Best 5.8 in the Universe?

There was a recent article on Climbing.com called Crazy Eights, hyping the best 5.8 trad climbs around the country. There were some great routes on there, and it got me thinking what a wonderful grade 5.8 truly is. It’s the level where things can get interesting, while still being moderate and relatively low stress. It’s the grade anyone can enjoy, regardless of how hard you climb. Newbies will revel in pushing themselves and succeeding on harder terrain, while old crusties will revel in the fact that something steep and intimidating can be ascended at such a moderate level.

Notably absent from the Climbing.com list was perhaps the mother of all 5.8’s, Crimson Chrysalis in Red Rocks. Of course, the route has been hyped to death, and so they opted for Frogland, another excellent moderate from the area. A perusal of the Mountain Project entry for Crimson will reveal a few haters in the comments, but after finally having taken a trip up this mega classic two days ago, it has my vote for the best 5.8 route I’ve ever done. Almost 1000′ long, the kind of steep you usually only get on 5.10 and a variety of fun moves make this thing a blast that’ll keep a smile on your face the whole way to the top.

However, just like the Force, there is a dark side to this geologic marvel. For one, it attracts crowds the likes of which are rare to encounter outside of a Saturday in September at the Gunks. And we’re not crowd haters, but the issue here is that what goes up, must come down, the exact same route, and if you or anyone you know has done this climb, they probably have a horror story of having seven or so climbers all at the same hanging belay, in a cluster of ropes and humanity. Another rarity for a route of this grade, most of the belays are hanging, which starts to wear on your hips after a while. And speaking of rappelling, like many raps in Red Rocks, the potential is high for snagging your rope on the many flakes and chicken heads on the way down.

Somehow, all this doesn’t stop folks from lining up like teenagers at a Justin Bieber concert, and on any in season weekend you’ll want to stay as far away from this thing as possible. But just like a Justin Bieber concert, that’s not something you really want to be a part of anyway. Hit it on a off day, however, and you’ll find an incredibly fun romp up a beautiful feature the likes of which can’t be matched anywhere else in the world.

Best 5.8 in the universe? It gets my vote, but don’t blame me if your ropes get stuck, your hips are sore or you get stuck behind a slow party (or ten) and ending up being on the route well into the night.