Cole Essence
5.11c trad · 2 pitches · 110 ft · ★★★★
Route 17 of 29 from left to right on North Face, with Triassic Sands on its left and Archaeopteryx on its right. North Face has 29 routes, from 5.8 to 5.12a/b; 2 are harder, and 2 others are the same grade.
First ascent: Charles Cole and Randall Grandstaff, 1990
Description
Cole Essence takes the aesthetic hanging dihedral just right of Triassic Sands and just left of the Archaeopteryx arete. It is a left-facing, tiger-striped corner with no apparent gear. There is gear, but be willing to do crux climbing above it. Begin by doing a short pitch up to a big ledge. Take the first pitch of Triassic (5.7), or take cracks on the face just right. From an optional belay on this ledge (best done as one pitch if you can solo or backclean the start), launch up the corner past a few good stances and good gear placements to a cruxy section of gaston palm-smearing on a weird rib of rock on the left wall. If all goes well you'll end up in a chimney position, back to the corner, with a no-hands rest. Continue upwards as high into the corner as possible then swing out and around the arete to clip an anchor, recently upgraded by the ASCA. With a 70m you can lower off all the way to the ground.
Protection
Gear to a #1 Camalot. Include small TCUs.
Access
The 13-mile Scenic Drive requires a timed-entry reservation October to May and has seasonal gate hours. Calico Basin and Kraft Mountain sit outside the Scenic Drive and need no reservation.
Wet rock: Aztec sandstone loses much of its strength when wet. Do not climb for at least 24 to 48 hours after rain or snowmelt, or holds break off and routes are permanently damaged.
More routes on North Face
- Kenny Laguna 5.10d PG13
- Perplexity 5.10d
- Rain Dance 5.10a
- Closed on Monday 5.10a
- Amber 5.10b
- Bourbon Street 5.8
- Mazatlan 5.10d
- Triassic Sands 5.10
- Sand Felipe 5.10-
- Geriatrics (aka Ben Dover Beelzebub) 5.12-
- Return To Forever 5.10d
- Ixtlan 5.11c
- The Delicate Sound of Thunder 5.11b
- Tales from the Gripped 5.11c
- Frogland 5.8
- Quarantine Crack 5.10+
- Open-and-Shut 5.10d
- Desert Wave 5.11b
- Our Father 5.10c/d R
- Bourbon Hangover 5.8+
- Miss Conception 5.10+
- Sandblast 5.10- R
- Archaeopteryx 5.11a R
- Matzoland 5.12a/b
- Only the Good Die Young 5.11b/c
- The Misunderstanding 5.9
- Wholesome Fullback 5.10b
- Canadian Club 5.8