Evil Backwards is one of the most popular testpieces at the lake and a very cool, power/tension testpiece. This mega-classic lowball should be on every climber of the grade’s Evans ticklist.

Begin on the right side of the low roof on a left hand undercling crimp and a right hand finger-bucket/pocket. Make moves left on incut crimps with lots of tension to a crux foot swing. From here, exit the roof with more tension, and follow the seemingly “easy” arete until the boulder finally lets up at a ledge jug.

This mostly skin-friendly testpiece is a reflection of the CO pro developers’ ultimate alpine vision and has remained quite popular.

Evil Backwards

PK Warm-up

Mindsets A Threat

The Brown Seam

King Critter Sit

Tangerine Man

King Critter

Purple is Not a Color

Honey Badger

Heads or Tails

Red Herring

8 Equals D

World Famous Pow Wow

Jimmy’s Sweet Thang

Right Arete Warm-up

Breeze Block

The Hammer

Steep Grades, Sharp Curves

Chalk on Rock Left

Shot Tower

Emancipation Right

Behind the Eight Ball

Dismantling the Enemy

Fer Ire

The Exfoliator

Ramskull

Vaporizer

Dream Snatcher

Unknown V5

Powder Keg

Clan of the Cave Bears

Chalk on Rock

Phobos

Mote in God’s Eye

Miss Kiwi

Guillotine

This Could Be Alright

Rebellion

Crystal Seam

Kryptonite

Tattooed Teardrops

Death Trout

Now Nudda

Tomahawk

Tangerine Man has cool movement! Start on a juggy horn at the base of the rock. Make a stretchy move left, then work out to a sloping edge on the arete. Top out. Be wary of the 20 foot drop to climber's right, bring your best spotter!

Climb the arete with a little friction and a little compression. It is a great warm-up. Do an easy mantel with good holds over the lip. Downclimb off the south face of the boulder. If you know the name or FA, comment below, and I’ll change it.

Mindsets A Threat climbs a fantastic compression block. A difficult opening move gives way to super enjoyable squeezing and a heady topout. This is best done before the snow has melted out of the landing, otherwise it's a send or die type situation.

Start on sloping rail/pinch at the bottom right side of the face. Work along the seam up and left to top out on jugs.

This is the low start to

King Critter

and in my opinion is one of the best in the grade range at Lincoln Lake. This sustained roof climb should be considered a must do if the area.

Begin on a mediocre undercling practically at the bottom of the suspended roof. Make a three move (V9?) sequence on good but awkward holds to get established into the stand. Fight your way to the top, and claim a proud ascent.

King Critter is a classic line that has only recently gained its deserving popularity. This comfortable compression line also happens to be the closest boulder from the car at Lincoln Lake.

Start matched on a smiley crimp slot about halfway through the suspended roof. Move right to a rail, then make some hard moves to rad crystals at the lip.

This is one of the most pure dynos in the state and a phenomenal, one-move testpiece to try with friends when the skin and muscles are wrecked.

Begin on a huge, black jug rail on the beautiful, white face. Using good feet, make a 6 foot diagonal jump over the ledge to a slanted jug sloper. Top out on V-intro terrain. This line, although at first committing, is safe, and even though one of the hardest parts is to not dab, it’s a really, really fun boulder.

Honey Badger is another classic lowball on the Lincoln V11 circuit. This line is actually very, very cool and offers a sustained sequence utilizing heel hooks, crimps, slopers, and other sweet holds.

Begin sitting on the perfect, jug sloper underneath the belly of the boulder. The difficulties begin immediately with a hard first few moves. From here, consistent crimping and heel hooking leads to a desperate lip encounter on slopers. Rock over precariously, and take home a gem.

This line is quite beta intensive; there’s always another option!

Heads or Tails is a beautiful, safe problem sitting on the shores of a lake at 12,000 feet. There is no dab factor, and the landing is a grass beach. What more could you ask for in a boulder?

Begin sitting on a cluster of sharp crimps. Move up to a sweet, left hand, horn crimp, then climb up into an undercling feature. The next move is quite a doozy - a long deadpoint with awkward feet to a good sidepull. Finish with an easy topout.

This is definitely part of the Lincoln Lake obscura tour, and I hope that writing it up here will give it some much needed attention. This boulder problem was established at V9. Classic Jimmy.

This is a nice boulder problem with some cool, scrunchy moves and lots of different ways to do it.

This is a beta intensive climb with interesting movement and a full value topout. Start your left hand in a good slot and your right hand on a good sidepull down and right.

Very fun mix of arete and compression climbing. Work up the juggy arete for your right hand and slopey slapping for your left. The crux comes when transitioning from the sloper rail to bad knobs above. Finish the problem with a relatively easy throw to the lip.

