Geronimo

A relatively new, but already quite popular, climb. (Makes you wonder how many other nice unclimbed routes there are further back and higher up in the various canyons....)

Approach as per Crimson Chrysalis, but before reaching the gully which separates the canyon, take a trail up towards the base of the buttress. The trails to the base of the climb aren't as well defined as the main trail, but are certainly easy enough to stay on. Like so many of the approaches in Red Rocks, the difficulty is often deciding which of the various trail branches to follow.

The climb starts at the base of the face, at a prominent crack.

P1: Climb a long pitch up the face (surprisingly steep in places), with generally good pro in the crack. The pitch ends at a huge forested terrace. Belay at or near the boulders.

P2: Negotiate your way to the back of the terrace, and climb a crack just left of the huecoed face. Climb up to an intermediate platform with a huge boulder (possible belay), or (if you have a 60m rope) stretch it out another 50 feet to the next large terrace. Watch for rope drag if you skip the intermediate belay.

P3: Again relocate to the back of the terrace, and begin climbing a crack in the face. This face itself has a second tier, so use long runners to avoid rope drag. Aim for left of a left facing, arching dihedral. You'll go up (and well out of sight of your belayer) beyond the top of that arc, past a couple delicate stemming moves, to a small stance in another dihedral. Be careful of your anchor placements here, because one of the cracks is bisected with a flexing flake.

P4: Go up and slightly left from the belay, then up and right, hugging the exposed arete 50' to the summit of the pinnacle. The gear is a little sparse on this last pitch.

Descent: Do a double rope rappel from the summit to the top of P2, then a series of single rope rappels down the chimney that winds up 50' right of the start of the climb.Avoid the temptation to use your second rope to get down the chimney more quickly, as several sections of the chimney look to be hungry. Please note: Rap anchors have been placed on top of the first and second pitches. The base can now be reached with three double-rope rappels. (If, after the first double-rope rappel, you rap the next pitch with a single rope, you'll not be able to reach the next rap anchor. There's a large rock that can be reached, if you have a 70-meter rope and you don't mind rapping off the end of your rope. You can then down climb to the anchor on top of the first pitch. From there, it you need two-rope to reach the base.)

Standard rack.