Apoca-Lips Now!

Among the best 5.13s in Clear Creek, Apoca-Lips Now! is a classic jughaul in an airy position with magnificent stone. This climbs like a Gunks classic, surfing along a huge flake system at the lip of a massive roof. The exposure is matched only by the quality of movement.

Begin as for Saigon, climbing through the pegmatite band to a decent shake below that route’s crux. Execute Saigon’s reachy crux move, and then bust right, hooking and dangling along the lip of the ever more-exposed roof. A few sequential moves and just-neutral holds give way to increasingly larger jugs as the pump grows. Once you reach the arête, turn the corner to join Charlie, and follow the best rock in Clear Creek up the brief-yet-glorious panel to the summit.

Apoca-Lips Now!

traverses along the left lip of the “cave”, beginning with the first few moves of Saigon, before busting right along the lip.

It’s possible to belay from the Dirt Ledge or from a nice, large, flat ledge immediately below the route ("the observation deck"). If belaying from the Dirt Ledge, bring a couple slings for the first 1-2 bolts. To reach the base of the climb, from the Dirt Ledge, follow the lower-left fixed line to The Bottleneck, then go up the Bottle Neck to reach the upper-left fixed line. Follow this line left, surmounting a steep bit just past a 2-bolt anchor (immediately below Charlie Don’t Surf) to reach a broad sloping ledge. It’s also possible to jug directly up to the Observation Deck along a pair of old fixed lines dropping down into the gully east of the Dirt Ledge.

All fixed with steel cable draws courtesy of Keith North and Jamie G. You may want to bring a shoulder-length sling for the first bolt if you plan to belay from the Dirt Ledge.