Strategies for Climbing In the Black Canyon

Colorado’s world famous Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (aka The Black) is known for its outstanding natural beauty and concentration of wonderfully challenging multi-pitch traditional rock climbs. Perhaps the most well known of these is the aptly named Scenic Cruise, included in Steck and Roper’s “Fifty Classic Climbs of North America” and is regarded one of the best rock climbs in Colorado, a state known for its abundance of rock climbs. It ascends 1,700’ up the entirety of the North Chasm View Wall in 13 pitches, the most difficult of which are 5.10d, though for most it feels more like 11a. What is unique about this is how consistent the difficulty is staying at the 5.9 and 5.10 level for most of the climb, save for a few shorter sections. It primarily climbs cracks up a huge swath of mostly clean granite, somewhat a rarity for a climb of this length in The Black. It lives up to the hype and delivers a stellar climbing experience, equally matched by the amazing views. It is a blast to be high up on this wall making such amazing moves pitch after pitch after pitch watching the Gunnison River below in the deep narrow gorge of the canyon.

We’ve had the privilege of guiding this ultra classic bucket-list climb several times and have learned a lot about smart climbing strategies for a successful experience on it (and climbing in The Black, in general). I’d like to share some of our favorite strategies with you now:

Timing

The Scenic Cruise faces southeast so the route gets a lot of sun. For this reason it is nice to get on this in cooler weather, which creates a challenge when trying to race up on the shorter days of early spring or late autumn. Hitting the right day for this is crucial so you don’t fry on the sun blasted black granite. If you are lucky enough to catch it during an unusually cool and cloudy midsummer day, that would be ideal. More likely, you want to just plan on going when being in the sun is tolerable: early spring or late autumn. The problem with these seasons is the shorter days not allowing much time to get the climb done. 10-12 hours rim to rim is a common time to complete the route (sometimes longer) so timing needs to be crisp and efficient in all phases of climb. Starting from the rim right at dawn makes good sense.

Even in late October the sun can be hot even though the temperature at the rim may be around freezing when you start. I always bring along a light jacket and wear a sun hoody, even though it feels a bit cold when I start and the jacket seems like overkill on the climb, but if for some reason you get caught out into the next night you’ll be thankful to have at least one warmer layer. I bring a small headlamp, though usually I don't have to use it other than maybe right when I’m leaving the car. Like the extra layer, it’s good to have just in case. You could make the argument for doing this in November when it would be very comfortable in the sun, but you’d want to be fast to get it done before darkness (and a very cold night) descends. Late March and early April can be nice if the Park has opened for the season.

Equipment

You’ve got to descend the Cruise gully to the base of the route and then climb up and out, so whatever you bring down with you must be carried up. This must be taken into account when considering what to bring along. For this reason, going as light as possible is a real advantage. However, if you go without some key pieces of protection or contingency gear, you may find yourself in a bit of a pickle. This is not a route to be taken lightly since you are in a difficult position to get back down and then up and out. Bring along what is needed but no more.

I like to wear very light approach shoes since it's mostly easy walking (plus two rappels) to get to the route and they’ll just be in my pack most of the time. Evolv Cruzers are great for this type of thing. I bring a light and sturdy climbing pack for my shoes, food, water and extra jacket. An emergency communication device like the Garmin InReach is crucial for climbing in remote areas like the Black where there is no cell service. I also like the convenience of lightweight radios like the Rocky Talkie to better facilitate communication on route; keeping things more efficient and safer. It is a long day in the rock shoes so be sure to bring a comfortable pair. Some folks prefer to upsize and wear a baggy pair, though I prefer more performance oriented low top stiff shoes outfitted with Metolius Hangdogs so I can safely pop the heels off at the belay ledges. It is warm on this climb, but wearing pants is still a good idea for protection from poison ivy (on the approach), the abrasive rock and the sun. Crack climbing gloves are also a smart move with the sustained crack climbing encountered.

