East Face Gully

This route is recommended only to those Flatiron Slab Mongers who want to or have to bag all the climbs on the First or worse yet are committed to doing all the easy climbs on the Flatirons (you know who you are...).

The rock is very polished, the route is not easy to protect and there is a good amount of loose rock.

This route follows the Northernmost Gully on the East Face of the First. It starts about 100+ feet to the right and up from the start of the

Standard East Face

route and shares the start and first pitch of the East Face North Side route.

From the trail on the north of the face, find a large flake that allows an easy traverse East and proceed straight up the face finding the path of least resistance. There is an old piton in the first pitch.

At this piton, the routes separate. Traverse left finding the easiest way into the gully and head up the gully finding the path of least resistance (

i.e.

with more friction...) Roach mentiones staying right initially until you reach some ledges where the gully widens and then moving left. This was not that obvious to us.

Less obvious to us, was the exit of the gully. About a pitch from the top of the gully look left under some small trees for a licheny ramp at a weakness on the left wall, this is the exit onto the East face. Some 25 feet above this is a easier looking exit. This exit is indeed easier but getting to it involves a poorly protected 5.6 friction traverse... Pick you poison.

Once out of the gully traverse left until you reach the Junction Knob and join the

North Arete

.

Have fun....

Standard Flatiron rack.