Climb a short crack to gain a beautiful 5.8 slab, clip three bolts and continue up the fun/steep flake above. Easy slab and a low-angle crack lead to the rap-anchors. A great warm-up climb for the other Granite Sea routes.

Rip Tide

Hang 12

Turquoise Tubers

The Gardener Did It

I Yam I Yam

Ankles Away

Easy Sailing

This fun route ascends the face left of the flake at the start of

Rip Tide

. Climb great edges passing four bolts to the horizonatal crack where some hand-sized cams protect a few steep moves over the roof/bulge to another bolt. Run it out on the easy slab to the anchors on the large ledge above.

2 60m ropes to rap.

This is a fantastic two-pitch climb on the lower tier of Granite Sea.

P1: assault the short but burly offwidth (left of the poison ivy fest), cruise up an enjoyable left-angling fist/hand crack, and then commit to thin face moves above, which gains a good belay atop a block. There's a big flake/horn thing to sling here.

P2: continue up the left-leaning hand-crack till it fizzles out, bust some thought-provoking face moves to gain the horizontal crack above, and lieback left to gain an easier slab exit to the ledge and a comfortable tree-belay.

This might possibly be the best pitch of 5.6++ at Greyrock, or anywhere for that matter. Begin with delicate runout face climbing to gain the corner. Lie-back the crack using abundant footholds on the face, and eventually break out over the small roof as the diheral begins to bend left. Another runout reaches a long/narrow flake. Follow this up and right to the anchors. Rap to the ground with two 60m ropes.

This adventurous route is found on the Lower Breakers.  When the trail hits the main wall, head down the hill to the base of the lower tier of rock.  This route follows the left facing dihedral in the center of the formation.  P1: (zero stars) This route starts at a mossy left leaning crack system.  This crack seemed a little harder than 5.6. This moist move can be over come with a little pulling on gear. Belay below an obvious OW. P2: (1 to 3 stars depending on state of the hand crack)  Follow a fun SQ chimney in the LF dihedral for 25 feet.  Small pro can be had in a small crack to the right.  Stem and lieback up to a beautiful hand crack.  This pitch would be one of the best 5.6 crack pitches in Colorado,  if it was not for the pine needles and dirt that collects in the hand crack.  The leader should being a nut tool, in case you are the first person to climb this route this year.  Descent: Follow the ledge system to the right and do a double rope rap to the ground.  The natural extention to this route is "Easy Sailing" (5.6), which climbs the Upper Breakers  in 2 pitches. (recommended)

This is a very enjoyable climb. Enjoy the delicate face moves past three bolts, then trend left up easy slab passing two more bolts. Continue left along the horizontal crack until it ends, and follow easy slab and cracks up to the anchors.

Bring 2 60m ropes to rap.

Easy Sailing ascends a large, right-facing dihedral in the center of the Granite Sea immediately above the finish of

The Gardener Did It

.  Two starts are possible, one off of a boulder and into a fist/hand crack, or, starting lower, on a ledge beneath a bolted line, one can ascend a thin, left-leaning corner (harder?) that eventually joins the main dihedral system.

Enjoyable jamming, face climbing, stemming, and even a bit of liebacking will get you up this route until the angle eases, where you're greeted by still more fun, though much easier, jamming and face climbing to the top of the buttress.  Gear is plentiful on this route, so belays can be had most anywhere along the way.  However, the crack in the dihedral is often wide, so bring along extra gear in the #3 - #4 Camalot range (hexes would work well) for building belays.

Once a bit cleaner, this route will make a spectacular first lead for a budding trad climber.  While there are some intimidating steep sections and face climbing, movement is always secure and rewards patience - faced with a seemingly non-5.6 obstacle, a little hold-browsing reveals bomber options.  I would go so far as to suggest that with all the great gear available, complemented by a diversity of climbing, this route could stand toe-to-toe with Lumpy Ridge's

Batman and Robin

or just about any moderate Flatirons line.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Granite Sea