You’ll find no shortage of “rack beta” between the guidebook and Mountain Project, so I won’t delve too deep into that. I will say that the climb is quite varied and some pitches can be long so the rack most people are comfortable with is kind of big, with triples in some sizes (hands) and it's worth having a large cam (#4 Camalot) for a few places. Some people don’t like to bring along a wide cam, but the few places where it can go can protect you from a potential ledge fall in some difficult climbing way up high on the route including the crux pitch. The cruxes are generally smaller in size so doubles in the finger range is a good idea. Also,  the climb can wander a bit and having a lot (12-16) of draws and slings is a good idea. There are no bolted anchors so you’ll be making these naturally (more cams and nuts) with longer slings (cords and triple or quad length slings). The rappels on the approach are fixed so using a Gri-Gri is nice for those as well as having a reliable assisted braking device (ABD) for the lead belays. This is what I bring for a belay device and I like to bring gloves since the hands get pretty hammered from all the climbing and rope handling. We’ve always managed to top out, but I know of many who have had to bail from mid route, which, though not impossible, would be challenging with just one rope. I like to bring along a thin, static tagline in case I have to rap the route. This will also facilitate hauling some pitches (more on that later). 

Strategies

I know I listed a lot of things above and that may seem contradictory to my “lightweight” philosophy, however I’m trying to strike a good balance between having enough to provide an adequate margin for error, but not too much as to make this into a sort of “Big Wall” type of climb. Think of this as Big Wall Free Climbing. Here are a few tips to make this all work out for the best.

First, as I mentioned above, the approach is just a walk/scramble with two fixed rappels. You want to do this with as little extra stuff as possible since you’ll be out for a long day and you’re carrying it all back up. Be sure to leave a cooler of your favorite beverages and some tasty snacks for afterwards in your car parked just outside the campground. About half way down the approach gully you also start to encounter some large and hard to avoid poison ivy bushes so you want to have your things high and tight to your body; not drooping low or sticking out far where it can get into this stuff. Believe me, you don’t want to get poison ivy oils on any of your equipment! You’ll want to start out with your harness and helmet on. Clip your cams up high directly from the thumb loops so they’re not hanging from the cam slings. Keep your rope coil short and tied tightly around your torso. Keep shoes in the pack or carefully bundled onto the back of the harness. Keep the water in the pack.

I often just bring one 20-25 liter “haul” pack (Black Diamond Creek 20 is a good example) for both of us which we can share while carrying on route and haul, though two smaller packs can work fine, too. About the hauling: one of the advantages of having a tagline is facilitating the possibility of hauling some of the longer or difficult pitches. As a leader, I just clip this off to the back of my harness with it  pre-threaded through my micro (or nano) traxion device ready to haul. Once secured at the belay station I let my partner know when I’m ready to haul. The radios come in real handy here. I then haul the pack with all of our extra stuff: shoes, water, food, jackets and unnecessary gear from that pitch like extra cams) so we both get to climb the pitch less encumbered. This is especially handy for the first three long (60-70 meter!) pitches of the route. It also allows us to bring ample water for a long day in the sun. While it does take a few extra minutes it pays for itself by saving a lot of energy for the continuous sustained climbing higher up on the route. Of course there are a few pitches on the route where it just does not make sense to haul, however it is surprisingly easy for most of it, including the infamous “Pegmatite Traverse” pitch with the use of a lower out (again, greatly facilitated by the use of the radios). 

I take my time when the climbing is serious and/or hard and try to climb more quickly on the easier and safer sections. It still takes a while and most people end up finishing after the sun leaves the wall, enjoying the final pitches in shade. There is one cave-like feature about half way up that is worth belaying in if it's really hot. It’s also a good place to take a longer break for nutrition and hydration. The climb ends abruptly just below the rim and the tourist overlook. The final few hundred  is just 4th class, though festooned with cacti, so be careful where you put your hands when topping out the last few moves of the route! Like so many other routes in The Black, the ending is awesome since you top out where you started without having to get back down. Once on top, take in the amazing view from the overlook and start your 5 minute hike back to the campground where cold beverages and snacks await!

As most who have climbed it agree, The Scenic Cruise is a truly amazing and extremely memorable experience, rightly ranking among the best in North America. It stacks up well against climbs of similar grades in Yosemite and elsewhere. For aficionados of places like Indian Creek, Little Cottonwood Canyon or Index it is a multi-pitch dream come true. 

Questions?

Want to talk to a guide for route or strategy beta on rock climbing in the Black Canyon? Want to hire a guide to help you climb your dream route in the Black? We’re here to help!