The Frying Pan – Featured Crag

Ah the F-Pan, where do I begin? This is easily my favorite crag in the Roaring Fork valley region. The rock is excellent (and unusually not chossy for this area). The climbing is thoughtful, technical and powerful all at the same time. The aesthetics are top notch, and the views from the upper cliffs are some of the best anywhere.

There are several established zones here, with the most popular being the Skillet, The Outpost and the Mental Block. A quick 15 minute hike from the parking area will bring you to the Skillet, where there are around 40 pitches from 5.9 to 5.13+ projects. The sandstone is like a mix between Eldo and Mill Creek, and the climbing here tends to be very technical and thoughtful. Most first time visitors describe it as awkward, weird and sandbagged. Once you get a feel for the stone, though, things will start to come together, and you might find that you really enjoy it. Don’t be discouraged if the first trip has you shaking your head about how hard those 5.10’s felt. They’ll be easier next time. Classic lines here include the fun Nose Job, 10b, the 35 meter Camel Head, 11b, and the techy Technician, 12b. Also, be sure not to miss the Chubby Pickle, a free standing sandstone tower with 3 excellent routes.

As you continue up the trail past the Pickle, in another 15 minutes or so you’ll come to the Outpost. The rock here is different from the Skillet, it’s more of a classic sandstone, with cracks, flakes and even some patina. This small but worthy crag offers 7 routes from 5.9 to 5.10, up to 50 feet tall. The one sport rig, Deja Vu, involves thoughtful climbing up nice patina edges that are reminiscent of Red Rocks. The other climbs tackle natural features, with a bolt here and there when the gear runs out. Don’t miss the splitter Bat Attack Crack, 5.10-, and the sustained Choss No More, 5.10.

A brief couple of minutes past the Outpost, you’ll find the Mental Block. This is the premier crag at the upper cliffs, with around 20 pitches from 5.9 to 5.13+ open projects. The views from here are spectacular, overlooking Reudi Resevoir and the Sawatch mountains beyond. It’s the kind of place you could spend the day just staring off into the distance, marveling at the beauty that surrounds you. But in case you snap out of it and want to get some pitches in, there’s a couple classics not to be missed. Elevate Your Mind, 12a, starts with some fun Kung Fu moves up a flake, then gets into a steep corner which leads to amazing patina at the top. Sandstoner offers 5.10 jamming the entire way, and the Mage is reported to be an excellent 5.13 outing. Also recommended is pretty much every route on the Upper Mental Block, including Clandestino, 12d trad, the Macaw, 5.10 trad, Via Viva, 12c bolted dihedral and Drunk Tank, 11 mixed dihedral.

For the adventurous few, there are even more routes past this, including some stellar 150′ 5.11’s, and thanks to Jeff Jackson and David Rasmussen there are new ones popping up all the time.

This time of year is perfect up there, with abundant sunshine and excellent temps. The Skillet is in the Rifle Mountain Park & Western Colorado Rock Climbs Book. Topos for the other areas are here (pdf’s):

Outpost

Mental Block 1

Mental Block 2