Colorado Welcome Party

North Chasm View Wall - Colorado Welcome Party climbs directly up the middle of the right hand buttress crossing the two Pegmatite bands near the top of the wall.

Feeling slightly let down by the lack of fear experienced on The Scenic Cruse, we decided to climb Colorado Welcome Party. Blasting directly up the right hand side of North Chasm View Wall which looked a little more spicy. It also seemed a little less travelled; nobody we spoke to had climbed it and it had a reputation for providing interest.

As it was only fiveish pitches long a leisurely start saw us on the starting ledges trying to ascertain the line. The photo topo clearly showed the route starting to the left of a prominent thin Pegmatite band whilst the only fixed gear visible was to its right. After an hour or so traversing back and forth we convinced ourselfs we were in the correct place. Henry won (or possibly lost) the toss and led the first pitch.

Hard face climbing past three widely spaced bolts deposited him below a long run out to a unprotected mantle onto a ledge. The insitu copperhead protecting this move long gone. As Henry attained the ledge and clipped the next bolt he called down,

"thank god for all those evenings soloing at Stanage, I knew they would come in handy one day."

More face climbing and further poor gear led to a ledge and belay. Encumbered by the bag, shoes, water and spare clothing I struggled to follow. Swinging leads, I headed upwards, climbing steep ground on dubious holds to an overhang. Just as things might have appeared worrying a shiny peg beckoned and some laybacking saw me through a roof.

I had agreed to climb the third pitch also, it had the dreaded R attached to the grade. After bringing Henry up I continued, lacing a thin seam with small gear and then pulling through the first of two Pegmatite bands. After aranging a cluster of poor runners (equalised of course) I ran it out ten meters to a loose flake and in-situ wire before crossing the second Pegmatite band and slowly coming to a halt on an slab. Further holds beckoned above but the drop called out from below equally convincingly. I shuffled my weight around on two sloping footholds, eyeing the rope drooping off backwards towards the wires stuffed unconvincingly behind the loose flake.

The view upstream from North Chasm View Wall

I attempt a low line towards the promised holds, fingers brush them, grasping but with my body hideously out off balance I pull back and retreat towards the rest. Reversing proves trickier still and it is with much elation that the good sloping footholds are reached.

A high crimp is discovered and a mantelshelf effected onto my handholds, an attempt is then made at smearing sideways. Self preservation stops me committing to the sloping features and I retreat to examine other options.

Further views up the Black

Half an hour later and ten meters to my left, easy but unprotected climbing takes me up to a belay consisting of a flared cam placement, a micro cam, and a size one wire. I call down the words

"On belay, please don't fall off"

After this pitch the remainder of the route flew by. Well all except the last three meters of offwidth I found to gain the rim.