Time Stands Still - What’s Not to Love?
Devil’s Head Rock(center) and the Recovery Wall(left).
Over the last month, I’ve been getting a taste off all the Front Range has to offer. Eldo, Boulder Canyon, Garden of the Gods, Old Stage, and the spread out crags of the South Platte. The more crags of the South Platte I’ve been too, the more I see the appeal. There is so much good climbing, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. Next up was a trip out to Devil’s Head. With the appeal of longer climbs and a short approach, Seb and I loaded up with (16) quickdraws and started up to Time Stands Still(7p, 5.10b).
Background: Devil’s Head encompasses a large area, with Devils Head Rock, the namesake rock, containing the climb we were after. Featuring textured granite found throughout the South Platte, the area has seen in uptake in sport climbing development.
“Part of the challenge with that wall is locating the "good" stone. DHR is a mix of South Platte large crystal kitty litter and the good Pikes Peak fine grained granite. I scoped the wall extensively to follow the good stone as much as possible which is why the route wanders the way it does" said Tod Anderson on putting up the route. “The route is named after a Rush song, which describes getting older, I'm 65 now.”
The climb is well bolted, and a great route if your pushing the grade. East facing, it gets early sun. Although the temperature in the parking lot was below freezing, by the time we were roped up, it felt like t-shirt weather.
Well bolted moderate multi-pitch close to the Front Range, you say? We weren’t the only ones with this climb in mind.
Gearing up at the car, we made the short approach uphill, and started up the route. We decided to lead the route in blocks, with me leading the first half and Seb taking over for the second. I’ve generally always swapped leads, but block leading is growing on me, being able to stay in the same headspace for a longer period of time, instead of switching back in forth.
The first pitch starts off with 5.9+ slab right off the deck. Don’t worry about decking though, the bolts are generous, so if you are pushing your grade, it’d be hard to take any sort of significant whip on this one. The granite is textured, and the slab climbing feels much different then other areas. I enjoyed it. Combined with the coffee I had on the drive up, I was wide awake now.
Seb coming up the second pitch.
The second pitch is a little easier at 5.8+, and has some more holds and less slabby moves. Once again, there was always a bolt when you wanted one. It made the climbing feel safe and secure, and we were able to move up nice and quickly, providing a satisfying feeling. The second pitch tops off on a big ledge, and a we shifted over to an anchor about 40 feet away at the base of the third pitch.
Looking across towards the base of P3(5.9). A snow capped Pikes Peak in the background.
We caught up to the party ahead of us. Looking down, there were two parties below. Luckily, the belay stances on this climb range from pretty ok to really great, so at least we weren’t hanging as our legs fell asleep.
The first two pitches had pretty good climbing, and pitch 3 was even better. Climbing up with great positioning on good holds, this was one of the more memorable sections on the route. At this point, the sun was nice and warm, but a calm breeze made for perfect fall climbing conditions. Moving higher up, views of the cities on the front range were exposed, as well as more and more of Pikes Peak to the south.
A climber ahead going up Pitch 3
Seb on the last stretch of Pitch 3
We had some time to wait as the party ahead tackled Pitch 4. Clocking in at 10b, it was the crux of the route.
“I had the other pitches completed and only needed to do pitch 4.” said Tod, on putting up the route. “Hiked up the back side, rapped down with the drill kit ready to tap out and bolt P4. Got everything ready to go, put a new bit labeled 3/8" in (Chinese made), drilled the hole for the first bolt, seemed a bit large, dropped the bolt into the hole. The bit was actually 1/2". Pulled out my backup bit, about 1/4" into a new hole [and] the carbide blew out of the tip. That was the end of getting anything productive done that day. Much swearing and winging the blown bit off into the distance… Went back one more day and got it done.”
Party ahead, starting up the 10b crux pitch.
Pitch 4 returns to slab similar to the first pitch, before the angle increases into the crux. An undercling, a pinch, and some footwork gets you to some nice jugs and a hand jam for a rest. One final bolt clip then punching through the final hard moves. I went high, spending too much time trying to decipher what to do, before getting my feet in position and using a side pull to reach across to better holds. It was a great sequence, and felt pretty spot on for the grade. Reaching the anchor, Seb followed quickly, and I relinquished the lead to him for the rest of the route.
Seb ready to rock and roll.
The next two pitches were short and sweet, providing consistent and fun climbing as we got higher and higher. A nice big ledge signaled the start of the last pitch. We ended up breaking this up into two pitches, belaying at a tree halfway up, in order to give space to the party ahead and allow us to keep moving. We were in the shade now, and it was a bit colder!
Looking down from the top of the last pitch.
The climbing on the last pitch(5.10a) is a bit different then the rest of the climb, offering more sporty-feeling face climbing. Once again, fun, consistent, and engaging. Topping out, we took in the views before the short scramble over to the rappel off the back. The rappel station does require some exposed moves on loose rock, and I would recommend just belaying from the top anchor on the route.
After getting down the backside, we started the walk off, passing by a busy Recovery Wall on the way out. Cairns marked the way, and after the initial 100 feet, it’s pretty easy to stay on track and back to the road.
Seb belayed me to the rap rings on a GriGri and then just lowered me, while he rappelled down. Might as well practice some skills!
Time Stands Still is a great climb. It deserves the star rating, and rightfully so the popularity. It’s a great route for all levels, either as a quick lap, to push your grade, or work on multi-pitch skills. I will definitely be coming back to this area for more, and am intrigued by the other multipitch routes nearby.
