Five Classics near the Yellow Spur, Eldorado Springs Canyon, Colorado

By Matt Samet 

If you haven’t had enough big air and adventure on the Yellow Spur (III 5.9), on Redgarden’s mighty west face, then try one of these five other classic lines in the vicinity (up the gully) to get your sandstone on. 

Darkness ‘til Dawn  (5.10-)
The beautiful, semi-leaning corner tucks into an alcove not too gruelingly far uphill from Yellow Spur. Strenuous and sustained, this is atypical climbing for Eldo and may even require some crack technique. Belay at chains — a 70m rope just reaches. Tie a knot in one end of it.
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Gear: Standard rack with emphasis on hand sizes. 

Rewritten (III 5.7 or 5.8)
This hella-vertical-for-5.8 line climbs non-descript ground to the Red Ledge, and then tackles a series of classic, exposed pitches up the slender rib of Rebuffat’s Arete to summit the Redgarden.
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Gear: Standard rack, with an emphasis on long slings and hand-sized pieces. 

The Great Zot  (5.8)
Most people climb the first pitch of this to start Rewritten (the first pitch of which is 5.7 R — the scene of a few accidents), so it may already be familiar. The climbing above can be nebulous, up on the so-called “Zot Face,” but even with its mountaineering/rockaneering feel, this is a good, testy trad line.
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Gear: Standard rack. 

Green Spur (5.9)
This is a good start to Rewritten/The Great Zot if you’re feeling feisty, as in ready to tackle some strenuous 5.8 crack moves and stemmy 5.9. The gear is good, and once you hit the Red Ledge you can surf into the prime pitches on upper Rewritten. With a 70m rope, you can string the first two pitches together.
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Gear: Standard rack, with an emphasis on finger-sized TCUs. 

Swanson Arête (5.5)
This sleeper of a line, often called stout for the grade, tucks into an appealing buttress uphill (north) of Yellow Spur. The approach pitches, via West Chimney (an ugly 5.5), leave something to be desired, but you can traverse in from Rewritten. Cracks and corners on clean, dark, slabby rock take you to a silent summit.
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Gear: Standard rack and long slings. Bring double ropes if you plan to rappel.