Slave to the Grindstone is a good warm-up on some slab climbing. Start with your hands matched on the big jug below the left side of the slab. Move up on small hands and feet.

To the Grindstone

Fraggle Stick Car

Coffee and a Copper

Cave Creatures

Terrible Two

Critical Balance

Bear Scar

Start sitting on the far right side of the northwest face at a large, flat hold. Move up and left along some diagonal features to a large, striped hold. Proceed to the top. Crimpy climbing, large moves, and tricky beta make this the classic sandbag of the boulder.

Coffee and a Copper is another classic hard line on the impressive northwest face. Start with both hands on a large, flat, diagonal jug, and move more or less straight up the diagonal features.

Cave Creatures is a lowball problem out of a small overhang. I'd give it one star due it being low to the ground, but there are some great moves and rock. Call out the dab police for this one.

Terrible Two is a short, two move boulder problem in the chimney just downhill from the main Birthday Boulder. Start with matched hands on the big, obvious, flat, sloper hold. Move up to jugs at the top of the boulder. This would be 2 or 3 stars if it wasn't in the chimney gap, but it is. It is still a good problem, something to add to the warm-up circuit or to kill time while you wait for the sun to change aspect. There are a few other easy problems located on these blocks to do.

Critical Balance is another slabby route on the NE face of the boulder. Start right of '

To the Grindstone

' with your left hand on a good sidepull, and move with your right hand up to some nice compression holds. Pull up and over a small bulge onto the thin slab above, and go straight up.

Bear Scar is the classic North Routt problem. Perfect rock, hard moves to a stout crux, and an easier (but still engaging) highball finish make this a must do for the visiting boulderer. Squat start low on some bigger holds where two diagonal features create an 'x'. Big moves up and left towards the arete bring you to a long move up and right to an obvious, white sloper/crimper. Get this ,and hold on for the exciting topout straight up.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Birthday Boulder