TL;DR: As the closing day of the trip we were a bit tired but still had some good climbing. My guest got a chance to jump on the sharp end and led all the pitches on Magical Chrome Plated Semi Automatic Enema Syringe (MCPSAE) a nice 5 pitch 5.7 on The Pear formation. Despite an early start to beat the heat it was pretty hot by the time we got back to the base just after noon and with the fatigue and heat we called it a day which felt like a good call.
After our second climbing objective on The Diamond it was a bit of a question mark whether we'd climb for the third day but we were both pretty confident it would happen. After a couple quick text messages in the morning it was game on. We planned to climb at Lumpy Ridge the whole day to close out the trip. Instead of putting it at the beginning as a warm up it ended up closing things out as kind of a cool down. Having the desire to get more practice with transitions and leading more the client got on the sharp end and led the whole route.
The Plan
After our first objective climbing on Petit Grepon and an 18 hour day on The Diamond, the original plan had been a full day at Lumpy Ridge. Pretty low key compared to the previous two days, a short approach on a trail instead of alpine terrain. After the Diamond tuckered us both out we decided to check in at 6AM. They were up for it, so we arrived at the trailhead about 7:15 a.m. to beat the heat and the afternoon thunderstorms that we hadn't noticed on the other objectives thanks to the altitude. While it was mostly clear the forecast called for clouds and potential storms which was another reason we chose the least committing day for the worst weather. Clouds started building as the morning went on but never got thick enough to block the sun, which ended up mattering more than we expected. I also ran into an old instructor, Matt, at the trailhead who had been one of my examiners during my AMGA Advanced Alpine Guide Course and Aspirant Exam. Looked like we were all heading to the same place.
Waving goodbye we headed out with the plan being a bit different than the previous days. Instead of me leading the way the client was going to lead all the pitches. They had done some leading with me on a previous trip and had shown good aptitude. With a good chunk of previous experience following multipitch and a little on their own this was a good way for them to continue to make progress in advancing their skills.
Looking for good gear placements at Lumpy Ridge can be tricky
The Climb
We picked Magical Chrome Plated Semi Automatic Enema Syringe on The Pear, a 5.7 that goes in five pitches. This is a pretty well protected climb without any huge route finding issues. The approach is also pretty easy and was a little under an hour and a half from the car to the base. As we racked up the other party showed up and it was a nice low key start to the day as we all racked up and flaked out ropes. Once ready we went through our commands and safety check and off they went.
Being newer to leading and multipitch climbing one of the hardest things beginner climbers struggle with is route finding. Where do I belay? How far do I go? Where do I go? Luckily MCPSAES is a climb that's relatively straightforward. The client found a decent spot. We talked about keeping an eye out for the best stances. From there they started up the second pitch which has some tricky gear to start if you want to keep it decently protected. Having dumped a decent chunk of pieces into the first anchor and protecting the tricky sections on the second pitch they found themselves a little light on gear to get to what we both agreed was a good spot to belay so they stopped a little short. This was a good conversation on tactics for saving gear. Things like bumping pieces and making strong anchors with fewer pieces when possible. At that point my colleague was parallel with us on La Chaim which meets up at the top of pitch two. This made it a bit easier for my client since now they had someone to show the way as Matt and his client pulled ahead. The last pitch has an overhanging offwidth as one of the variations for finishing. After a little investigation my client decided against it and finished off to the left. A brief discussion about using the rope to anchor in certain circumstances was the last bit of feedback before we rappelled into the coorridor off the back side.
It was nice to have the rock to ourselves but on the way down we realized they had left their approach shoes at the base. Although it's not a tough descent doing any significant walking in climbing shoes is very uncomfortable.
Calling It a Day
Once we rounded the corner near the climb I anticipated doing next, Right Dihedral, I hiked back down to grab their shoes and had them wait their. By the time I grabbed the bags and got back the temperature had risen another 10 degrees and as a south facing crag nothing was shaded anymore. With the sun pushing the temperature into the 90s and the bit of discomfort and fatigue the client was fine calling it there instead of racking up for another route. After the two big days before it neither of us needed much convincing.
Conclusion
While I always feel a twinge of disappointment ending a day early it was the mature call rather than a letdown. Every climber is attracted to something different and while the client enjoyed the objectives for the three days they also realized that the movement and climbing is what they enjoy most and sometimes big hikes to an objective are a bit of a grind. Short memories make good alpinists and having climbed the biggest, most classic routes in Rocky Mountain National Park they may yet change their mind. They asked a few questions about the Black Canyon on the drive out, which tells me we may have something for the fall or next spring!
Three very different days: a quiet, smooth introduction on Petit Grepon, a long chaotic traffic jam up the Diamond, and a shorter day where the client took the sharp end for the first time on a trip like this. Together they gave the client a real look at what separates a typical single multipitch day, which we'd already done a few of together, from a full alpine trip: the approaches, the boulder fields, and the terrain in between the climbing itself.
Is August a good time to climb in Lumpy Ridge?
It is in the mornings and in the shade. Once the sun really gets on the face it can be quite hot unless cloud cover moves in which I was sort of expecting for this trip with the forecast. We had a nice early start but the client had a big week and I think we were both fine calling it a day after one nice climb.
Is Lumpy Ridge a good place to lead your first multipitch?
With solid rock and relatively short approaches compared to most alpine objectives there is a good selection of routes that are pretty high quality without being super hard. This makes it a pretty good step up from a single pitch or two of leading toward a full multipitch day. Many of the anchors are gear and there are few bolts in Lumpy so it really tests ones abilities beyond what other trad climbing locations like Eldo can offer.
How do you know when you're ready to trad lead or start multipitch climbing?
I primarily look at two things when deciding whether to let someone do a real lead as opposed to mock leading. First I want to see high quality movement. If they're comfortably toproping 5.11 then leading a 5.7 will not be as physically challenging and gives a lot of bandwidth for placing gear correctly. Second I want to see good practice gear placements during a ground school session. If we've got both of those covered then it's usually less risk to let a new climber start to lead climb on gear.
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