Steep climbing that is harder than it looks. This climb seemed to keep people away due to it's originally widely spaced bolts, polished holds, and its isolation from other climbs. Before having a couple of bolts added, people had decked trying to clip the 3rd bolt. Now, with 5 bolts it's super safe.

The Bumble Bee

Local Talent

Continental Breakfast

Starbuck's Coffee

Mel's Diner

Leather Queen

Plastic Prince

Snooze Control

Continental Call

Road To Nowhere

Smell The Coffee

Bloodhound

Wake Up Call

Good Moanin'

Clip the first couple of bolts on

Plastic Prince

, then move left to reach a right-leaning weakness and follow this past more bolts to the top.

Per

John Byrnes

: even though this is a long boulder problem rather than a climb, it is quite worthy having surprisingly good movement and sequences! Climb the first section of

Plastic Prince

, then strike out left. Make powerful, dynamic, fun moves through the overhang, then angle left on a wide variety of good holds.

From the top of the dirt mound, the route starts slightly down and right. Follow the bolts straight up on polished holds, through a couple small roofs. Towards the top the route traverses right. Initially it climbs straight up and then trends left after the first few bolts.

A hard start that begins at a glued flake in the overhang leads to a small ledge and more moderate climbing above. A final slabby finish, with a small crux, is found above the last bolt.

Start up some step rock, making a difficult pull around a bulge at the second bolt.  Then continue up thin climbing on the lower angle rock above to the anchor.

This is a short but pumpy route that heads up through a bulge.  I felt like the crux was between the 2nd and 3rd bolt.

Per

John Byrnes

: this is a hard 9-move boulder problem with a little climbing at the top. The crux is figuring out what to do!

Plastic Prince is ~40' upstream of the large dirt mound that marks the start of the popular moderates "Wake Up Call" and "Continental Breakfast".

The climbing begins in a large hueco-like mini-cave capable of holding three or four medium size farm animals.  Climb up and into the cave, clipping two bolts, then move right for clip three, and tug skyward toward the anchors (with three more clips along the way).

It is fun, steep, and sustained gymnastic climbing on amazing and interesting holds.  This is certainly worth another star if only the route was longer.

Climb a steep start on good holds with some suspect rock to a balancey step left to a steep crux on good limestone. Above, take advantage of a rest before finishing on the delicate slab to finish.

A long neglected and rarely done climb, this thing is actually quite enjoyable.

To create the easiest line on the wall this route links the bottom part of Continental Breakfast with the top part of Wake up Call.  Just to the right of Wake up call there isa right trending fault line with accompanying bolts, follow this line 2 or 3 bolts up and then traverse left to gain the bolts on Wake up Call.  I clipped the 3rd bolt before the traverse but clipping 2 and then going, is better for rope drag.

Climb the short corner to some difficult moves above. It doesn't seem to get done much, but the rock is good, and the climbing is reasonably fun.

Smell the Coffe is a bit of an anomoly for the Ice Caves.  The route is long, sustained, and relatively unpolished, which distinguishes it from its scruffy neighbors to the right.  Considering its length & texture, this is probably one of the better 5.11b's at Rifle.

The crux is basically getting off the ground, with a reachy crank between pockets (a slopey pinch facilitates this move for shorties).  Traverse left along the obvious series of pockets, to a pumpy sequence moving into a shallow groove.  After copping a great rest out left, charge up the excellent, textured headwall.  Enduro, technical crimping on sharp brown rock leads to the chains.

Bloodhound is a long, quality extension to

Road to Nowhere

, a often neglected 11a in Rifle. It features hard, technical climbing and a burly finish through a roof.

After climbing

Road to Nowhere

, continue above the anchor on relatively easy ground for a few bolts on excellent stone that is beautifully featured limestone. After clipping a bolt on a rounded arete feature, you start to enter a series of crux moves that doesn't stop for a few bolts with scant rests. Make a difficult move left around the arete to a good stance before firing through a difficult undercling section, moving right on difficult feet. Move up on good holds while fighting the pump through a "hollow" feature where a perma-draw is located to a series of rails. Lock off on the upper, slanted rail to two tiny crimps and a hard move to the right where a large jug is found. Rest before the final roof where underclings, a couple of sweet pockets and some big moves are found. A nice knee bar is found to help clip the anchors.

A 70 meter rope is required.

Walk through the lower ice cave and then some trees to the top of a dirt mound.  The start is at the top or slightly downhill to the left as you face the wall.  Initially it climbs straight up and then trends left after the first few bolts.  The crux is just after the first couple of moves while you attempt to find some part of the rock for your feet that hasn't been shined enough to shave with (not that climbers shave).  After the first couple of bolts the rock is less worn and the climb is very enjoyable.

Begin just left of Wake Up Call.  Climb straight up through the technical face to shared anchors with Wake Up Call.  With a few directionals placed on the way down, this route can be toproped after climbing Wake Up Call.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Lower Ice Caves