The Talisman is One Bad Ass Ice Climb

Guest blog by Rob Griz.

Talisman: (n) A small amulet or other object, often bearing magical symbols, worn for protection against evil spirits or the supernatural. (Wiktionary.org)

The Talisman is no ‘small object’, more like a substantial objective. The route has to be, in my opinion, one of Colorado’s best ‘true’ mixed routes, magical if you may. Three pitches, trad gear, rock, ice, choss, all at the stiffer end of the grades. After heading into Skylight the week before and seeing the route for the first time, I knew exactly what I was gonna be doing the following weekend…oh yeah boy!

No bolts, no bullshit, straight on skill, a pure line that is trad to the core. An early start had us busting across the base of the avy run-out and traversing trees into the drainage. Little did we know another party had set off ahead of us with the same line in mind. The skinning was spectacular and allowed cruiser climbing speed, unknowingly passing above the aforementioned party. There is much more to that story, but let’s say that it was a most appropriate score and an excellent start to our day as we motored above them to the base of the route.

Thirty feet of delaminated egg-shell stood between us and the 450’ above. I opted to climb the right side via a chossy M6+R line that took one piece of gear, a #4 wire behind a loose block (I believe that piece may have sufficed as my “Talisman”). Amazing when something looks easier than it really is. It probably wouldn’t have felt so rough had I not ripped off 3 hunks of rock, but I managed to stay glued to the stone. Nothing like a heady warm-up to get ya going. Cruiser but funky ice wandered a bit left, leaving me to traverse right to set up Tony for pitch 2. Tony arrived at the ledge with a high-five and sigh. After pulling through the lower mixed antics, I could tell he wasn’t too stoked to have at the next pitch. A few decompression minutes on the ledge, some gear exchange and he was up on the thin ‘cicle having a look.

It’s always fun when one “has a look”. This usually is a slow sequence of linked moves which, in some cases, you can’t reverse easily, at which point you become committed to going up….well, because it just might be easier…maybe. Tony styled it, linking ice blobs with sublimated holes and good rock gear. The final 30’ was quite interesting with a skeletal lattice of ice, barely adhered to a wide, vertical crack. With a loud ‘hoot n’ holler’, I knew he was off and sitting pretty on the ledge. Seconding on traversing lines always adds some spice, so I had to keep it clean and honest. A final re-rack and I was off on the final stretch. A sweet little rock traverse led to nice steep ice which kicked back after about 80’.

All tolled, we rocked it out in WI5 M6+R conditions. A good night of planning, the right gear, the right amount of gear and a solid head made the route such a pleasure. Our rap was a bit challenging as it put us 50’ off the next rap tree, and had we poked around more up top, we probably woulda found another station further to the climber’s right (as we had kinda already known). No big deal though, we had some big-ass shit-eatin’ grins that graced our sun tanned mugs into the late evening toast.