Collins Donn

This is a meandering journey up the north face of the third buttress, topping out at its highest point. To locate the base, pass under the queue of folks on the 2nd buttress, and swim your way up scree past the rockfall, aiming towards the saddle, and a small, separated tower from the main wall. Before reaching the tower, keep your eyes peeled for a large, left-facing dihedral that stays wet most of the season. 40 feet right is an obvious hand crack stretching up through a bulge and out of sight. Rack up just left of here.

P1. 5.8, 130'. Follow the hand crack through a bulge, and belay at one of many large ledges above.

P2. 5.7, 250'. Begin angling left (4th and 5th class), crossing around the corner which lands you on a sea of large knobs, buckets, and crimps. The face climbing here is easy, but beautiful. Build a belay on a small foot ledge which is located directly below your next objective; the shallow right facing corner that bisects the roof above.

P3. 5.9R, 140'. Rather than make a beeline to the dihedral, weave your way up the incredible and solid face climbing above, connecting small cracks and seams for pro (not much).

P4. 5.7, 120'. Go up the dihedral, and through the roof, to grandmother's house we gooo...I mean, umm...after the roof, connect small corners and hand cracks. Belay below the upper tower.

P5. 5.5 or 5.9R, 100'. Either snake to the left of the tower, and across the notch, or straight up the small gendarmed tower, and rap to the notch off slings. Belay at a left-facing dihedral that leads to the final, striking, finger crack.

P6. 5.9, 70'. Move the belay up the corner system 60' to the base of the splitter. Straight up the crack past a fixed nut, then cut left at the upper headwall (which goes at 5.10c R), along ramps, then top out directly above the crack. Marvel at the beautiful face to your left, resembling some of the best of Red Rocks, Nevada sandstone.

Descent: 2 raps from slings at the summit, a couple hundred yards down the [gully], then escape onto the face at your right, meandering down 4th class ledges until you nail the top of pitch one. Rap here from slings to your pack. Or, do the standard [gully] descent.

SR to 3", with extra micro cams and nuts.