Sep 8, 2011

Video: "Free But Not Cheap" Poudre Canyon, CO



"Free But Not Cheap"
11a/b
No Stars

The Approach: PMA crag is listed in the Poudre Canyon Guidebook and on Mountain Project. It is the second set of bolts from the left.

The Story: The name is an inside (of my head) joke. The route is fun and overhanging, aka your feet get freedom, but there is a crux to pay, not cheap for the grade. Horrible junk rock, so bad that I "cleaned" with a soft bristle brush a jug into the wall when I bolted it (Baby Jesus please forgive me). It is the second warm-up of PMA crag, preparing you for the harder routes and makes their marginally better rock seem very solid.

There are two separate, but equal, methods to solve the crux at the 3rd bolt. A static method involving a sharp, thin pinch and the much more fun dynamic method demonstrated in the video. For full value, mantle the top of the cliff

Footnote: I repeated it on my birthday. However, I couldn't send my adjacent project. No cake for me!