On Supremacy Rock, facing the road, a small formation called The Pyramid exists.  If approached from the picnic area, The Pyramid is the section of rock closest to you. Climb the left-hand arete that you can see from the lot.  This arete is just to the left of the West Face route and just to the right of Simple Simon Slab.

This route is frequently difficult to climb due to the groups that occupy Simple Simon Slab.  Like it's neighbors, this route is nice, but too short to be of any real interest to most climbers.

Northwest Arete

Route 0

Time Out

Northeast Arete

Zig-zagging Jews

Quartzite Ridge

West Face [Supremacy Rock]

Simple Simon Slab

Supremacy Crack

Cold War

Play Time

The Web

Right Wall

Overhanging Arete

Supremacy Slab

Slabbery

Lava Outside

Supremacy Girdle

On Supremacy Rock, facing the road, a small formation called The Pyramid exists.  If approached from the picnic area, The Pyramid is the section of rock closest to you. and Simple Simon Slab will be the first crack on the slab which faces the road.

This route is frequently occupied by top-roping groups of scouts, church-groups, or climbing classes.

The route is nice, but too short to be of any real interest to most climbers.

Follow the corner right of "

Play Time

".

There is a crack in the middle of the face, but there are many fine variations.

Not a destination but an easy way to set up a TR for Supremacy Slab.  Little in the way of pro, but the "crux" is in the first 10 feet with a reasonably safe fall onto level ground (solo it).  This is indeed on the northeast arete of Supremacy and is low-angle, short, and kinda silly.

This route starts immediately to the right of the large fir tree on the north face of Supremacy.  Follow an obvious, wide seam up angling slightly right toward a small tree.  Just above the tree, stem out left onto the face and follow a pair of shallow cracks to the left.  After ten feet, head up and right again on a broken-up seam.  Finish by traversing left again on a ledge to the large alcove at the top of the NE arette.

The Quartzite Ridge is an exposed rock ridge that runs appromimately East to West from above the summit of Supremacy Rock for 250m to its intersection with the Rattlesnake Trail.  Almost all of the climbing along the ridge is on its sunny south aspect.

After a 100m of scrambling to attain the ridge, ascend the arete in a series of moderate steps and downclimbs, passing several trees en route.

A variety of options exist at each tower along the way, but staying on the arete offers the best climbing on beautiful quartzite, reminiscent of the alpine rock in the Tetons.

A short downclimb at the end of the ridge brings you to the Rattlesnake Trail.  For a solo climber, a 60 minute round trip car-to-car is average.

The Quartzite Ridge receives excellent winter sun angle at midday and is the best location in Boulder to practice short-roping.

This route ascends the center of the West face of the "Pyramid," another chunk of quartzite attached to Supremacy Rock.  The triangular West-facing block has 3 routes on it, the center of which is the hardest.

The West Face is a vertical route with few holds and less gear.  It might as well be soloed, as the crux is not far from the ground and might be considered more of a boulder problem than a lead.

This route starts as an obvious thin-hands crack on the south-west overhang of Supremacy Rock.  The crack leans right and overhangs significantly.  The key to this climb is footwork, unless you have small hands (I do) which make the climb easier.   On my first attempt I sliced the back of one hand open, however, and only completed the route after coming down and taping up.  I recommend taping up for your first go at it.

Shares the start of the Web.  Climb up for 1 or 2 bolts on the Web until you can follow a line of weakness to the left.  You'll see much newer bolts on the 2nd half of this route.  A lot of fun and a good consolation prize if the Web is kicking your butt.

Wander your way up the slab. Enjoy the shade and the sound of the creek.

(Attention: Satire Ahead! Not a Useful Description! Use at Your Own Risk!)

There was a time when you couldn't open a climbing magazine without seeing ads featuring some wannabe hardperson clinging to the sheer overhanging rock face that is the Web. Sure it's about 25 feet long and 100 yards from the parking lot and picnic tables, but something drew the early '90s sport climber crowd to this route like long-lost relatives to lottery winners. Now, the glory is gone, but the greasy slopers and crimps remain, polished not merely by overuse but by virtue of the slick quartzite they were hewn from, by nature fortunately and not Chris Alber. So, go to the top and throw down a TR to scope the holds, and after changing into your best pink lycra and matching pink/yellow harness, grit your teeth for the camera. Sponsorship is right around the corner!

A short route in and of itself, but when linked to '

Slabbery

', it makes for a reasonable pitch.  The climb is perhaps best a solo or top-rope as gear is sparse, but the climbing solid and obvious, at least on this lower 30' of rock. (Perhaps

Slabbery

is a better TR than solo.)

Start off from the flat platform 5 meters above the road facing and facing out to it, looking outward onto Quartzite Ridge, across the River.  The right shoulder of the rock is substantially shorter than the main left side, and comes to a sharp ledge after 30' or so.

Right Wall starts in the center of the face of this right side and ascends incuts and edges up a broken system of flakes to the right side edge of a large boulder balanced at the top ledge.

One can downclimb from here on the same route, to the left on

Zig-zagging Jews

(5.4) or continue on.  To continue onward, traverse left onto

Zig-zagging Jews

and proceed upward, or better yet, commit to the X-rated, vertical, face route '

Slabbery

' where small but mostly positive crimps and edges wander up to the top at 5.7.

The route is the West-most arete on the main rock at Supremacy.  It [overhangs] pretty radically and has interesting holds.  [The] rock is smooth and glassy.  By staying around the corner, on the overhang itself, a worth eliminate goes at 10c.  Using the vertical, slab, and overhang (wandering) the [route] is kept to 5.9+.  You might find it hard at its grade even then, however.

The route is the seam-system on the glassy North face on the main rock at Supremacy.  It is low angle, but requires good face and slab technique alike.  The climb goes up the centermost crack system and left and right lie harder variations that eventaully all join and move up and left to the 5.7 arete.

This is a vertical face route with small incuts and edges. The lack of pro makes it practically a solo - have you a rope or not.  A poor landing would be assured in a fall.  The climbing is good and the rock is solid though, so this is a reasonable route for those in the right headspace.

Start on positive incuts, and wander your way up the wall, deviating a move to the side here and there to get the most secure holds.  The crux midway up this line is unprotected with a bad fall potential, but the climbing and rock are both solid.  Top out and descend to the East and then down a ridge and gully back to the North.

This is a lowball boulder problem with obvious holds and feet on Supremacy Slab.  It is a good introduction to trusting your shoes or a way to get on the rock if you are, like me, too weak to do any other boulder in the park.

Description

Protection

Routes in Supremacy Rock