rd Pitch.
The Third Pitch. This crack is not as good as it looks, in both of our opinions. It is actually a set of parallel/twin cracks which are on either sides of wedged rocks. The twin cracks vary from 1″ – 4″ wide.
Very few parts of the twin cracks are actually solid. The wedged rocks are generally loose and wobbly. Many of them are not trustworthy. Placing gear in the crack is marginal at best. In these last 40 feet, I think Doug only placed 4 pieces. Again, the climbing wasn’t hard, it was just poor rock.
Looking down at the belay, from about halfway up the twin cracks. Here, one can see the blocks wedged in the crack. The one I’m standing on is solid, but the one below me almost peeled out.
Looking up at the last 10 feet of the crack. The column of rock wedged doesn’t at all inspire confidence, especially because some of it gave a really hollow thwamping sound when I tapped on it. I was really happy to get to the summit!
The Summit Block on Swanson’s Arete, just to the North.
Doug Rappeling Dirty Deed Gully.
We had fun, but Ytrid Deed is definitely dirty. It’s in a scenic location, with a fairly nice line. The only thing we didn’t like was the rock quality. If lots of other people would go climb it, eventually, it would be a much higher quality climb because all that loose stuff would go away…
So, if you’re reading this, GO CLIMB YTRID DEED! Let’s all work together to make Ytrid Deed, Naelc…!
Tags: CO, Eldorado Canyon, Rock Climbing, Ytrid Deed