Pitch 1: ascend fun flake/crack climbing with supplemental smears for the first 4 bolts. Transition onto the face, and pull over onto easy runout terrain to the anchor (4-5 bolts). The flake is hollow and detached, I don't think it's going to come down anytime soon, but be mindful.

Pitch 2: work up the headwall, then edge up slab left of the rotten chimney to a 2-bolt anchor (4 bolts).

In "

Climbing Colorado

," it lists this route as a single-pitch climb, starting from the end of what I've defined as "Pitch 1". To do it the way the book defines, you would scramble right across the sloping ledge starting from "

Intensive Care

" to the bolt/piton anchor, and then complete what I've defined as "Pitch 2" normally.

Old Boy's Club

Chronic Bedwetter

Tunnel Vision

Silver Left

Hesitation

Reality Check

Black Science

Johnson Route

Intensive Care

Robertson Wall

Ladder Route

This excellent 1-pitch route, established after I got out of intensive care for a throat injury in 1993, ascends the big slab on the right side of Silver Cascade Slab. Begin at a shallow corner on a wide sloping ramp below a long roof. Climb polished rock past a chopped bolt to a V-shaped break in the roof. A Friend below the roof protects a move to a bolt. Step left past the bolt (harder for short climbers) and onto some small shelves. Continue straight up the slab above past 5 more bolts to the cliff-top. Belay from a tree anchor. Walk-off descent to the left.

Part of this route may have been climbed previous to my ascent since a funky old 1-inch-long bolt with a rappel sling was part-way up the slab. I also established another 5.8 route to the left, but the hangers were stolen in 1995.

Like all the slab routes at Silver Cascade, the crux section is well protected with a long runout to the top on easier ground.  This will be the third bolted route from the left, adjacent to

Robertson Wall

.  Sustained 5.7 through all the bolts, and then about a 50 ft runout to the top on easy ground (5.2 or so).  Anchor at the top is best set using trees and very long sling, but an acceptable spot can be located for a #1 Camalot and a couple of medium stoppers.

This is the left-most, bolted line on the Silver Cascade Slab.  Pleasant, low-angled,

runout

, stickier than

Reality Check

.  It can even be TR'ed wet or in a rain.

Find this by parking at the Helen Hunt Falls, hike up the established trail (~0.5 mi) above the falls, past & above Silver Cascade, and before the bridge, head up & right through the trees to the slab.  Find this line located separately from the other bolted lines on the far-left side of the crag where the terrain/dirt starts to become angled up & left.

Boulder up left of the first bolt on flakes with the crux move before the 1st bolt.  Clip & head up.  Clip 3-4 widely spaced bolts to an overlap/huge flake.  Carefully pull up on the left edge of the huge flake & head to the top.  There are 2 bolts at the top without rappel paraphenalia, 130 feet. Walkoff to the left.

Hopefully that huge flake is stable.

This is the left-most climb on the slab.  There are no bolts.

Start just left of

Tunnel Vision

and smear up to the left side of the large arch visible from the ground.  Here you can place some gear (small wires to 1/2"), and then continue on easier terrain to the top of the wall.  You can belay using the bolts at the top of

Tunnel Vision

(if hangers are missing you will need some wires, or a #2 or #3 Camalot).

Descend by walking down on the left.

"Hesitation," the first bolted route established on Silver Cascade Slab, is not one of the best routes on the cliff but should be included here for historical accuracy.

The route begins in the center of the cliff below a broken right-angling, left-facing corner system right of "Reality Check." Scramble 40 feet up the corner to a belay niche. Traverse out left past some bolts, crossing "Reality Check" and then up a shallow groove to easy slab climbing. Continue to the top of the cliff-top and a tree belay anchor. Walk-off to the left.

Various bolt belay anchors have been on the sloping ledge near the top for this and other routes but all have been chopped.

This is probably the best and certainly the most well-protected route at Silver Cascade.  It seems like this is always the first route I do when I'm up there.

The route is located to the right of Chronic Bedwetter, following the line of "newer" bolts slightly to the right and then back slightly to the left.  While the crux section is, like all routes at Silver Cascade, located in the first third of the route, the climbing remains sustained at the 5.5-5.6 level for longer than one would suspect.

Start to the right of Johnson Route.  Follow the obvious rough rock up and over the notch in the overhang.  For the harder version use the left to the two bolts and continue [straight] up to the two bolt [anchor].  It is easier to clip the right of the two bolts and go right using the flakes to haul on, [anchor] on the mismatched bolts while standing on a good ledge.  The second pitch follows the flakes up to the top of the rock.  Set up [anchor] using a small pine tree.

[Per S. Green: Pitch 1 begins just right of "The Johnson Route" and climbs up right along a shallow arch then back left on a steep slab to a 2-bolt anchor on a ledge. 4 bolts. Pitch 2 climbs the slab above past a couple bolts and 5.8 moves to the cliff-top. Walk-off descent.]

This route is easily located by finding the longish roof on the right side of the slab.  Go up a short, unprotected slab (can be wet) to the extremely well-protected crux on the left side of the large roof.  Curious move over the roof can be a straightforward mantel on two small, but postive crimpers, but more likely will involve a thrutching shin smear.  The route moves slightly right past three more bolts on the slab above (solid 8, maybe 9-), and then back left to the bolted anchor.  At least one book rates this 11a, same diff to me.

Second bolted route from the left side of the slab.  A bit sportier than

Chronic Bedwetter

, as it ascends basically the same terrain but with one less bolt.  The bolts on this climb are also a bit older than those on the other slab routes, but still seem solid enough.  All three bolts are located in the first 30 feet (crux), with the remainder of the climb to the top runout but much easier (5.2).

Trees work best for an anchor if you have very long slings, otherwise bring a small assortment of stoppers and a #1 Camalot.

This is the 3rd line from the left (2nd bolted line?) on the Silver Cascade Slab.  However, it may appear to be the leftmost line unless you walk to the far, left end of the crag.  Pleasant, runout, stickier than Reality Check.

Find this by parking at the Helen Hunt Falls, hike up the established trail (c. 0.5 mi) above the falls, past & above Silver Cascade, and before the bridge, head up & right through the trees to the slab.  Find this line as the left line of 4 obvious bolted slab lines on the left side of the crag.  The hangers appear blacker than its neighbors.

Scramble 4th class to an obvious ledge.  Clip the bolt with a Trango hanger at a ledge, traverse left, clip the 1st bolt of

Robertson Wall

, continue left to the bolts with darker hangers.  Go up on small, sort-of-positive holds past 3 bolts.  Run it out on easier terrain to a flake.  You can sneak in a mediocre #1 Camalot behind the flake and a marginal, small wire above. Continue up to a boulder & belay.  Rock anchor of medium wire, blue Alien, & #3 Camalot or further up & left to a tree.  180 feet.  Walkoff left.

7 pieces of pro in 180 feet pushed me to call it 's', despite the lack of such designation in B. D'Antonio's C. Sprgs. guide.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Silver Cascade Slab aka Hesitation Slab