Callaway Sprinkle

Alpinism / trip report

Comic 2.0, Black Canyon: the first log entry

· Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

Route Comic 2.0 (Comic Relief link-up) — IV 5.11b/c, 410 m, 11p (guided · onsight on all led pitches)
Partners John Collis (AMGA Rock & Alpine, Ouray)
Gain 410 m
High point 2438 m
Time 7 h car-to-car, 5.5 h on route

We spent the last week of May in Montrose, visiting family and doing a bit of light hiking and climbing on the side. With an extra day at the end of the trip, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to climb at least one route in the Black Canyon while there — and I can confirm I’ll be coming back, in cooler weather, probably.

John Collis was kind enough to suggest the route and climb with me, including offering great feedback on my placements once I’d mentioned the guiding ambitions on the approach. Couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the canyon, and I’d recommend him without reservation if you’re looking for a Black Canyon blind date.

The route itself was superb — easily among my favourite lines so far. Despite the dark whispers of choss and runouts one hears about the Black, as a well-trafficked route the rock and gear quality were excellent (with the exception of one chockstone that blew out under an enthusiastic pull). The pegmatite-banded gneiss is generously featured, making for great face climbing in addition to the cracks; the Lightning Bolt pitch was the highlight of the day, and I’m happy to have sent it cleanly.

Leading, and what the ledger says

I led pitches 7 and 9 through 11 — about a third of the climbing by length, onsight, flashing everything I followed. Route-finding on my leads was fairly straightforward, helped by John sketching what to expect above the Lightning Bolt crack.

Honest self-grade on gear: 85–90%. No placement was unsafe, but in perhaps five cases out of fifty there was a better stance or slot within a couple of metres if I’d cast about longer. Anchors were all solid. The day also added tools to the kit: belaying a follower on the Neox and a Nano Traxion rather than my usual guide-mode ATC, short-belay and simul technique for the fourth-class exit terrain, and rappel strategy at the one spot where the gully exit and Escape Pitches diverge.

Why this entry exists

This is the first report in the public log — the curated face of a climbing ledger that runs on structured records underneath. Every report from here on gets the same treatment: what we climbed, how it actually went, and what it taught, at whatever length honesty requires.