This unnamed but very pure crimp ladder has some of the most fun and straightforward moves in the area. It would be as good as

...Grasses

if it were in a meadow, but it’s not. Even so, this is a nice, little gem completely worth doing.

Begin at the bottom of the overhang, squatting on a left jug ledge and right blocky sidepull. Make one easy right move, then climb into the steepness with a couple unique crimp moves to a dyno for the lip (keep them legs up!). Finish with an easy topout.

This is one of my favorite problems in Lincoln for what it’s worth….

This is an easier climb and a good starting warm-up problem to do before warming up on “

Steep Grades, Sharp Curves

”. Climb the right side of the large, vertically faced boulder just behind “

Steep Grades, Sharp Curves

”. The boulder is just SW of

SGSC

. It is to the right of the center

Crystal Seam

.

Start seated. For added difficulty, avoid the arete.

On a small boulder just left of Trail of Tears, start on the right side of the \boulder with a sloper on the arete, and traverse the lip of the roof moving left topping out on the left side of the boulder.

Start matched on the furthest right chalked edge under the hanging block. Work left around the arete on crimps and pinches to a long move leftward to the lip. This is powerful.

Start on underclings under the roof with feet smeared on smooth scoop. Work straight up and slightly right with some lock offs on good edges. Move to a hold on the arete or go straight up to a good jug and an easy topout.

Shot Tower ascends a really good slightly-highball face over a bulls-eye landing. Delicate edge and arete climbing leads to a committing high step to span a blank section (crux). Once you get the upper edges, a few more easy, but high, moves gets you over the top.

This ascends the right left-leaning arete. Start low, and work up and left topping out at the apex.

Start low on opposing sidepulls. Work up and slightly left on very cool, angled, and sloping holds to the top.

Dismantling the Enemy is another one of the popular V12s at Lincoln and the second half to the famous V15 Delirium. Besides a weird, dabby landing, the problem is an absolute classic, fit with dope holds and moves.

Begin standing on the obvious and comfortable undercling/sidepull jug, as for Overcling Traverse. Move your left hand to a nice, incut crimp, then make finicky foot and hand moves to reach a sloper at the lip. Utilizing a massive right heel hook, grab non-holds to a redpoint crux gaining a jug edge in the crack. End with a victory topout.

Start on low edge, and try to avoid dabbing on rock behind you. Top out at the apex of the face.

The Exfoliator is on a very interesting boulder that seems ridiculously hard for some and not too bad for others. Begin squatting near the arete, on a right hand, horizontal crimp and left hand, slopey sidepull crimp. Pull on, and fire to a sweet rail, then make tick-tacky moves through crimps to a final crux moving to and off of a poor undercling. Finish with an easy topout on jugs.

While the line itself isn’t beautiful, the holds, moves, and position are rad, hence the three star rank. It’s not quite four due to the slightly forced line (following the arete to the top is V11) and dabby nature, but, man, this thing is cool to try.

Ramskull has big moves with an extended up and rightwards traverse to a more prouder exit. You probably want good temps to climb this.

Start on a large jug on the arete. Work out right on crimps, and make a big move to the lip to top out.

Dream Snatcher has an awesome traverse on a crimpy seam! It looks sketchier than it is. Start deep in the slot on a low chalked hold. Climb up to the seam, and traverse out left on sequential crimp moves topping out at the very left end of the seam. The crux is quite height-dependent (V7 for taller folks, closer to V9 if you're short), so I'm splitting the difference and entering it as V8.

Start on the good hold down and right. Follow crimps up and left to top out. I and others in my group didn't know the name of this one (located on the same boulder and just left of

8 Equals D

), so if you do, comment below, and I'll update the page.

This is an absolute classic. Squat start on the lowest grips. Most people use a right heelhook. Traverse across the boulder on crimps and slopers to the well-chalked rail. Set yourself up, and throw to the intermediate tooth or, if you’re tall, directly to the top. Match and get after the techy mantel. Easily downclimb just the the left of the problem, onto the spike.

This is one of CO’s finest compression lines. The enclosed nature of the cave is the only detracting quality. Perfect rock, sustained movement, a heartbreaking finish, and a sketchy victory slab make this problem so unique. Also, there’s minimal dab factor.

Start sitting, with your left hand on a fin feature and your right hand on an undercling sidepull at the bottom of the refrigerator block. Match the fin, and move out the the lip to begin the starfished and horizontal compression sequence, using technical footwork and lots of beta. A final crux awaits as you prepare to pull onto the hanging slab. Gather yourself, and continue through the hole into the sunlight.

