John and I did the first ascent of this back in 1992. It started with a leap from the canyon to the base of the rock. We climbed the back side of the rock. At the time, I asked a ranger if it was off limits. She said no. Now, it might be.

Balanced Rock

Ribbed Buttress

Z-Row Gravity

Harvest Moon

The Book of Pleasure

Ballerina (right of Taper)

Taper (unknown)

Otto's Ladder

Special Verdict

Oliver Perry Smith Buttress

Left of Special Verdict

Great route that starts off wide hands and pinched to fingers. Go a little past the anchors for a good hold  rather then hanging by finger jams to clip the anchor

This is one of gems around here, short approach, good moves, and good adventurous climbing.  It is definitely a must do.

P1: Solo a short perfect hands crack (5.8) to an alcove at the base of a large chimney (you can avoid this pitch by climbing a ramp and entering this alcove from the side but it is WAY sketchy!).

P2: Climb a long pitch up the semi-rotten chimney past a few fixed anchors catch a rest and then fire up the fingers in the right-facing chimney on better rock to a hanging belay. 5.10+.

P3: Continue traversing past two fixed anchors to a thin, finger crack. Nail the correct sequence and fire through ten feet of 5.11 to good jams. Continue through a difficult wide section to a rest and continue up the fist crack in perfect chocolate to a belay at in the "rib eye". 5.11+.

P4: Continue free up the heinous, overhanging slot (freed in 2000 by Matt L.) or clip [through] the bolt ladder circumventing the roof to easier ground and the summit. C2 5.9+ / 5.11+.

This gem had some new life breathed into it this spring.  The knotted webbing (British style) second pitch anchor has been replaced as well as the Star drive 1st pitch anchor.  The 15' of 5.9 uber choss that has guarded the start of this route now sports two solid fixed pieces that are somewhat comforting as you piece this first section together.

P1:  Climb the shallow corner through the junk to a ledge and then traverse left over to the chimney like ramp.  Work your way up this fairly chossy feature staying left at the top aiming for the splitter in beautiful sandstone above.  Fire the hands and wide hands splitter to the rest where the true work begins.  Sky hammer the #3 1/2 Camalot, dead vertical splitter above to the pod.

(5.11) 90' +/-.

P2:  Thrutch up more of the same (5.11) if you can get past the first 15 feet this crack begins to narrow down again and you will be rewarded with 60 more feet of thin hands and hands. Save a thin fingers piece for the final move as the rock deteriorates bigtime at the very top.

P3: This was climbed up into the chimney and then reversed, where it became obvious that one would be forced to climb through a massive amount of bird poo.  Not recomended!

Looks like there is 30 feet of chossy Chinle. Possibly belay there. Continue up the corner and move right under the roof to anchors. There could be a second pitch.

Per

Matthew Seymour

:

Pitch 1: 5.10 R

Start up chossy, unprotected, but easier climbing through a Chinle layer up to a roof in better rock with a crack that can be protected. Pass the roof and gain a large ledge below the dihedral.

Pitch 2: 5.11

Move up the dihedral with some varied climbing from thin hands through an offwidth section. The climbing then steepens and moves through thin hands up to the body length roof. Pass the roof with hands, and turn the corner. Move up through some finger-sized moves and then through some hard moves where the crack is flaring, and gain the anchors.

Pitch 3: 5.10

Continue up the crack system through varied jamming. The crux of this pitch is off fingers and fingers. Gain a ledge on the right. Two double rope raps to the ground.

This climb is not as good as it looks from the ground. The first pitch is as loose as it looks. The second and third are not in the best quality Windgate. They have lots of loose and sandy rock. There is also an incredible amount of bird feces in the crack below the roof. Overall, this climb is three pitches of the kind of desert climbing you usually reserve for reaching the top of a tower.

P1: solo up the short perfict hand crack to the alcove that marks the start of the of the

Ribbed Buttress

.

P2 or P2/3: start the ribbed buttress climbing a short, semi-rotten chimney to the second rib and a newish 3/8" bolt.  Belay here to minimize rope drag or climb on if you have managed things properly.   From here, traverse right for 8 feet or so on sketchy, broken 5.8. Aiding a few last pieces to get around the corner.  From here, follow the line of fixed pieces for fifty feet or so expecting a few exciting moves till entering the Book.  Climb up twenty feet in the book to a hidden belay at a decent stance.

P3 or 4: you are now at the base of some sweet climbing fire up the "Book of Pleasure" at 5.9 hands for 100'+/- to a bolt and pin belay. 20' or so below the intimading roof.

P4 or 5: thrutch up the munge at 5.10 or C1 awkward and out the roof on solid cams.  Turn the roof and climb to the rim.  Rope drag is a bitch on this pitch.

Same start as

Taper

, but stay right, in the dihedral.  Easy climbing gains a good ledge, then awkward stems with the curving offwidth and right facing dihedral gain the anchors. More difficult for shorter people.

In the early 1900s, a man named John Otto chose what is now the Colorado National Monument as his home.  The area was preserved as a national monument in 1911 largely through his efforts. He worked tirelessly building trails, roads, cabins, and

ladders

.  Many are familiar with the pipe ladder that he pioneered up Independence Monument, now known as

Otto's Route

, but fewer know about another piece of history in Fruita Canyon to the north.  Otto was looking for a faster way to get up on top of Saddlehorn Mesa, and so built another pipe ladder for this purpose.  This ladder is still largely in place and can be climbed to the top with relative safety.  Some of the pipes are missing, but the holes remain, enabling progress to the next pipe.  This is a fun, interactive, history exploration.

This is pretty much a one pitch wonder, but this area is good for groups that want to get out.  I would call this cimb a good one for the first timers.  There is a little something for everyone. Try the finger crack variation on TR, it's pretty good.

This is a sweet route right off the road but only if you like things on the chunky side.  It has a great wide crack corner on perfect chocolate, strenuous laybacking, and straight in thrutching on good stone.  There are 2 pitches with no anchor at the top.

P1: Climb up through the wideness, passing several fixed anchors (retrobolts) and a wild imposing chimney roof, continue thrutching upwards to a good ledge with a two pin anchor.

P2: Crux! Climb more wideness, thrutch to the top.  There are no anchors. Walk off down a descent gully or sling the skinny tree and go back the way you came.

Route can be toproped if you climb

Special Verdict

. Very fun lead though. Watch out for a little bit of loose rock at the top. Traverse easy face to get to

Special Verdict's

anchors.

Description

Protection

Routes in Fruita Canyon