On the first Taj formation you approach, there is a big dirty chimney. This be it.

I only got 3 pieces in for 190 feet. Bring Big Bros and it may be safer. There are 2 distinct sections, the upper section is by far the crux and pro was pointless at that point for me. Big Bros should help.

It's actually a lot more fun than it looks.

Walk off the path of least resistance.

Pressed Ham

Too Young to Fly

Taj Mixed Climb

Meat Pipe

Crumbling Reality

North Headwall Direct?

Unknown

Air to the Thrown

Looking down on the valley, this crack stares at the road below. You can look up and see it from the road, from there, it appears to be a fist crack splitter. Once up to it, you see that it's about 45 degrees overhanging, 45 degrees right leaning, flared, sharp, and offwidth.

It starts as hands, goes to a pod, goes through some fists, then gets too wide to use a fist right at the lip. The rock is the crumbly south platte variety but the crack is good. What it means is that you have to crack climb every inch of the route, no crimps or faceholds. It's stacking and jamming the whole time.

The rock is sharp, it's the only route in the platte that I believe tape is essential for. The quality is good, there are no loose holds or flakes even though it does rain very small pebbles. I generally end up with a cut on my left ear, left eyebrow, and right shoulder.

On to rating. I really don't know. Here is what I do know. It's quite a bit harder move for move than

Belly Full of Bad Berries

though shorter. It's got harder moves than

Trench Warfare

. It makes Squat feel like a warm up. It's light years beyond the only other Platte roof OW I've done, "

Bad Juju

". Long story short, I've never done OW moves on a rope this hard and can't remember doing them this hard bouldering.

I'm having a hard time swallowing the number, it seems excessive, but in light of this route's peers, I feel that 12d just might be appropriate. I think those with very very large fists would find this route easier. Height, reach, or small hands should not affect the grade.

I'm not married to the grade. I want people to repeat the route, I want a conscensus. This route was such a white whale for so long that I may have lost touch. My reality crumbled.

I feel that this just may be the testpiece offwidth in Colorado.

At any rate, this route has some of the techiest and most powerful new school style offwidth climbing you'll find anywhere. Not to mention the beautiful surroundings.

On the left side of the south face of Taj Mahal is a striking, right-curving flake/corner.  This is an excellent climb involving finger locks through locker hand jams.  The climbing is awkwardly strenuous at times, utilizing tenuous, right foot smears on the face.  Short sections of cranking are rewarded with decent stances.

We replaced the bolt hangers at the top of the route with some Fixe rings to remove the tat and bad bronze colored SMC hangers.  A 70M rope is just right.

This is mostly a slab climb with about 20' of crack about 3/4s of the way up.  The route is very sustained at the 10d level.  As my partner said, there are sometimes places with foot holds but no handholds or places with handholds but no obvious footholds.  The route is quite sustained for its entire length.  As it says in the Haas guide, you "claw" your way up.

The amazing striking OW/Chimey line splitting the southeast face.

It starts as stacks, goes to squeeze chimney and gets into full stems with a fist crack. I had only a #6 Friend and smaller and was able to only get 4 pieces of pro in 180 feet. The cruxes were protected but a fall in most places would have meant decking. Gold Big Bros may help.

To descend, walk right (exposed) until you are below the sickest OW fist crack you've ever seen (Crumbling Reality) and look right. There is an anchor with one new bolt and one old bolt. Use a single rope rap down the slab and scramble down the chimney. Walk back to your pack around the back side, this takes a while, follow the path of least resistance.

I recently added a 2 bolt anchor to the top of Meatpipe. You can just barely get back to the ground with a single 70m rope now. You can't do this with a 60.

Mediocre climbing to a steep 3 star crack through a headwall.

This route is on the north face, and starts just right of the vast, low angle, apron slab.  There is a gully that eventually becomes a chimney (chimneychanga, 5.8).

P1 (5.5?, 150 feet?) Either climb the low angle, unprotected slab to a 2 bolt anchor, or scramble up the gully and make a belay in a recess below the chimney.

P2 (5.7, 100 feet) Climb the OW/chimney, passing one semi-manky bolt on the main wall.  A green Big Bro could be useful here.  Scramble left on a ledge and make a gear belay below the obvious roof crack.  There is a horizontal crack system here for gear, but the rock is kind of crappy.  Look around and be creative and you should be able to build a good anchor.

P3 (10c?, 160 feet) The first 10 feet of this pitch is pretty crappy.  Rotten, bushy, layback flake.  However, you are rewarded above.  At the top of the flake pull into good hands through a roof/bulge.  This crack is leaning, flaring, and steep.  The jams are pretty good though if you look around. The crux comes at a section where it goes to OW for a short section.  Battle through this via stacks, long reaches, and technical footwork.  The crack gets less steep above with a gorgeous section of sustained #4.5 Camalot to #5 Camalot OW.  Continue up and to the left and construct a creative belay at the top of the flake.  Three star pitch without a doubt.

P4 (5.7, 50 feet) Straight up to the top past several really old and really crappy bolts.  Careful here as the rock is a little crumbly.

There apparently was a summit register.  A piece of PVC pipe, but the register was gone.  Too bad, it would have been cool to see who had been up here.

Descent:  Rap off to the west.  Three single rope raps off new bolts, if I remember correctly.  This brings you to a huge flat ledge.  On the northwest side of the ledge, scramble down a gully and make your way around to the base.

There is a single bolt 'anchor' at 90' before it trends hard left. This bolt has some sun bleached slings and a rap ring on it (don't rap off this tat). Due to the bolt placements, every draw should be an alpine runner unless you love rope drag. Due to the horrible quality of the rock, there are fewer and fewer holds.

Due to the position of the first bolt, you must do tenuous slab climbing about 30' off the ground to reach it without stickclipping over from the starting ledge. Due to the lack of holds, you must be a slab wizard to get the large cobble/inclusion just below the 'anchor'. Due to the 'anchor,' it's not 'safe' in the modern sense to bring up your second or clean and lower from the route. Plus, the bolts look like hammer-in rivets and 1/4" expansion bolts. Climb at your own risk.

You will see it in the Hubbel guide as 10d A1. It is about 75 feet right of the super classic 10c handcrack on the southeast face. You can't miss it.

P1: Scramble up 5.4 X block on the left for a direct start or 4th class scramble up the right side. You'll find the spot to belay from for the real business about 75' up.

P2: It starts as fingers and stemming, goes out a bulge to the left and intermittently goes through hands to stacks and pods for 100 feet or so. There are 2 completely unnecessary bolts on this route. Looking at their placement would seem to indicate that this route was aided (10d A1) prior to the popularization of big cams or big bro's.

Double rope rap to the ground from anchors.

I freed this route in 2003 though I have my doubts that I was the first to do so. I'd love some feedback from others who've done it. I find it hard to believe that I got the FFA on such an inviting line.

Description

Protection

Routes in The Taj Mahal