Props to Dave, as usual, for the vision. This climb is a true alpine testpiece and a great summer project as the cave is always dark and generally several degrees colder than the rest of the area.

Start seated, then traverse right and slightly up.

Phobos is a Lincoln Lake classic and rightfully popular. Begin at the bottom of the cave on opposing undercling/sidepulls - the right of which is very close to the adjacent boulder. Pull on, and fire to a too-good-to-be-true edge, and make flowy moves over the scary ramp to a crux at the lip with poor handholds and footholds. Thrutch onto the slab, and enjoy the victory romp.

This gets three stars for brilliant rock and movement, but not four due to the dabby nature and interestingly comfy first crimp.

Lincoln Lake has a concentration of V13s higher than almost anywhere else in the world. These problems range from super crimpy roofs to sustained compression squeezing. Mote is widely regarded to be the best, or at least most unique of Lincoln’s V13 circuit.

Begin from a stand start, on a left hand undercling and right hand edge in the middle of a nice vertical feature. Make an easy move to another left undercling (people have mistakenly started one move too high here), and launch into an extended compression sequence with very cryptic beta as well as temperature-dependent slopers. At the apex of the boulder, grab a horrible right pinch, carefully rock over onto the slab, and grab the glorious threadhole victory jug.

You can see this boulder from

Tangerine Man

. It's a small ~10 foot boulder with a perfectly flat landing. I cleaned this in September 2019, and it didn't appear to have been climbed before (judging by the amount of lichen and loose rock).

Sit start with feet on small edges in the hole to the left witha left hand sidepull and a right hand undercling. Go right to a crimp, avoid the dab, and keep crimping directly up into some right hand sidepulls and the sloper topout.

Guillotine is a fairly popular line for the area with dope moves and holds. It is unfortunate that most of the crux is due to the rock just inches behind you for the hard move. You got to keep lots of tension on this one!

Begin squatting at the bottom of the sweet crimp flake. Make easy moves up incuts to a long lockoff for slopers at the lip. Keep it tight, and ever so carefully reach for jugs behind the lip. Breathe again, and enjoy the victory topout.

This has V7 moves with a rock that adds a lot of difficulty. However, this is a pretty nice, little talus rig and a good, chill one at the grade.

We came across this excellent lip traverse directly across from

Powder Keg

that had zero chalk or ticks on it. We can't find it anywhere. If this is a route already, please let me know, and I'll remove this post.

Anyway, this is a really great warm-up for the area. Start on the right arete, traverse the lip to the left, and top out using the left arete. We thought it was V4ish.

Rebellion, V9, climbs an overhang and is located at 39°37'06.7"N 105°36'14.7"W or

https://maps.google.com?q=39.6185200,-105.6040772&hl=en-US&gl=us&entry=gps

.

Climb the center of the vertical face of the boulder that the “

Now Nudda

" Boulder rests upon.

Start standing or lower for added difficulty. Ascend the center of the wall using holds along a crystal seam to flat, incut edges above to an easy topout.

Start on the obvious, good feature in the back of the cave. Work out the roof via crimps, cut your feet, and toe hook the lip to gain the topout.

This is a fun gymnastic problem. The crux is avoiding dabbing on the leaning boulder for the foot-cut maneuver, which detracts from the quality of the problem. For me, this was far and away the hardest of the more well-travelled Lincoln V8s.

Tattooed Teardrops has a good combination of crimps, slopers, compression, and power endurance all rapped up into one problem. It even involves a single or double toe-hook if you're into that!

Of all Lincoln’s incredible hard problems, this one is considered one of, if not the best. The rock is perfect, moves unique and challenging, yet technical, and the line is obvious.

Begin on the right side of the boulder, standing on a perfect, flat jug. A few leftward moves on sweet holds lead to a blocky angle change and a very wide, technical kneebar. Following the kneebar, good holds and long moves give way to an airy topout at the apex of the boulder.

DT demands kneebar power, heel power, and plenty of technique. It is truly a full package problem.

Now Nudda is a unique and lesser known gem. Climb the suspended lip feature from an obvious start on a fragile jug. Start matched on said jug, and pull gingerly to the first sloper at the lip. Using toehooks at the bottom of the feature, traverse the lip right to a crux swing when the toehooks run out. A few thrutchy moves give way to a ledge before the top.

Tomahawk is one of the most popular boulder problems in the Colorado alpine and rightfully so. Originally graded V12, this problem has settled very solidly at V10.

Begin sitting low on a jug crack (often wet) at the bottom of the tomahawk feature. Right off the bat, you are greeted with a technical and beta intensive crux. The second half of the boulder is classic compression climbing with several pumpy moves all the way to the very end. A tall finish keeps the desperate on their toes for sure!

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Lincoln Lake