Just so you don't get the wrong idea, I haven't climbed this route.  I don't even want to climb this route.  Maybe someday I'll rig a toprope, but I doubt it.

The most famous route at Rotary Park, yet climbed by relatively few.  This problem is on the west face of the Mental Block.  The horrific sloping topout is easily visible to the north of the main Rotary Park area.  New improved trails lead to all the major rocks at Rotary Park.

The pinch hold is obvious when you're there.  Grip it with your right hand, a slight lieback may help.  I just grip the pinch hold and jump to the lip and slap the sloper.  Harder folks will want to get their feet on the rock before doing the dyno to the lip - this is more difficult, and infinitely better style.  Now that you're hanging from the sloper with your left hand, get your right hand up there - you need to control your swing, but you knew that.

This is the point at which I drop back to the ground and sulk back to the Eliminator Boulder.

To finish the problem, mantle.  Or die.  You can move your hands up to the next hold, do a super high step, and rock up.  Or, just press the mantle out with no feet.  It looks easier if you go right a bit, but purists will probably accuse you of cheating.  After 'completing' this problem, you'll either walk proudly back to your car, or be carried to a waiting ambulance on a stretcher.

It's easy to bail from the lip, as there is a small flat spot between ankle/leg/cranium breaking boulders directly below.  It isn't too hard to gradually work up to the dyno to the lip - to get a feel for things and figure out your tragectory and how to land in the above mentioned flat spot should you not make it.  However, to complete the problem requires maximum commitment for the highly technical mantle.  Failure will result in a train wreck of a fall.  Good luck.

Pinch Overhang

Barndoor Layback

Mental X

Contrived Crimpers

Willie's Lunge

Tiger Face

Standard Lock

Mental Block Traverse

Tiger Face Arete

Face Full of Knees

Mental Standard

Cornerlock

Face Full Of Greens AKA Fist Full Of Greens

Start on

Mental Standard

with your left hand on an edge and your right hand on a crimpy undercling. Do a deadpoint to a right hand hold, and traverse left into

Cornerlock

with some campusy moves.

Not done as often as

Mental Standard

or

Cornerlock

since the landing zone is a bit smaller, tucked amidst some small boulders.  Probably a height-reach dependent grade of around V3+ for those around my height (5'10"), just a touch easier than

Standard

and

Cornerlock

. Grab the pinch with your left, a sidepull with your right, get your feet on the wall and fire up to the layaway above. Work the feet for the reach to the top and pop off another mental mantel.

Link a SDS into

Barndoor Layback

(V3) from the right southwest corner on Mental Block.  Start on a right hand sidepull and a left hand crimp, bust out to a left gaston, heel hand match on the right, match hands, move over and up to the left hand pinch (of pinch overhang), settle, reach for the layback and pop the mental mantle finish.

Contrived Crimpers is the name due to eliminating the crack, everything right of the crack as an option, and only using the crimpers after the start.

The start is on the obvious sidepull to the left.

There are three good crimpers above the start hold. There is a good mono finger next to a good crimper 4 feet above that and to the right near the crack. Stand, and there is a good crimper to the left. Then top out!

Your feet start on the block under the overhang, and then you move onto the face on the obvious foot options.

Either start on

Corner Lock

or a bit further left. From the good rail on

Corner Lock

just before you move right to the finger lock, bust out left for a decent, left hand sidepull. Set your feet high, and lob for the top. Controlling the swing after hitting the top is the crux.

"Climb straight up from the pocket and edge" (Benningfield, CO Bouldering 1, 19).

Start over the the left of the boulder under the roof. Make your way right, across corner lock and standard and then finish on pinch overhang.

Start as you would for

Tiger Face

, then follow the arete to the top for an easy topout. This can be a good warm-up for beginner climbers.

Start with a left hand sidepull and a thin right hand crimp. Bite down on a right foot with a left foot bicycle, and finish as for

Fist Full of Greens

.

Can this be most favorite problem too?  Find the Mental Block about 100 yards north of the Eliminator Boulder guarded by the smaller Tiger Rock, amidst some trees downhill from a break in the ridgeline.  Standard climbs incuts and crimps just left of Pinch Overhang.  Grab a left sidepull, a right underclingy sidepull and crank up a couple of moves, then pull the insecure mantel off without becoming one with bushes, rocks and your spotters.  Beautiful and thrilling moves.

Find the Mental Block and two good holds on a rail just left of

Mental Standard

.  Crank up right to the crack, then left to the triangular edge.  Grab the fingerlock in the corner and crank to the top.  Easiest topout on the Mental Block, at the third block on the left, reach above for a decent edge and haul yourself up to stop yourself from quivering.

Variations I have yet to crank through: 1. Left to crack and crank direct right to fingerlock 2. Undercling above the rail - below the crack and skip the fingerlock.

This climb is located on the far right arete of Mental Block.  Start on the obvious, two handed sidepull and climb straight up the slightly overhanging arete.

Description

Protection

Routes in Mental Block